PAPA hosts webinar to discusses the challenges, problems and solutions faced by Pakistani American press in reporting during COVID-19

PAPA hosts webinar to discusses the challenges, problems and solutions faced by Pakistani American press in reporting during COVID-19

Washington, DC ( PR )Pakistani American Press Association (PAPA) hosted a webinar intended to discuss the challenges faced by Pakistani American journalists in performing their professional duties, during COVID-19 era.

Twenty-five journalists and media professionals from different States participated in the discussion. The discussants have lauded the efforts of Pakistani American journalists, especially those reporting from New York, with extraordinarily little resources. It is also distressing that the reporters who are reporting from hospitals, morgues and funeral homes for Pakistani channels are not financially or otherwise supported by their channels in Coronavirus crises.

It is heartening to see that the Pakistani American journalists, a part from their professional duties they are also performing as social worker and helping people with food, medicines and other necessities of life.

After 9/11 New York is once again has become the ground zero due to Coronavirus spread and deaths. There was concerned raised that the Pakistan Embassy and Consulates are not performing as it was expected during this crisis. Pakistani students, Pakistani visitors to the US are in problem and some of journalists helped around 20 students who had no place to go, settled them in a friend’s house in Houston. Though, Pakistan Embassy’s press release claims that they along with their consulates are “working closely with the Pakistani American community,” and they are helping the travelers who are visiting the US. 

They have also discussed the bridge between the journalists and science in Pakistan, as people are confused over there. Most of the authentic news and analysis about the Coronavirus is reported and/or published in English while only a limited social class could read and understand English. It was suggested that authentic stories about COVID-19 should be very carefully translated in Urdu for the people of Pakistan, and for many Pakistani Americans.

Earlier, Khurram Shahzad, President PAPA in his introductory speech described the importance and topic of the webinar. General Secretary Yousuf Chaudhry and member executive committee Meriam Sabih moderated the webinar.

Those participating in the webinar included Geo News and the Daily Jang, The News group corespondent in Texas, Raja Zahid Khanzada, Bureau of World News New Yorker Siddiqui, senior representative of New York New York, Raza Rumi, We are news reporter Jamal Baloch, vice president in Virginia.  Saqib al-Islam, a Washington, DC, freelance journalist from Washington, DC, Yasir Feroz Sala, a TV correspondent from Sama TV, and Kamran Jilani, a Texas news agency in Texas, told The Daily Times, Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania, A. Mary and Sabih.  Ghazanfar Hashmi, VOSATV, in Texas, Texas  Fahim Mian, a New York correspondent, Mohammed Farrukh, a New York correspondent, Sevent News Correspondent Nouris Mian, Mohsin Zaheer, a Newspaper correspondent in Urdu New York, Aamir Beg, a representative of The Voice Newspaper New Jersey, The Financial Daily Washington news correspondent.  Rehan Khan, VOSATV Cali Duranya Representative, Dunya News California Representative Azmat Gul, Dunya News Dallas Representative Rana Zahid, VOSA Correspondent Amir Rehman Khan,’s Correspondent Madhya Manzoor,  Aawaz Newspaper Pennsylvania’s Qazi Naveed, Channel 5 Washington Correspondent Mookie  Ahmed, Shamim Bano Florida, Maryland Urdu Times of Grace creator added Saud Zafar and from Canada