He was never Pakistani journalism’s best foot forward, but Arif Hameed Bhatti’s most recent virality is because he has hit a new low. The clip of him interviewing one of the poor little girls who saw their parents being killed in the Sahiwal operation by the Punjab CTD has started doing the rounds on social media and is being prefaced by indictments against the news media in general, not just him.
What the hell is this ?
Senior Journalist is asking the daughter of Khaleel (who was killed by CTD) that where is your father ? You met him today ?
On National TV. (And the camera zooms in to capture the tears)
I mean we can do anything for the sake of Ratings ? #Shameful pic.twitter.com/C5ENldu88c— Ali Arif ?? (@i_aliarif) January 23, 2019
If at all he has had time for introspection, he would most certainly be thinking yes, we in the media have gone a little too far. He will never take some responsibility upon himself. Even if someone or the other, a couple of years down the line, at a media seminar, would put his feet to the fire, he would blame the Control Room Producer rather than own up to his mistake.
His loutish disposition is unfortunately what sells these days. The Other Bhatti, a bit of a boor himself, is still better on Geo’s Report Card than Arif Hameed is at ARY.
At an age when journalists need to be tutored in handling sensitively even the adult victims of violence, the fellow had floored the pedal in an attempt to tease out some footage of a bawling child talking about her father.
