THATTA, Oct 4: The American media has deceived the US viewers through its fabricated stories about Iraq and Afghanistan but now they are realizing the true state of what is happening in the two countries.

This was stated by a Canadian journalist and consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists, Lin Neumann, at the press club here on Saturday while speaking at a journalists’ training workshop on the “Monitoring Press Freedom in Local Communities.”

The workshop was organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation and attended by journalists from different parts of Thatta district.

Mr Neumann said that gone were the days when suppression of freedom of expression by dictators was allowed as information explosion had changed the world into a global village.

If the journalists of the world were to unite, he said, no power — including that of state, feudalism, terrorism or any mafia — could dare to restrain them from honestly delivering their professional duties.

The visiting journalist said that a misconception prevailed in the USA that Pakistanis were terrorists but he had found the situation contrary to it. He added that frequent access to Pakistan for US journalists and vice versa could help eliminate the stereotyping of the Pakistani society.

He deplored that correspondents in the interior of Sindh were paid nothing or meagre remuneration by the newspaper managements which showed the narrowmindedness of their owners.

Taking notice of the absence of any women journalist in Thatta, he said that women should be encouraged to join the profession.

Talking about the CPG, Mr Neumann said that it was working to establish its network in the world, help protect journalists and raise the voice of the oppressed people.

A question-answer session followed his lecture which was turned into a lively discussion also covering sensitive issues and weaknesses of the local journalists and the press.

Dr Mumtaz Uqaili, Dr Shahid Latif Memon, Mehboob Brohi, Yar Mohammad Jalalani and others participated in the debate.