“One of my professors once told me that journalism is like making chicken salad out of chicken bits,” says Misha when asked what her career means to her. “You have to take a total shot in the dark with whatever you have and somehow, make it work.”
I wonder if it was this rush that attracted Misha — an engineer from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — to the world of news but the 29-year-old seems like anything but an adrenaline junkie. Cool and composed, Misha narrates the story of her foray into journalism. “I was the average undergrad, desperately seeking employment in an industry that favours qualified post-graduates,” she says of her initial career struggles. As destiny would have it, however, the Pakistani media underwent an overhaul just around the time of Misha’s return from the US, with the television industry burgeoning more than ever before. “I happened to meet an individual who was in the process of establishing his own news channel at that time,” she recalls. “Strangely enough, he offered me a job based solely on the fact that I was fluent in English. Voila! I suddenly became the associate producer on the international news desk, writing, editing and delivering news pieces daily from four to 12.”
The time spent on her first job helped Misha realise her passion for journalism.“Reporting provided an all-access pass for me to ask questions, talk to different people and write stories others could relate to,” she says excitedly. “It sort of satisfies the natural curiosity in me.” Eager to learn, Misha began taking informal lessons from her colleagues at work to stay at par. Soon, curiosity propelled her to join the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to get a real taste of reporting. “It was an eye-opener returning to the US as a journalist,” she reminisces. “During my studies, I interned at CNN and was fortunate enough to be hired by Thomson Reuters soon after graduation.”
Just a year after joining Reuters, however, unprecedented circumstances forced her to return home. “Pakistan is an amazing, crazy country to be a reporter in,” responds Misha when asked if she resents having to move back from New York. “Upon returning, I joined the Reuters office in Islamabad which kept me on my toes for a while, until the Bhoja Airlines plane crash in 2012.” The unfortunate incident proved to be a turning point in Misha’s career and made her question the type of journalism she wanted to pursue. “I was supposed to be on the flight which went down,” shares Misha. “As I was already at the airport when the news of the crash broke, Reuters asked me to report from there. But it was extremely depressing to see the passengers’ families and friends in such trauma; it truly shook me up.” The incident made Misha realise daily reporting was no longer her cup of tea. “Life is too short to waste on something you don’t love. Therefore, I decided to change my beat and retired from reporting.”
The Emmy-winning team of Outlawed In Pakistan.
Since then, Misha has been working as a freelancer, choosing her projects as she pleases. “The internet has revolutionised journalistic discourse everywhere,” she explains. “In Pakistan, there is a growing appetite for good, human stories. People want to know about what’s happening here.” It was this desire to share human stories which encouraged Misha to partake in the making of Outlawed in Pakistan, a documentary depicting the struggle of teenager Kainat Soomro who claims to have been gang-raped at 13. “Outlawed is but a critique on the Pakistani judicial system — or lack thereof,” says Misha. “We aimed to highlight what happens when a woman claims rape in Paksitan, from the perspectives of both the alleged victim and the accused.” Although the documentary — lead by American television giant Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is yet to be released in Pakistan due to legal issues, it has been well-received in the West. It also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Research in early October.
“One of the greatest challenges in Pakistani journalism is the inability to verify information,” explains Misha when asked about the obstacles she had to face during filming. “Getting the subjects to open up remains a tall order as most of them can’t articulate their feelings. They are afraid of the media and it is virtually impossible to authenticate what they say.” Considering the challenges, winning an Emmy in the Research category was a pleasant surprise, Misha admits.“It is always great to be recognised for your work, no matter what you do.”
Kainat Soomro, the protagonist of Outlawed.
Misha appears unfazed by her Emmy and attributes it to her team and prominent female journalists before her. The past few years have indeed been unforgettable for Pakistani women, who have proved their mettle in the international realm, time and again. “Pakistan has always had a legacy of strong women,” she states vehemently. “Our elders have paved the way for us and changed the way Pakistani women are perceived. She cites the political struggles of Fatima Jinnah and journalistic prowess of Zubeida Mustafa as examples of how women can achieve whatever they dream of. Misha is currently filming a documentary revolving around the medical staff at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and how they operate following a bomb blast in Karachi. “The craziness of the city is contained in the emergency ward at JPMC,” she says. “The staff there is the real heroes of Karachi. They work tirelessly and go through daily trauma without even batting an eyelash!” The unnamed documentary focuses particularly on Dr Hakim Daad and his experience during the 2010 bombing of JPMC.
Misha simply laughs when asked if she hopes to change the world with her work? As journalists or documentarians, our job is to get the discourse running,” she says. “We aim for our stories — good and bad ones — to have an impact.”
Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, November 30th, 2014.
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Great article!