PEACE JOURNALISM VERSUS EMBEDDED JOURNALISM IN PAKISTAN WITH A DETAILED HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Announcing "war on terrorism" by United States had dire consequences upon independent Pakistani journalists. Pakistan army has carried out several military operations against local and foreign militants those expected to be hidden in these regions. During these operations journalists were restricted from objective and free coverage and therefore they remained embedded with military in FATA. The embedding process created by the Pentagon and implemented for the first time in Iraq, was highly criticized by American citizens for not showing real casualties in Iraq war. Similarly, Pakistani journalists experienced this practice of being embedded in FATA after 9/11 attacks and the coverage went pro-military where civilian casualties were misrepresented. On one side this practice was praised by some journalists for their security and protection while on the other side it was highly criticized by public for violation of human rights. The method of analysis of choice was descriptive and explanatory. For the purpose different journals, research articles, existence literature and books were consulted. This paper shows that in the present age of media galore conflicts are viewed not just from the opposing parties 'perspective but media is also considered a party to the conflicts. Moreover, the paper finds that it becomes very difficult for a journalist to report independently while staying 24/7 with an army unit in a conflict zone. And if they go against the commandments of army they could be killed, and nobody would report this big tragedy. By considering the above facts it has become crystal clear that media portrayals of conflict all over the world including Pakistan have seen major concern to media professionals, combatants and public.