Asadullah Khan

broadcast journalist and anchorperson

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Asadullah Khan is a broadcast journalist and anchorperson from Karachi. His career has included work at a hotel, at an advertising agency and at a news television channel. He has commented on the business model of television news and on the place of politics in Pakistani journalism.

Early life and background

Khan was born in Karachi, where he says his friendships, family graves and home are also located. He says his father quizzed him every night on the day's top ten news stories. His grandmother was a pre-partition inspector of schools in India and was also a Muslim League propaganda secretary in her region. As a child, Khan took toys apart to see how they worked. [1]

Education

Khan completed matric in the 1980s. He did not study mass communication. His brother, a UCLA film graduate, sent him books on TV production. Khan also read Press in Chains and The Murder of History. [1]

Career

Khan's first job after finishing college was at a hotel at the airport in Karachi, not in media. He was a front desk manager and a Guest Relation Officer before he turned 22. During one of his jobs he spent time in England and travelled to Holland and most of mainland Europe. When he returned, the hotel had given his job to someone else. [1]

A childhood friend who made TV ads once offered Khan a job. Khan also joined an advertising agency. He says many good Pakistani ad directors set up offices in Thailand, where it was cheaper. He worked as a fixer for about six months, and he passed an interview and was hired as an AP, a role he says could mean associate or assistant producer. [1]

Khan joined a news TV channel in its early days. He says he worked with senior journalists of the Jang group, who had long worked in print, and that his boss was the best media manager in Pakistan so far. Once in the field, he realised that he enjoyed the work. [1]

He says that after moving to a new job he realised how unhappy he had been in his previous one. Khan also took a public sector post, worked there three months without pay, and resigned. [1]

Views on television and media

Khan says TV channels are businesses that have to make money. He credits General Pervez Musharraf with opening the floodgates for media. He says new TV channels started launching in 2002. In his account, the media audience grew bigger with TV and then again with social media. [1]

Khan says TV reporting loses objectivity and is less research based. He says TV viewers do not need objectivity, because they watch for entertainment. He says narratives are easy to sell on TV, because anyone can read a teleprompter. He also says TV keeps dumbing down its audience. [1]

He says TV often takes a 15-second clip, sometimes one in which the speaker is saying something different, together with a news ticker. In his view, TV has more performers than established journalists. He says he has seen many good print journalists move to TV, and that many of them were fed a line. He adds that many people treat TV as gospel and do not read articles. [1]

Khan says Pakistani journalism starts and ends with politics, and also says journalism is not all about politics. He says all 42 channels in Pakistan report the same thing. In his view, a journalist's job is to challenge authority and hold it accountable. [1]

Views on Pakistan

Khan says Pakistan's core problem is a lack of will. He thinks criticism is a major problem in the subcontinent. He says about 52% of people have been educated but almost no tarbiyat has been given. He says the generation of the 1970s was tolerant and punctual, and that the damage under Zia-ul-Haq was bigger than any other damage to Pakistan. [1]

He says Pakistan ranks 13th among the most corrupt police systems. He says the Supreme Court alone has about 40,000 pending cases. He cites a ranking that puts Pakistan's judiciary 120th of 128 countries on effectiveness. In his view, the government is not the saviour of citizens, and no dictator, pope or religious entity can stop progress. [1]

Khan says he sees Pakistan doing well over the next 30 years, based on his own belief. He says young people today understand more than his generation did at their age. He adds that one cannot work for something one does not believe can happen. [1]

Personal life

Khan says he does not watch TV at all. He says he is interested in business and subscribes to Profit magazine. He describes himself as generally hopeful. [1]

Timeline

1980s
Completed matric.[1]
2002
New TV channels started launching, as he recalls.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-05-21 A Media Insider on Fake News, TV's Business Model, and Pakistan's Civic Crisis Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Asadullah Khan?

