MISHAL PAKISTAN AND TRIBAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE SOCIAL FACE OF FATA

Tribal Union of Journalists, Mishal Team
along with CIME Ambassador to Pakistan

Meeting between Mishal Private Limited and the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) was held in Peshawar at TUJ’s Head office on Tuesday 18th October 2011. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Mishal Private Limited and the Tribal Union of Journalists on capacity building and training initiatives. The Tribal Union of Journalists is the representative body of the journalists from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Frontier Regions.; comprising of seven Tribal Agencies and its adjacent Six Frontier Regions. More than 250 journalists are registered members of TUJ working with local, national and international media. The Tribal Union of Journalists is the first-ever journalistic body in the history of FATA. The members of TUJ realize the importance of promoting journalism that covers political system and the much-needed socio-economic sector.

creating value together
TUJ and MISHAL to strengthen
media in FATA   

The collaboration between Mishal and TUJ will help both the organization to identify the elements contributing to the disconnect with the mainstream news agenda and the gaps within the reporting structure by building the capacity of the journalists from FATA and FR on investigative journalism, media ethics, conflict and hazard reporting, interfaith and anti-money laundering. 

The President of the Tribal Union of Journalists Safdar Hayat Khan Dawar expressed the need for training on socio-economic issues for the journalists without being exposed to life-endangering threats and extended the union’s cooperation towards Mishal’s Media Development Initiative.

Tribal Union of Journalists FATA

The journalist communities from FATA and the Frontier Regions have been feeding the global news grid over the last decade by reporting on war on terror, as a result of which the Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, Amir Jahangir believes that in the process the social face of FATA has been lost. He explained to TUJ that the journalists should immediately start contributing on issues that cover the social and economic dimensions of their respective agencies and regions and for this purpose Mishal intends to contribute in terms of providing the knowledge platform. Jahangir, strategic communication & media professional was Honoured as the Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for his work on initiatives to improve the state of media and its co-relation with development issues.

Mishal Pakistan is a strategic communications company established in 2003. It has has undertaken the Media Development Initiative in Pakistan by encouraging diversity and pluralistic content development facilitating the journalists through knowledge-sharing platforms in understanding issues in global perspective. To bolster best practices and to promote original journalism which highlights a socially responsible media; Mishal has memorandum of understanding with the press clubs and journalist associations. There are over a hundred press clubs in the country, which gives Mishal the capacity of over 30,000 journalists across Pakistan.

AGAHI, a programme recently launched by Mishal Pakistan, is increasing the capacity of Investigative and Responsible Journalism in the country. This programme aims to use institutionalized sustainable media structures in Pakistan to raise the bar of journalistic standards. The programme works in collaboration with the Center for International Media Ethics, Faith Matters, Center for Investigative Journalists in Bosnia-Sarajevo, Naya Jeevan and Zigron Training.

The signing ceremony was also attended by the Center for International Media Ethics Ambassador to Pakistan, Puruesh Chaudhary and by other members of TUJ from the tribal belt, which included North Waziristan and Bajaur Agency.