(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Television (PTV) was lauded on Sunday for its nonpartisan coverage of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to the China, especially his speech in Beijing.
The state television was praised for its captioning of PM’s Khan speech as ‘begging’, which neutral observers maintained was the most accurate depiction of what the premier was doing in the Chinese capital in all of media – local or international.
However, the approbation comes amidst rumours spread by anti-state elements that the caption in question was an unintentional mistake on PTV’s part.
The state broadcaster issued a formal clarification that ‘begging’ was a caption that it deliberately used and should not be mistaken for a wrong dateline slug.
The channel has clarified that it was an editorial call that it made as a ‘depoliticised’, ‘independent’ state television network.
“The word begging was our independent interpretation of events, and it stayed on screen long enough for it to be conveyed as our editorial judgment,” a PTV official told The Dependent.
Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has also lauded the PTV for accurately using its editorial discretion.
“The state television accurately describing what our government is doing, at a time when all private channels have been sold out, would play a proactive role in promoting and projecting positive image of Pakistan at international level as a country that upholds freedom of speech and freedom of press,” he said.
