tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8473844.post2966065926823176769..comments2023-09-17T04:40:09.115-05:00Comments on Vital Concerns for the World: The Guardian on Salmaan Taseer and Aasia BibiBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01854415536476550764noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8473844.post-68404965427541933892011-01-11T16:09:05.977-06:002011-01-11T16:09:05.977-06:00It should be noted that this Guardian report is ve...It should be noted that this Guardian report is very UNLIKE so many other reports in the U.S. media on Pakistan, and this is to the credit of Declan Walsh, the British journalist who wrote this story. Walsh actually bothered to travel to the Punjabi countryside where these blasphemy accusations against Asia Noreen originated and reported on the attitudes of the local population. Seeking out and talking to ordinary people at the center of events is basic journalistic practice, but we rarely see it anymore. More often, what we get instead are off the record statements from unnamed government officials, some quotes from government press conferences, and interviews with Anglophone politicians and journalists. With so many Pakistani stringers doing the real work,and risking their lives in the process, I wonder how often the inexperienced American journalists (who 'parachute' into the situation) actually dare venturing beyond their hotel lobbies. Declan Walsh deserves a great deal more credit for what he does than this.Alinoreply@blogger.com