Dear Mr Balakrishna,
Thank you for the clarification. I absolutely agree with your
thinking behind what you are doing - get the ball rolling. If
your approach in this instance were more widely adopted
there would be far less misery in the world - donors and
recipients would both find more satisfaction in life from such
small but significant efforts.
After receiving your first message yesterday I of course
googled away and was quite captivated by your writing
and the range of your concerns.
I am sorry to hear that you are not in the best of health. It
does not show in the vigour of your writing. Your reference
to finances certainly touches a sore spot with your fellow
journalists here, where each month is a fine, and often
unsuccessful, balancing act. The compensation is that we
are so small that we are quite without the more normal
newspaper's ghastly overhang of bureaucrats, human
resource offices, advertising departments, and multiple
layers of unproductive editors.
One humbling outcome of Saleem's tragic end is the number
of Pakistani journalists who have already sought to work with
us, arguably with indecent haste - we are far from ready to
even consider how to find a successor to such a man. But
the number bears testimony to the unfeatured side of Pakistan;
that there are many unsung brave, intelligent,young individuals
who want to improve the country's lot in the face of horrendous
odds. And if that is the case in journalism, it is the case in
all other fields of work in your country. They too are drops that
can help constitute an ocean, if they can persevere.
Thank you again for your letter and for sharing with us your
so-positive response to the debate over the role journalists
try - or should try - to play in this strange world.
May I wish you improved health and many more years of
productive thinking.
With best wishes,
Chris Stewart
Subject: Not big news story:
Mr.Chris Stewart,
Business Editor,
Asia Times Online,
Hong Kong,
Dear Mr.Stewart,
I was suggesting to a group of Pakistani scribes introduced to
me by Mr.A.Jillani, an Islamabad based lawyer and columnist.
The 16,000 member group is known as Meida-tribe:
email:media-tribe@googlegroups.com
My point was I would be the first to contribute to help
Mr. Syed Saleem Shazdad�s kin. If the group accepts
my proposal for each member contributing two EUROs,
as first contributor I would contribute four plus one Five
EUROS.I am not a Donald Trump to be able to double
up the total contribution of the group.I am 76,ill and
after spending my life as journalist since 1953, writing
almost to over 150 newspapers and agencies for peanuts
as compensation payment I have not been able to stash
cash offshore havens, although they are close to me.
My heart beats for Syed Saleem Shahzad�s wife and
children, that is why I offer to be the first contributor,
sparing half a meal once.
Yes sir; I mean there was a gentle man Hermann Gmeiner in
Austria. At the end of the war seeing Austrian children without
an earning parent, he was moved.Young women without
male partners. So he mobilized young women as voluntary
adaptive mothers and to finance, he invited each surviving
Austrian donate a "schilling", like today�s two cents. That
made sense because today world wide there are a total of
150 odd SOS Children�s villages managed by voluntary
mothers to bring up the orphan children on that finance.
Principle: drops make ocean! No burden.
Hope things are clear now.You are welcome to publish the
gist the way you like it. I am sure you get the hint From Mr.Khattak�s Letter,
that "Foreign Media Organizations"
make millions out of the misery of decent Pakistani
journalists!
On 3 June 2011 10:53, Write <write@atimes.com> wrote:
Dear Mr Balakrishna,
Thank you for your letter, which handles with clarity an
important issue that obviously was part of our thoughts
during this week.
Because your letter arrived rather close to deadline, we
are today running a small extract - specifically the challenge
for the journalists in this unnamed group to donate a small
amount each: our reading of your challenge is that you are
offering to double each donation plus one euro. Can you
confirm that that is correct (the phrasing you use is slightly,
and unintentionally, ambigous).
We intend to publish your letter in full on Monday.
Would it also be possible for you to furnish us with the
name of the organization/group that you are referring to?
With thanks, again, for the sentiments you express and
argument you have put forward.And of course for the
generous stance you have adopted towards Saleem's family.
The reaction from across the region has been quite
remarkable - but so too was Saleem's courage, not to
mention the scale of this outrage.
Chris Stewart
Business Editor,
Asia Times Online
Pakistani lament
By Tariq Khattak
Pakistan Government, Local Media Owners, Courts Also Responsible For Troubles of
Journalists
I got mixed response from my earlier mail titled ��Foreign Media Also Responsible For Deaths of
Pakistani Journalists.
Majority blamed me for an agent of ISI and
establishment but some appreciated it. Many
were supportive of truth,liberty, freedom of
expression and other nice slogans without realising
ground realities and consequences in a police state
like Pakistan.
All of the non-journalists bashed me for writing
this piece, as they have nothing on stake. They want
others to fight for them, pay for it, while they keep
themselves away and safe.
Other sections of society should also risk their lives for
betterment of society.
I think that government is also responsible for the
troubles of journalist community. Keeping their
stomachs empty is integral part of their information
policy so that they can bar them from independent
thinking and keep them busy in making both ends
meet.
Pakistani Courts also put their weight behind
the owners adding to miseries of journalist
community, many judges would personally call
owners as soon as they are approached by staff
��what a shame.
Similarly, the media owners should also share
the blame. They look everything purely from
business point of view which is very selfish attitude.
The ever-increasing influence of marketing staff
in every news organisation is enough to prove it.
Many media owners would stress ethics and honesty
among staff without considering it practical for
themselves. They think that journalists and their
families are super humans that survive without
food.Whatever majority of journalists in Pakistan
get in the name of salaries is in fact a small,
humiliating and irregular stipend which can be
termed alms/donation at best.
This double standard works well for owners but
it��s hard for journalists to accept and there is no
institution that can help them out.
The situation leaves majority of reporters/sub
editors with little options but to explore other
venues to provide for bread and butter to unfortunate
families.Such areas may include serving other
private and government organisations/individuals,
indulgence in PR activities, working for the foreign
media, begging and black mailing.
They are not paid properly yet they hide the fact
that they are serving others due to negative mindset
of journalist community towards PR professional.
(God knows when PR professionals would be considered
as humans and respectable segment of society).
Once I asked a friend that why is he hitting Pakistan
and Islam in every news filed to foreign media. He
said that foreign media has helped his family to
migrate from inferior good to superior. Once his
salary was OK to meet expenses, now it is not for
personal entertainment.
��This is a whirlpool from which I cannot come out
even if I try was his last justification after which I
preferred to close the topic.
It is an undeniable fact that almost everyone is aware
of the situation which has resulted in many problems.
Many would not accept any journalist as son in law,
as they know that it amounts to playing with future
of their daughters.
Will there be any end to suppression?
--
Kulamarva Balakrishna
Kleistgasse 31/33,
A.1030 Vienna,Austria
00431-7997699 or 0043676-4953370
balakr2@gmail.com
manaviyata@gmail.com
Kulamarva Balakrishna
International Centre for Social & Environmental Engineering
Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring (TTTMM)
Taravadu,Bengre,Padubidri 574 111,Karnataka,India
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