Media Criminally Failed ‘Verification’ in Sharif’s Case

Looks like Pakistani media flouted the key element of verification of information in Shahbaz Sharif’s bail case as almost all major media outlets, except one, ran unsubstantiated news in an attempt to take lead from the competitors.

On April 14, all major media outlets published a news story that Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif was granted bail in the money laundering and asset beyond means case by Lahore High Court (LHC).

But, it seemed like their court reporters either misheard the verdict or their reporters forwarded the story to their respective outlets based on hearsay, without verification.

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The story

Senior anchorperson Ajmal Jami shared the clipping of Daily Dunya News narrating the real tale in the bail case which was reported by their correspondent Muhammad Ashfaq.

صورتحال کچھ یوں ہے کہ جسٹس ڈوگر نے مختصر فیصلہ جسٹس اسجد کو بھجوایا تو انہوں نے دستخط نہیں کئے، کیونکہ شہباز شریف کی ضمانت پر انہیں اختلاف تھا۔ یہ محمد اشفاق کی خبر ھے جو سولہ اپریل کو روزنامہ دنیا کی شہ سرخی بنی جبکہ باقی میڈیا ضمانت کی خبریں نشر کرتا رہا۔ @m__ashfaq pic.twitter.com/uWnBvv8gdx

— Ajmal Jami (@ajmaljami) April 18, 2021

A two-member bench of LHC reserved the verdict on Wednesday last week. After some 20 minutes of it, the court associate shouted that the bail has been approved.

The short order was signed by Justice Muhammad Sarfaraz and then sent to Justice Asjad Gharal for signature.

However, the latter refused to sign it and the release was hung in the balance.

The whole story was correctly reported by Daily Dunya journalist only who apparently was the only one in the courtroom to carefully note down what was happening.

Other reporters rather relied on apparently hearsay and wrongly informed their respective media outlets that Shahbaz Sharif had been released and the channels immediately turned their chyrons red to break the news and published the same on their digital platforms.

Lamentably, Pakistani media forgot the key element of verifying information before publishing it as a piece of news.