The Dark Side of Journalism: The Culture and Political Economy of Global Media in Pak & Afghanistan

'The Dark Side of Journalism' provides a local journalist’s perspective on the role of “fixers” local journalists hired to help global media outlets report on wars over the past four decades. Fixers enable global media to access news about al-Qaida and the Taliban in distant regions and dangerous caves on Pakistan and Afghanistan’s borders. Their risky pursuits have led to unprecedented death rates of local reporters during the U.S.-led war on terror. 'The Dark Side of Journalism' illustrates both the essentiality of fixers to global news production, as well as their utter dispensability.

About the Author:

Irfan Ashraf has a doctorate in mass communication and media arts (MCMA) from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and is an assistant professor at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.

The session will be joined by Afrasiab Khattak and Matiullah Jan as discussants, whereas Aurangzeb Sb will moderate the session.