The New York Times has some very disturbing news to report from the changing Pakistani media landscape: apparently there were only a couple of news channels in the past, but then, after Musharraf “liberalized” the media — HMM? — during his term, there are now more than 20 news channels, around the clock, and they might not all be relaying the most accurate information! WHAT IS WITH THESE MUSLIMS!
Pakistanis have a seemingly insatiable appetite for political news. Since the news media was liberalized under former President Pervez Musharraf, that hunger is being fed like never before.
Eight years ago Pakistan had one television news channel. Now there are 26 news channels, half of which broadcast 24 hours a day. But most of what is on offer hardly qualifies as rigorous, fact-based news. Rather, shows follow a familiar formula of a roundtable discussion by middle-aged men hashing out political conspiracies.
If that problem sounds familiar to an American audience, consider that in Pakistan it has taken on daunting proportions. That media phenomenon is what today’s video report, “Losing the Media War in Pakistan,” attempts to capture.
Media critics here say the problem lies with a lack of experienced reporters, and a lack of investment in investigative journalism, which has created a troubling tilt toward right-wing, highly opinionated talk shows. After all, talk shows are cheaper to produce, and easier to make.
Oooh, how very different an incentive structure from American TeeVee!
So, when do we nuke Islamabad?
[NYT]
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To answer the above Faux News Question… about every 10-15 seconds assuming they’re talking about the parts of adult members (ha) of the opposite sex which might be not the best assumption considering it is Faux and their core GOPer audience.
Wow. I guess humans and TV execs are as retarded over there as they are over here.
All I can think of is Rachel Madow and Mika Brezinski as harem girls.
Jim, you are leaving here with your trucknutz and all so I am just going to go buy shoes this afternoon instead of doing any thinking.It is good though to be practicing genital prose for your next job.
Still, it’s better than all the ‘Friends’ reruns here.
I don’t miss a single episode of “The Glen Mahboudian Show”! He delivers the infotainment, doing the funny voices and the Hitler analogies and has local governing council members as guests who think that “Ameri-fascism” is the reason for all the problems in the region.
Crazy fun!
A post from Newell? Has he been sacked from Gawker already?
What?!?!? No Pakistani Idol? Why don’t those Mooslims want to be civilized, like us?
Political Debates? My god, man. Endeavor to Persevere, you heathens.
So we just need to send Pakistan a bunch of identical bottle-blond anchor bimbos in too much make-up to complement the middle-aged men and they’ll have over 20 Fox Newses; yet we deprived Americans only have four (Original Fox News, Fox Business, CNN Headline News, and CNBC). Spoiled Pakistanis!
Break out the Muslin “Chalk Board”. Just don’t draw you know who.
Off topic, but I had a bizarro nightmare that Jim Newell was quitting Wonkette. One of those things you wakeup from and reality — with all its warts — looks pretty good.
Muslins should know better. They keep this up they’ll irrationally hate themselves as well.
[re=586710]SmutBoffin[/re]: Let me tell you my friend, “Meet the Pakis” has totally gone in the crapper since that Davush Grehkori donkey fornicator took over, only! Yes? Yes? Okay!
You know, I try not to read Greenwald, because me makes me so fucking depressed, but he had a point on this stuff. To paraphrase his post on this topic:
You mean to say that a lot of people a Pakistan, a country where we’re secretly robo-bombing, kidnapping, and assassinating the dickens out of people, but neither we nor Pakistan’s government will admit that we’re doing precisely that thing, has conspiracy theories about the secret things we’re conspiring with the Pakistani government to do? Those crazy Mooslims!
Oh, plus, it’s not like when we invaded Iraq, a bunch of middle-aged Americanos sat around a table on teevee and shared “theories” that Saddam Hussein was “conspiring” with Al Queda, or Nigeria, or whoever, that ended up being completely wrong or anything. Also.
Gonna miss seeing you here, Jim Newell.
murdoch is salivating over the prospects of franchise expansion.
This is the Pakistani version of Kara Phillips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvKdCC1bIo4
Where do I vote for touching other peoples’ private parts?
As to Fox’s question, let’s see I usually sleep about six hours, so that for eighteen hours a day.
Oh wait, some of my dreams might also qualify…
It’s entirely different than US news channels. We have right-wing, middle aged men hashing out conspiracy theories, and one cute chick in a perky outfit giggling through the whole thing.
[re=586750]slowuncle[/re]: More importantly, who is behind the conspiracy to keep other peoples’ parts private?
I blame Naughty By Nature.
[re=586762]gjdodger[/re]:
.
.
Oh yes it’s all so very different here! Sounds like Morning Ho
Just want to say byes to Jim Newell, I really enjoyed your hilarity posts & I respected your zeal in fighting the good fight with your posts concerning the Health Care Reform Nonreform craziness (& other topics). Good Luck!
If you have one officially approved news network, you always know what is truth, if you have two, or more, you can never be sure. Unless one of them is Fox, then you can be sure of what is true, it will be the opposite of what Fox says it is.
[re=586746]DC Hates Me[/re]: thanks for the link. eyes for falling into.
Don’t forget these fun Pakistani television channels, too:
–The Pakistani Taliban News Channel
–The Pakistani Soap Opera Channel
–The Pakistani Game Show Channel
–Pakistani Skinemax Channel (PSC)
–PSPN–Pakistani Sports Programming Network
–Kangaroo Court TV
–PPC–Pakistani Playboy Channel
–PFNC–Pakistani Fox News Channel.
thefrontpage:
.
Luv your list
Pay Per View: Saddam Hussein’s Torture Sex Tape Extravaganza
Constantly
But do they have holograms? How can they have incisive, accurate, as-it-happens newscasting without the holograms?
[re=586874]snideinplainsight[/re]: They keep their holograms in an old oil lamp. Brings a new meaning to ‘Let’s rub one out–FOR THE JIHADIS!!!1!’
Honestly, all the time.
[re=586719]JMP[/re]: Maybe they can send some hot-looking Pakistani women in return, the kind with big eyes and big bazooms.
Often.
[re=586717]Oblios Cap[/re]: Um, there WAS an “Afghan Idol” documentary released a couple of years ago. Close. Google it – it was a very interesting movie, needless to say. I thought the religious police were going to start stoning the female contestants.
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