Asadullah Khan is a broadcast journalist and anchorperson from Karachi. His career has included work at a hotel, at an advertising agency and at a news television channel.[1]

What does Asadullah Khan do?

Asadullah Khan is described as a broadcast journalist and anchorperson. He joined a news TV channel in its early days. He has also commented on the business model of television news.[1]

Where is Asadullah Khan from?

Asadullah Khan was born in Karachi. He says his friendships, family graves and home are also in the city.[1]

Where did Asadullah Khan study?

Asadullah Khan completed matric in the 1980s. He did not study mass communication. His brother, a UCLA film graduate, sent him books on TV production, and he also read Press in Chains and The Murder of History.[1]

What was Asadullah Khan's first job?

Asadullah Khan's first job after finishing college was at a hotel at the airport in Karachi, not in media. He was a front desk manager and a Guest Relation Officer before he turned 22.[1]

What does Asadullah Khan think about television news?

Asadullah Khan says TV channels are businesses that have to make money. He also says TV reporting loses objectivity and is less research based. In his view, TV viewers do not need objectivity, because they watch for entertainment.[1]

What does Asadullah Khan think about Pakistan's future?

Asadullah Khan says he sees Pakistan doing well over the next 30 years, based on his own belief. He says young people today understand more than his generation did at their age. He describes himself as generally hopeful.[1]

