The two Tweets I have included focus on the repression of citizen journalism in Pakistan. The first tweet from Pakistani journalist and blogger Beena Sarwar’s Twitter feed documents other supporters of Pakistani journalism as they create signs in order to protest the repression that journalists face. There is a concern over the free press in Pakistan and prominent journalists and activists like Beena Sarwar are able to spread information and pictures like these to show how people in Pakistan push for change. The use of social media helps this process because Beena Sarwar has over 189K Twitter followers and can spread information effectively.

The second tweet from Megha Rajagopalan’s Twitter feed highlights the concern felt across the globe by journalists – as a record number have been jailed. Megha shares the idea that this is a global crisis for citizen journalists across the globe. She also emphasizes the debate that Western countries, with the U.S. in particular, do not recognize this crisis. The experiences of journalists in the U.S. are highly different than other journalists around the world. There is a great deal of repression against journalists in places like Pakistan and other South Asian countries. Certainly, many feel that U.S. journalists – with their capabilities and freedom – should do more to help journalists around the world who struggle with this repression.

Journeys to Democracy, a blog by Pakistani journalist Beena Sarwar, provides stories about current political and social happenings in Pakistan. Beena Sarwar has had experience in journalism, writing, teaching, media consulting, and documentary filmmaking. Currently, her Journeys to Democracy blog has over 500,000 hits and it provides links to tweets regarding stories similar to those provided on her blog.

Recently, Beena Sarwar has posted about the disappearances of political activists in Pakistan. Journalists and activists have faced considerable scrutiny from the Pakistani government for writing about or promoting disapproval for government actions. In extreme cases, journalists and activists have been abducted which is a major cause for concern in Beena Sarwar’s line of work. One specific case highlighted by Beena Sarwar is the disappearance of political activist Raza Khan, who was illegally abducted in Lahore after coordinating public events that promote peace and cooperation with India. She highlights how journalists covering this case have even faced the threat of abduction and beating at the hands of government agents. It is interesting to see how Beena Sarwar, a journalist herself, covers the repression that other activists and journalists face in Pakistan. I am also interested to see just how many other journalists and activists in Pakistan draw attention to such events and other government actions against Pakistani citizens.

Link: https://beenasarwar.com/2018/01/24/raza-khan-still-missing-why-does-it-matter/#more-11602

Campbell Wood. March 31 2018.

Fellow bloggers and social media users of Pakistan, are you concerned about your presence online? Do you feel that you could be persecuted for speaking freely on the internet? Are you frustrated that access to the internet is limited and censored? Well your concerns are justified. We cannot speak freely on the internet without fear of being scooped off the street and disappearing forever. In order to avoid this, I offer to you, free of charge, general instruction on how to properly conduct yourself online. I propose multiple meetings to discuss blogging and social media freedom. Like many other societal issues that have occurred throughout history around the world, the most effective pathway to change is through simple coordination. Meetings will occur every weekend for a month leading up to election day. Myself and my group of acquaintances are all skilled in computer science and we would like to educate fellow bloggers. Not to worry, there is no blasphemy here. We are all proper Muslims and Pakistani citizens. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I will be making follow up posts to provide further information regarding the educational meetings that will take place, please spread the word to all concerned citizens.

Additionally, if I am to disappear, I have been abducted by government agents. My colleagues will still conduct the meetings, and they will be especially important if this is to occur. Have a blessed day and I will see you soon.

Help Received: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/pakistan

Campbell Wood