So two days after the attack on the Ashura procession in Karachi and the subsequent arson campaign that followed, two editions of the same newspaper have wildly different figures. While Karachi mentions the dead as 43, Lahore rounds up the figure to 45. That would not be such a big deal (casualty figures often vary depending on sources, at least initially) if only it wasn't the SAME newspaper. But where Lahore really takes the cake is in DOUBLING the number of shops allegedly torched, from Karachi's 3,000 to 6,000!
Of course, we now know that the number of shops burnt was actually a whole magnitude less - between 700 to 800... Not a small figure by any means, but certainly not 6,000 or even 3,000. ... And that's why, ladies and gentlemen, one should take initial media reporting (at least in the Punjab) with a pinch of salt.
And that's why, ladies and gentlemen, one should take initial media reporting (at least in the Punjab) with a pinch of salt
ReplyDeletebecause lahore = punjab while karachi =/= sindh?
PS: A flock of little birdies told me that the initial circling etc was done by an MQM ka bhai. :-D
ReplyDeletegood catch:)
ReplyDeleteIt all depends who is the Resident editor and how sensational his approach to cash the tragedies.
ReplyDeleteAlso depends on press time. The two different editions might be going to press at different times. When the dust hasn't yet settled fully, which is the case when an incident takes place later in the day, estimates of casualties, which is a function of all the injured rushed to the hospitals, keeps increasing.
ReplyDeleteIt is faulty reporting, no doubt, but 43 to 45 could be called sloppy coordination, not sensationalism.