Its interesting to note how easy it is for a tabloid newspaper to conveniently delete a news story from its website without even bothering to offer an explanation or justification – Express Tribune today (18th Feb) has been caught (Again) to have deleted the fourth story that was published in its Print edition (e-paper link) but the story has been entirely removed from its online website
This latest story was another expose on the potential election alliance between PML-N and the banned outfit Ahle Sunnat Wali Jamat where PML-N is planning not to contest against ASWJ on three National Assembly seats – all in the name of Politics while the same banned outfit is known to support Shia killing.
All four stories were hard hitting reports against the PML-N and we have documented each deletion, seems like our efforts are paying off in exposing Tribune and its bias towards PML-N
- PML-N’s – ‘Like’ my Facebook page News Item [DELETED]
- Express Tribune deletes another PML-N exposé News Item
- Third Tribune Article against PML Deleted “PML-N, ASWJ”
A closer examination of all four stories we notice a common factor where the author of all four were by a political reporter Abdul Manan – Abdul Manan has been writing for Express Tribune since April 7th 2010 and a quick calculation reveals that he writes regularly and has over 750+ news reports for the Tribune under his name. He has written about every political party and many have been hard hitting & damaging articles as well. But when it comes to PML-N, the Express Tribune web desk is quick to delete the stories without offering any explanation and it may well be after some heated phone calls from Raiwind.
Some critics point out that these reports by Abdul Manan are inaccurate so were rightfully removed, my question then stands, Coincidentally why does it only happen to hard hitting stories regarding PML-N, that such reporting inaccuracies are deleted without any explanation, the print edition editorial board finds these stories pertinent enough to let them be printed, but within a few hours the web desk in turn finds them erroneous to delete – despite the three prior incidents the journalist continues to write for Express Tribune and no action is taken against him. If Abdul Manan is misreporting facts then who are these errors only related to news stories related to PML & ASWJ? Many questions and the fourth incident is proof enough that there is foul play to hide facts – Prime case of Yellow Tribuninsm by Express Tribune
A question lurks within the mind of every Pakistani: where are we headed with this war on/of terror? Is Pakistan a simple ‘franchisee’ or are we developing our own long-term interests in this war? The strategy to hit out at selected al Qaeda targets unfolded in early 2007 when our government offered facilities for launching drones remotely controlled by joystick operators in distant lands. The decision to kill was left in the hands of ‘informers’ on the ground who planted homing devices near houses that needed to be bombed. A menacing ‘whistle’ precedes the actual impact, many running for cover not knowing ‘for whom the bell tolls’, leaving many unintentionally dead and others maimed for life. So-called ‘collateral damage’, has been a sterile term. Women and children wailing and shrieking, mourners lifting their dead. The psychological impact has swung any remnant of anti-al Qaeda sentiment into anti-military and anti-US anger.