What is the use of such reporting which does not benefit the public, after the advent of social media, journalism has lost its quality. Started journalism with daily Mashriq. In 2007, when Peshawar was under the grip of terrorism, she used to report on terrorist incidents for a color edition. Terrorism was also going on in Swat in these circumstances, reporting and interviewing the affected families was a life-threatening task.
Peshawar crime reporter Shazia Nisar is narrating this story.
Every crime reporter working in Pakistan has been able to create a distinct identity in journalism and institutions due to her skills.
In a society that considers women to be mentally weak, the identity of a woman is her struggle and work.
Why is crime reporting difficult and dangerous for women, is it because of male dominance? Or is there a lack of training on crime reporting in institutions?
The question is, if crime reporting is dangerous, is it not dangerous for male journalists? Their lives are as valuable as women journalists?
Today I think I have to be careful (Shazia Nisar).
Shazia Nisar
Shazia Nisar, who has been involved in the profession of journalism for 19 years, has been doing crime reporting, court reporting and jail reporting in Peshawar district.
He says, ‘For the last three years, I have started getting scared. Today I feel that I have to be careful, I don’t feel safe while reporting on crime and reporting on prisons, now I am harassed.’
He further said that ‘When I got the job in ARY News, I got the first beat High Court which was no less than an honor for me.’
This is not the era where one had to take time to meet a journalist
He said: ‘Many of my stories were automatically noted during court reporting, which directly benefited the public.
She used to do a 15 to 20 minute story on crime in TV channel’s program ‘Jirm Bolta Hai’. I never felt scared while doing crime reporting because I had worked a lot in terrorist situations which never discouraged me and there was never any hindrance from the institution.’
Shazia expressed her fear in one sentence that ‘the dignity of women journalists is not safe because of social media. This is not the era where one had to take time to meet a journalist.’
The dangers mentioned by Shazia have existed for years. One such example is Veronica Guerin, a crime reporter from Ireland who worked for the Sunday Independent newspaper there.
In June 1996, he was silenced by Bully Marker for an investigative story on the underworld. After his murder, Ireland launched the country’s biggest criminal investigation and crackdown on the gang.
There must be some truth in this that there should be a female crime reporter to look at women’s crimes.
The readers are seeing the gender difference from my point, but if we take the facts into consideration, 60% of Pakistan’s population lives in villages where the literacy rate is not high.
Women living in rural areas are still afraid to talk openly with men because of their traditions.
One of the reasons for increasing crimes is the fact that facts are not revealed. If women crime reporters go to these areas, many women will also be able to express their problems openly.
As I started doing stories as a crime reporter, the voices from the side were also on me (Arfa Subh Khan).
Arifa Subh Khan
Seven awards in crime reporting, 12 gold medals as a female journalist, Pakistan’s senior crime reporter Arifa Subh Khan started journalism in the 90s.
The first crime story for daily Jang was the murder of 13 members of the same family in an area of Lahore.
Arifa, who carried out her duties with the title of lady reporter, also reported on politics, parliament, court, prison, education and health, but the title of ‘Sahaft ki Sherni’ was given to her by Majeed Nizami, head of ‘Naoy Waqt’, because of crime reporting. Given from
He said that when he started doing stories as a crime reporter, objections started, but he did not give up.
One of the reasons for never giving up in covering crime stories was Athar Abbas, our news editor at Daily Jang.
“I think if you get to work, the difficulties are reduced to a great extent,” he said.
Talking about the reaction from the society, she further said that in the 90s, it was considered very immoral to accompany male journalists to cover political meetings, religious gatherings and rallies. But they never gave up.
Regarding the security of women journalists, he said, ‘In my view, today’s women journalists are not safe, one of the reasons for which is social media, because now the work of journalists has its own identity in newspapers and television as well as in social media. .
‘Social media has your picture, and family details because of which women are trolled and harassed on social media.
‘During our time, your identity was protected, due to which women were able to escape even in many difficult situations.’
Gender discrimination in journalism persists in 2023. Both men and women are directly or indirectly involved in crime in the society.
What are the factors that stand in the way of women journalists that women are being ignored despite being qualified? What are the reasons behind the extremely low (non-existent) number of women in crime reporting?
Answers to these questions are very important. Women studying journalism in universities should know why and where are the barriers?
‘Women journalists themselves do not want to enter this field’
Geo News Bureau Chief Raees Ansari says, ‘I do not agree that women are not allowed to be crime reporters. Women journalists themselves do not want to enter this field.
“I am a witness to the fact that sometimes there is a talent in female reporters. I myself say that since you have a good understanding of this matter and can bring out the important side of the story, then do crime beat.”
‘On this I hear denials from women that they cannot do this work due to social and domestic problems. The problem is that women cannot work late into the night while crime reporting has less concept of day and night.’
He further said that ‘as far as preventing women from crime reporting is concerned, one aspect in this matter should also be seen that even male crime reporters do not want anyone to come forward. In this field, in all the media houses, male crime reporters do not tolerate female crime reporters as equals.
According to Rais Ansari, ‘In my 37 years of journalism, I have seen women journalists doing crime stories. During the war, crime stories were published on full pages in women’s magazines.