References

  1. A Media Insider on Fake News, TV's Business Model, and Pakistan's Civic Crisis . Thought Behind Things , 2021-05-21.
Show the source passages (58 statements)
  1. He did not study mass communication. Yaar, nahi maine mass communication nahi padhi.
  2. He says his birth, friendships, family graves and home are all in Karachi. Main kyunke Karachi ka jumper hoon jo Punjabi jis tarah kehte hain, paidaish, wadaish, dosti, yaari, maa baap ki qabrein, ghar, sab kuch Karachi mein.
  3. He completed matric in the 1980s. 80s mein main us waqt matric kar raha tha, kar chuka tha
  4. His father quizzed him every night on the day's top ten news stories. mere walid sahab ne mujhe jo hai na is us pe laga diya, woh mujhse har din raat ko poochte the ki aaj ki top 10 khabrein batao mujhe
  5. His grandmother was a pre-partition inspector of schools in India. Hamari nani jo thin woh pre-partition inspector of schools bhi rahi hain India ki
  6. His grandmother was also a Muslim League propaganda secretary in her region. woh Quaid-e-Azam wali Muslim League ki propaganda secretary bhi rahi hain apne region ki
  7. His first job after finishing college was at a hotel at the airport in Karachi, not in media. Lekin maine pehli naukri media ki nahi ki. Jaise college se farigh hua naukri karni hai, kuch halaat karni hai, karni hai, karni hai, mujhe ek hotel mein job mili airport pe. Acha. Karachi mein. Woh Pakistan International Airlines pe ek hotel tha apna, zaati.
  8. He was a front desk manager and a Guest Relation Officer before he turned 22. main front desk manager tha aur main GRO ek cheez kehlati hai, Guest Relation Officer and I was not 22 yet.
  9. He says that after moving to a new job he realised how unhappy he had been in his previous one. Aur jab main wahan gaya toh mujhe aaya realize ke how sad I was in my previous job.
  10. A childhood friend who made TV ads offered him a job. Ek dost ne bola bhai, bachpan ka dost tha woh bahut zabardast creative commercial banata tha, TV ads jise hum kehte hain na. Usne kaha yaar mere paas ek bande ki jagah khali hai, tu aa ja mere paas.
  11. He joined an advertising agency. I joined an advertising agency.
  12. He says many good Pakistani ad directors set up offices in Thailand, where it was cheaper. Pakistan mein saare ache directors jo ad banate the unhone apne offices hi Thailand mein bana liye wahan cheaper tha
  13. He worked as a fixer for about six months. Toh before coming into practical life main koi 6 mahine fixer ka kaam karta raha
  14. He passed an interview and was hired as an AP, a role he says could mean associate or assistant producer. main wahan chala gaya interview dene keh sun ke kisi ko bhai meri CV to pahuncha do to Allah ka shukar hai interview hua aur woh pass ho gaya unhone as an AP AP could be associate producer assistant producer
  15. He says he worked with senior journalists of the Jang group, who had long worked in print. jang ke jitne senior journalist hain na Kamran Khan, Iftikhar Sahab aur Anjum Sahab Anjum Rasheed Sahab, Hamid Mir aur bahut saare log hain main unke kin kin ke naam loon Qayyum Siddiqui yeh yeh bade ache journalist hain aur arse se print ke kaam karte aa rahe the mujhe inke saath kaam karna
  16. He says his boss was the best media manager in Pakistan so far. even my boss he was intelligent person Azhar Abbas I think he is the best media manager so far in Pakistan
  17. He read Press in Chains and The Murder of History. phir Press in Chains bhi padhi phir Murder of History bhi padhi
  18. His brother, a UCLA film graduate, sent him TV production books. Maine unse kaha bhaijaan mujhe TV production pe jo bhi kitab mile, bhej dein. Acha mere bhai khud UCLA se film ke graduate thay. Acha. Haan. Unhone apna pura course bhej diya utha ke.
  19. He took toys apart as a child to see how they worked. Reverse engineering bachpan se karte thay khilonon ki. Naya khilona aaya, khol diya.
  20. He realised once in the field that he enjoyed the work. Toh jab main is field mein aaya, I realized ke yaar this is something I enjoy.
  21. During one of his jobs he spent time in England and travelled to Holland and most of mainland Europe. Acha isi job ke dauran jo tha woh mujhe England ek jana hai, mauqa mila kisi kaam se. Main England gaya, wahan raha kuch arse, Holland gaya aur Europe almost sara, sara jo mainland Europe hai
  22. When he returned, the hotel had given his job to someone else. Jab main wapas aaya toh hotel walon ne kaha ji aapki job toh humne kisi aur ko de di hai.
  23. He says TV channels are businesses that have to make money. They have to make money. Right. Ek business model hai.
  24. He credits General Pervez Musharraf with opening the floodgates for media. It was General Musharraf, Pervez Musharraf who opened this floodgates of media
  25. He says new TV channels started launching in 2002. 2002 aa gaya is saare guzarte guzarte guzarte. Toh pata laga ji naye channels launch ho rahe hain.
  26. He says the media audience grew bigger with TV and then with social media. phir TV aaya to woh badi ho gayi aur ab jab social media aa gaya to woh bahut bada ho gaya
  27. He says TV often takes a 15-second clip, sometimes one in which the speaker is saying something different, together with a news ticker. hum ek 15 second ka clip uthate hain clip bhi aadhi dafa kya hota hai ke bol kuch aur rahi hoti hai aur hum ticker uthate hain
