Media coverage of the crash

KARACHI: This is with reference to your reports on the media coverage of the plane crash. We are fairly new at this. The western media still gets it wrong sometimes and they have been at it much longer. Like the TV shows of old, they leave us with cliffhangers so that we don’t touch that remote. Hype, misinformation and blowing things out of proportion are often tools used by the likes of Fox News and other media channels to keep the viewers engaged.

The points made are although valid, a bit harsh. Given time, I am certain that news coverage will improve and we will learn to deal with such matters with the respect they deserve.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2010.