Airstrikes and the Airwaves: Charting the Political and Media Landscapes in Pakistan

a talk by Imran Aslam, president of GEO Television

and discussion with Tracy Dahlby (School of Journalism) and Chris Tomlinson (Associated Press)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

7 p.m.

Thompson Conference Center auditorium (TCC 1.110)

Journalists have struggled to expand press freedom as Pakistan has moved from military to civilian rule in recent years, and critical reporting on the Musharraf regime led to government shutdowns of the independent television networks in 2007-08. The most prominent of those networks is GEO Television, established in 2002. In this lecture, GEO President Imran Aslam will discuss his network’s role in that political conflict, while also addressing the challenges in covering the current violence in Pakistan and U.S. airstrikes in Pakistani territory.

Aslam began his journalism career as editor of The Star in the 1980s before moving to become editor of The News in Karachi, where he worked in the 1990s. He also has written plays for television and is famous for his political satires performed by the Gripps Theatre.

Responding to Aslam’s talk will be Tracy Dahlby and Chris Tomlinson. Dahlby, the director of the UT School of Journalism, served as Tokyo bureau chief for Newsweek and The Washington Post and was managing editor of Newsweek International. He is the author of the 2005 book Allah’s Torch: A Report from Behind the Scenes in Asia’s War on Terror. Tomlinson, currently a correspondent-at-large for the Associated Press, has served in a variety of positions for the AP, including East Africa bureau chief. He has reported extensively from the Middle East and Central/South Asia.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the South Asia Institute and the School of Journalism. Click here for more information or call the Institute at 471-3550, or contact Robert Jensen at 471-1990 or rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu.

There is free convenient parking for motorists in the large lots along Red River.

The conference center is on Bicycle Route 42

For bus routes, use the trip planner.