Pakistan and the media

Violence has accompanied the politics of Pakistan in recent months

This week on The Listening Post Richard Gizbert looks at Pakistan and how the media there felt the heat during the election.
 
Violence has accompanied the politics of Pakistan in recent months and the murder of Benazir Bhutto casted a long shadow over these elections.

But many parts of the media have been unable to properly commentate on events as certain news anchors remain off air.

In a country with low literacy rates, the muzzling of television is a major block to balanced debate.

Will a new government lift restrictions which have been in place since last November’s state of emergency, or has the media lost its teeth for good?

There is a threat to restrict satellite broadcasters

Our feature this week looks at Iraq and how the battle for the airwaves reflects the battle on the streets.

In a country riven by ethnic and religious tensions, it’s perhaps no surprise that different voices are finding different media to spread their views.
 
In Newsbytes this week we have new proposals from the Arab League that threaten to restrict satellite broadcasters; Steven Spielberg causes confusion and indignation in the Chinese media over his decision to step down as an artistic adviser for the Olympics; plus, possibly the most profane headline in Europe, courtesy of Kosovo.
 
And this week’s video of the week: The big freeze in the big city.

See how synchronised crowds brought New York and London to a quite literal standstill.

Watch part one of this episode of The Listening Post on YouTube

Watch part two of this episode of The Listening Post on YouTube

This episode of The Listening Post aired on Friday, February 22, 2008