  28. He says narratives are easy to sell on TV, because anyone can read a teleprompter. it's easy to sell narratives right because you just pick a narrative you can literally just read a teleprompter and you can perform it
  29. He says TV has more performers than established journalists. you find more of these quack performers than actually established journalists
  30. He says many people treat TV as gospel and do not read articles. hum TV ko gospel rakh rahe hain hum articles nahi padh rahe
  31. He says he has seen many good print journalists move to TV. I've seen a lot of journalists transitioning from print to TV, and very good journalist
  32. He says many journalists who moved from print to TV were fed a line. Most of them taking a line, or being fed, or being following some pata nahi ek unseen boss has been possessed hua
  33. He joined a news TV channel in its early days. Dekhein, in early days when I joined news TV channel
  34. He says TV reporting loses objectivity and is less research-based. TV pe, ya pehle main bata doon, hain ki woh, oh ho, yeh ho raha hai, woh ho raha hai. Usmein ek toh objectivity khatam ho jaati hai. Dusra, itni research based nahi hai.
  35. He says TV viewers do not need objectivity; they watch for entertainment. kyunki jo viewer hai, usko zaroorat nahi hai objectivity ki. Woh toh entertainment ke liye baitha hai
  36. He says TV keeps dumbing down its audience. you are dumbing down that audience continuously, uh, through television and beyond television
  37. He says he does not watch TV at all. main TV nahi dekhta, bilkul bhi
  38. He says he is interested in business and subscribes to Profit magazine. main business mein interested hoon, maine woh Profit magazine lagaya hua hai
  39. He says Pakistan's core problem is a lack of will. Pakistan mein jo ab tak mujhe samajh aayi hai na, problem hi will ka hai. There is no will there.
  40. He thinks criticism is a major problem in the subcontinent. Toh sub-continent ka mere khayal mein major problem hi criticism hai.
  41. He says Pakistani journalism starts and ends with politics. Journalism, politics se start hoti hai. Journalism is about politics. Haan, aur wahin pe khatam ho jaati hai.
  42. He says journalism is not all about politics. Ek toh, bhai, journalism is not all about politics.
  43. He says all 42 channels in Pakistan report the same thing. 42 channels chal rahe hain is waqt Pakistan ke, tamam 42 channels ek hi cheez report karte hain.
  44. He says about 52% of people have been educated but almost no tarbiyat has been given. humne unko aadhe logon ko, koi 52% mere khayal mein, educate toh kar diya, tarbiyat humne 1% ki bhi nahi ki hui
  45. He says the generation of the 1970s was tolerant and punctual. uski tarbiyat bahut achhi thi, jo 70s mein thi. Woh badi tolerant thi, woh bahut punctual thi
  46. He says the damage under Zia-ul-Haq was bigger than any other damage to Pakistan. ek woh jo damage Pakistan ko Zia-ul-Haq ke daur mein hua, mere khayal mein, usse bada damage humne kabhi hua hi nahi
  47. He says Pakistan ranks 13th among the most corrupt police systems. Mashallah se hamara number 13va hai, corrupt tareen police systems mein.
  48. He says the Supreme Court alone has about 40,000 pending cases. Aapko pata hai hamare sirf Supreme Court mein 40,000 cases pending hain.
  49. He cites a ranking that puts Pakistan's judiciary 120th of 128 countries on effectiveness. Mashallah se hamara number judiciary ke jo uh, effectiveness ya performance hai, woh 120va hai 128 mein se.
  50. He says a journalist's job is to challenge authority and hold it accountable. journalist ka kaam hai authority ko challenge karna aur accountability rakhna
  51. He says the government is not the saviour of citizens. maybe the government is not your savior. It's not the government that will save you.
  52. He says no dictator, pope or religious entity can stop progress. Ek cheez jo duniya ka koi dictator, koi pope, koi religious entity, powerful insaan nahi rok saka, woh hai progress.
  53. He says he sees Pakistan doing well over the next 30 years, based on his belief. Toh main agle 30 saal mein Pakistan ko bahut achha dekh raha hoon, sirf on my belief, not on belief on of any politician.
  54. He says young people today understand more than his generation did at their age. Tumhari age mein hamare paas itni understanding duniya ki nahi thi.
  55. He describes himself as generally hopeful. kyunki main generally bada hopeful hoon aur main bade logon se baat karta hoon
  56. He says one cannot work for something one does not believe can happen. you can't work for something if you don't believe that it can actually happen.
  57. He took a public sector post, worked there three months without pay, and resigned. I went, I had a this unfortunate woe of going into the government uh, a public sector position, public service position. Teen mahine wahan maine kaam kiya, tankhwah nahi mili, resign kar diya maine, eventually.
  58. He is described as a broadcast journalist and anchorperson. In conversation with Asadullah Khan, a Broadcast journalist/Anchorperson, this episode explores his journey into journalism.