In a panel entitled "Pakistan in Peril" Cheema shared his experiences in the country, which is ranked as the third-most dangerous in the world for journalists.
Journalism has become more independent and is no longer scrutinized as much Cheema says in a conversation with student blogger Bibek Bhandari. Here are excerpts from that conversation.
How is your fellowship going at The New York Times?
I have worked in The New York Times’ metro section, computer-assisted reporting and investigative cluster, and went to the Investigative Reporters and Editors' workshop. I will spend two weeks in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. Then go to Los Angeles to meet Daniel Pearl’s parents and would spend time in Los Angeles Press Club discussing with them different issues about inter-faith harmony, because the purpose of this fellowship is to resolve conflicts, promote dialogues between different faiths.
I am learning about [American] newsrooms, how they work, and consequently what could I take back home, and what new things could be improved there.
What are the major differences you notice between American newsrooms and the ones in Pakistan?
I think the major difference is in terms of resources. They are more resourceful here financially, and when you’re financially strong, you can deploy more staff, facilitate them in a better way.
Reporting skills are different. The U.S. media concentrates mostly on storytelling.
How to write a good story, and how to bring human angles to the story. And as far as our media is concerned, and when I say our, Asian media mostly where the press is relatively independent, there is an element of opinion in our reporting that we learned from the British media. The European media overall, it is considered as opinionated media. We sometimes editorialize in our reporting. We give our opinions. I think that is the difference.
In terms of society, the good things I have learned [in the U.S.] is that people respect each other’s opinion. If I disagree with you, it doesn’t mean I am against you. In Pakistani culture, if I disagree people believe that I am against them.
How is it like to be a journalist in Pakistan?
I feel very excited being there. I think that mostly the most dangerous places that are the most volatile or hostile to journalists are the tribal areas in places like say Baluchistan, but not in urban areas.
If I go from my personal experience, I have had my leg broken in December 2004 when a car hit me from the back. I think it was purposeful but I’m not sure who was the attacker because he sped away. Some people believe it was done by intelligence agencies. It is hostile. But, we have the nerve to resist. We cannot be intimidated. We [have faced] such harassment tactics for a long time. Whenever there is a military rule, we face it. So it’s routine. For a foreigner it may be something unusual, for us it has but become a routine. But media is getting stronger and stronger everyday. We are getting more vibrant.
Is journalism a profession that is respected in Pakistan?
I think that media is respected more than any other sector. People trust media more than judiciary.
Are young people interested in pursuing a career in journalism?
Yes, there is a dramatic change in Pakistan. There was a time when people were reluctant that their daughters should be married to a journalist. Now it has become very glamorous and prestigious. In the past, the armed services, army officers and civil officers were considered very glamorous jobs, full of authority, that people would love to join.
The electronic media helps attract the youth. [As a journalist], you are resisting government pressure and exposing the [government]. It was due to the electronic media that the Pakistani government came under huge pressure. And when they started cracking down on journalists, the electronic media was their first target.
Speaking of media rights and freedom, do you think things has improved over the years in Pakistan?
Yes, it has changed a lot. It’s very difficult for the government to control it because it's become natural for people who have had freedom to resist efforts to control it.
With electronic media, we are heading toward more transparency. People know many more things that they did not know before.
However, in American media, people have access to public records. We don’t have that. So, something needs to be done there in terms of media laws. I think we need to abolish our information department, which sometimes tries to pressure the media through the weapon of advertisements saying it would stop advertisements if the press went against them.
But I have hope. Our present information minister is a former editor of a reputed magazine, Herald. I read a statement in which she said journalists would get access to public records. I hope she does it.
Which regime in Pakistan has been more liberal in terms of press freedom?
I think, with comparison to previous regime, Pervez Musharraf has been friendly toward media until he himself came under huge criticism. He mistakenly believed that if he gave license to private electronic media, then they would be nice to him. For him, the concept of freedom of media was he should be excluded from any sort of criticism. And when he came under criticism, he turned against the media, and imposed restrictions. But initially, he was good to the media, and more tolerant than previous regimes.