There is no problem for women journalists to work during the day, yes, but in the evening and at night, even in today’s modern times, women avoid working in this field, probably because of their personal safety concerns. .’
With the situation regarding women in the country, we ourselves are very careful about the security of women so that no such thing happens which harms the life and honor of a woman.
Rais Ansari was asked that do you think women are not able to report crime because they are mentally weak?
He said, ‘There is no truth in this. Women are very brave and fearless and sometimes bring out aspects of the story that no man can even imagine.
“Women are capable, intelligent, responsible, fearless and good at teamwork, and now media students are more intelligent and fearless.”
Are parents equal to daughters because of being educated in the society?
In response to this question, he gave an example that ‘when newscaster Mahpara Safdar came to the media, she had to bear the displeasure of her family as to what the society and relatives would say, but now her parents support her and the nature of her work. Understand.’
I considered myself a crime reporter from the beginning (Duaa Mirza).
called Mirza
The first biker woman crime reporter Dua Mirza says that she started journalism from City 42 in 2017 as a female reporter.
Being inclined towards crime reporting, I considered myself a crime reporter from the start.
He said that I was hired as a crime reporter in all these channels, Public News Channel, GTV and 92 because I had experience in this field.
Dua asked, do you agree that women crime reporters are not accepted in media houses?
On this, she said that even after working in this field for four to five years, she could not be accepted as a female crime reporter in the society. Because journalists in this field have to work in a working loop where crime is being reported 24 hours a day, it is not enough for a single person.
Even today I can say that I have not been able to make a loop till today. One of the reasons is that I am a girl, how will a girl go to the police station, and then even if you have any news, you are immediately tagged that being a girl, she must have received this news.’
Dua Mirza is right to some extent that the reporter’s news is somehow connected with his sources as well as with the people who are important characters of our society.
For example, British journalist Christina Lamb has received several awards for excellence in journalism. She attributes her success to her wide circle of friends.
From uncrowned drug kingpins and uneducated jihadis to prime ministers, from school teachers to ex-military generals of the US, Pakistan and Britain, everyone is on his contact list.
Dua Mirz raised an important point that ‘if women are committing crimes or want to do so, they also have to end the soft corner. When I came into this field, I had to become a superman first to get to superwoman, then the society and institutions believe in your ability.
One percent female journalist in Lahore
Abdul Majeed Sajid, General Secretary of Lahore Press Club, while talking about this, said that women journalists are almost one percent members of Lahore Press Club. There is no doubt that women reporters still have to work hard to make their place in society.’
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
Abdul Majeed Sajid is associated with Jang newspaper, he himself has seen the negative effects of social problems on women many times while reporting. Women themselves do not report crime because they have to face the strictures of the society as well as family objections.
‘This is the reason why many women start crime reporting but after some time they have to show their skills in general reporting.’
According to the data obtained from the Islamabad Press Club, there are 3663 journalists registered, out of which only 211 journalists are members of the Women Press Club. This number is equal to cumin in the camel’s mouth.
All the major media channels have their bureaus in Lahore, the city of Punjab, the largest province by population. The number of female reporters in major media channels in Lahore is negligible, five in Pakistan Television, four in Geo News, four in Snow TV, five total in both New and Lahore Ring, Sama TV, ARY News, GTV, Dunya News, Lahore News, GNN all have one female reporter working.
On the other hand, GTV, Hum News, Bol News, Abak News, Aaj News, Capital News, and PNN have no female reporters. The number of female reporters working in media houses of Lahore is only 23.
Why is the female reporter reluctant to come to the police station?
DSP Operations Noreen Ramzan says, ‘Obviously, if women reporters come to the police station, they mostly collect information about crimes against women?
Most of the questions about the nature of the crime in which women are domestic violence and rape FIRs.
‘I think today’s women journalists are more experienced, they also understand the nature of the work. According to my experience, women reporters who get more experience in this field do their work in a more professional manner.
But here I would also like to say that women who have not been in journalism for a long time, when they go to the police station for information about any incident, they are a little scared and shy.
Just as journalists have a way of working, the police also have their own way of working which sometimes confuses inexperienced women journalists.
It is a welcome development to have women reporters in today’s times because earlier we used to see that crime reporting was mostly done by male journalists, but in the same way that in the police department only male SPs, DSs. P and SP used to be in operational positions, but now women are also serving in these positions.
During the reign of Pervez Musharraf, there was innovation in the television screen of Pakistan and the line of private channels started.
During this period, a new era of journalism began in which men as well as women journalists got jobs in various fields of electronic media.
Working in electronic media was also a new experience for male journalists. In this era too, women journalists were left far behind in the electronic media as well as in the print media.
Female crime reporter Dua Mirza says, ‘If I talk about now, the environment for women journalists is much better, at least women are seen in the offices.
“Working has become easier now through electronic media and modern technology. Today I see women reporting live from courts, crime shows and prisons.’
He further said that while reporting, I have seen many cases of prejudice and jealousy from my male colleagues, sometimes even anger, but I think men did not understand women crime reporters earlier and now modern. Women journalists are seen fighting with a similar situation in the era.’
