Pakistan

Bol fiasco: Media cannot be judged by a single case, says Talat

Kal Tak host Javed Chaudhry says the media industry has seen many a turbulent time, but never like this one

Our Correspondent May 26, 2015

. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE

KARACHI:

The whole media industry cannot be judged by a single case, TV anchor Talat Hussain said on Monday, while referring to the Axact and its media company Bol.

Speaking to The Express News show Kal Tak host Javed Chaudhry, he said that the media industry has seen many a turbulent time, but never like this one, when Axact scandal has raised questions on the accountability of the media.

Husain said that he had two meetings with Shoaib Sheikh on the latter’s insistence. “Shoaib said he wanted to launch a new news system and wanted my assistance,” Hussain said, adding that Shoaib offered him three-times the market rate salary. “He wanted to launch news channel that will have a show hosted by me, a newspaper and even a university to train journalists,” Hussain said.

After these meetings, Hussain said that he never met Azhar Abbas or Kamran Khan.

In September 2014, I sent an SMS to Azhar Abbas saying that I will not join Bol,” Hussain said.

He said that the Axact fiasco has tarnished media’s image, but this case should not be used to judge the whole industry. “We have never seen such a situation in the media before, if people working in Bol leave, people say look at them they have deserted, and if they continue working everyone says why are you still there,” he said.

Hussain said there could be some companies who might buy Bol’s set-up.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (13)

A Peshawary | 8 years ago | Reply @Haris Farooq: Is he a straightforward person trying to defend his community through power of his writing? A Peshawar

A Peshawary | 8 years ago | Reply @nabidad: There are hundreds of stories of journalist blackmailing corrupt ones which got reported by media; obviously one cannot write or speak against his own brother journalists. But the difference is; in this era of social media no one can defend himself on false pretext or hide the crimes which used to be put under carpet. Thanks to mas communication technology awareness through social media. People have got the forums to express their opinion even in few words/sentences instead of long jargonised articles of the past. A Peshawary

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Haris Farooq | 8 years ago | Reply @nabidad: We need straightforward people like you to come forward and lead.

nabidad | 8 years ago | Reply @Ghareeb Adami: I am also a journalist i know them (journalists) very well. You are absolutely right, I am agreed, most of them are blackmailers.

Ghareeb Adami | 8 years ago | Reply @A Peshawary: It is already tarnished.

Ghareeb Adami | 8 years ago | Reply @nabidad: May be he himself too.

Ghareeb Adami | 8 years ago | Reply The black mailers.

A Peshawary | 8 years ago | Reply Mr. Hussain; Please do not tarnish your image by defending the corrupt side of the media on one pretext or an other. Regards A Peshawary

IT Engineer | 8 years ago | Reply For past years Kamran Khan didnt let go a single opportunity to grill the politicians, he was a champion of investigative journalism, a journalist whose reports were a baseline & starting point for ex-Chief Justice's 'Sou Motto' cases.... but what happened to him in past 2 yrs or so, he turned a blind eye on Axact's sources of income, he turned a deaf ear on BOL's lucrative salary offers that were tempting all the top media brass. KK should answer all these questions, why this Guru investigative journalist failed in judging Axact & BOL media group's finances.

nabidad | 8 years ago | Reply How can Talat say that there is only single case — Bol fiasco: Media cannot be judged by a single case —, and now people are misjudging media? So many episodes of media people corruption are now an open secret in Pakistan. It is for your information Mr. Talat, and I sure that you know it very well that most of the media owners are involved in same Axact kind of activities.

EHTESHAM | 8 years ago | Reply there r many cases mr talat like...isn't ur new employer GEO is tax defaulter

Anarchist | 8 years ago | Reply Yes. Only a politician, bureaucrat, general etc. can be judged by a single case, not our journos who are paragons of ethics & morality. Hypocritical of the author.

Asad Shairani | 8 years ago | Reply At worst, they were willingly becoming a part of a criminal enterprise - at best, they are awful, incompetent journalists. Kamran Khan, Asma Shirazi and Co have lost their right to question anyone now.

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