How Terrorism Killed the News

The news in Pakistan is dead. What had been routine for journalists – covering politics, government, and community life – is no more. Overshadowed by coverage of violence, international conflict and terrorism since the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., there is no room in Pakistani news media or interest among Pakistani journalists for everyday news. Instead of covering human rights issues and daily social problems, images and news of suicide bombings, terrorist attacks, and religious extremism continue to land on page one, plaster Web pages and dominate TV news. International reporter and scholar Rauf Arif examines, through the stories of 12 Pakistani journalists, changing news trends of journalism in Pakistani media that were set in motion by the events of 9/11. This work bridges a gap in mass media research on how significant events in history impact the values of journalism influence media in everyday life on the other side of the world.