
There are several programmes under which Pakistani journalists are taken to the US or given training in one form or the other. The US government does it directly through the International Visitor Programme or indirectly like a recent initiative in cooperation with the International Centre for Journalists where about 130 Pakistani journalists will be trained in the US. Journalists are also selected under the Fulbright scholarship , and with the increase in US funding for non-military aid to Pakistan, resources for these programmes have increased significantly since 2009. But in the Pakistani media, even the weakest of perceptions are quick to cement, and disclosing this arrangement immediately, we felt, could open the group to all sorts of censure — particularly from quarters that are quick to pass judgement without allowing for explanation. That is what made the timing of the disclosure tricky, particularly since the matter involved a party — the US government — that is, almost as a rule, looked at with suspicion. In retrospect, bowing to this apprehension was erroneous, as admitted, especially since there was nothing to hide. That said, editorial discretion lies solely and unconditionally with the editors concerned for all stories filed under this arrangement. We appreciate the article for the questions it has raised in the pursuit of transparency — given that we, too, are a part of the same effort — and for compelling us to disclose the facts, which is something that we should have done a long time ago.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2011.
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