IT might be an odd week to write about journalism and indulge in some navel gazing, for much has happened in recent days to keep everyone occupied. From the Imran Khan health saga to tragedies that have left most gasping, with the fire at Pims and the murder of Hina Javed — whose husband has been arrested — in Pindi. And this was just in the twin cities. There was more such news from elsewhere — the rape and murder of a child in Haripur and the broader insecurity faced by people living in parts of KP and Balochistan.

But it has to be said that the two incidents in Islamabad and Pindi — the power centre of this country — forced the state and society to pay attention. Indeed, at one level, one welcomed the fact that there had been little effort to stop the wall-to-wall coverage of and commentary on these two incidents. After a long time, it seemed as if journalists reported, commented and spoke without looking over their shoulder.

So unusual was the experience that it was discussed in more than one newsroom, as insignificant hacks wondered what had happened and why there was some space. After all, now we live in a world where so much of what is happening in the country is a ‘red line’ — from the trees in Islamabad to incidents in our ‘invisible’ provinces to angry protests. Most of it is now left unreported. It is uncovered only by those who are willing to turn into Sherlock Holmes, trawling through social media for ‘events’. Simply the ‘what and when’........

© Dawn