Mehdi Hasan ( ur, مہدی حسن) ''SI'' was a Pakistani left-wing journalist, media historian, and acedemian.Bad journalism is distorting history
''Dawn'', Published 16 November 2015, Retrieved 12 October 2017 He was one of Pakistan's most prominent communication experts, with a specialization in political analysis.

Early life and education

Hasan was born on 27 June 1937 in Panipat,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His family migrated to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

in 1947 and settled in

Sahiwal Sahiwal ( Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is appro ...

. Hasan did Master in

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

and PhD in mass communication from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

on ''Role of Press in Formation of Public Opinion 1857–1947''. He won a Fulbright Scholar (1990) at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

, where he conducted research on "Coverage of Third World Countries in the American Mass Media".

Career

Hasan joined the faculty of mass communication at the

in 1967. After retirement, he joined

Beaconhouse National University Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is a private liberal arts university located in Lahore, in the province of Punjab, Pakistan.Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of School of Media and Communication. Hasan was a frequent commentator and panellist on television and radio stations, where he brought his academic research into social context. He wrote extensively on the subject of Pakistan's history, journalism, mass communication and political parties, but his book The Political history of Pakistan is a widely used reference by journalists. His long-held personal view was that distortion of facts by news media is distorting our history. From 1961 to 1967, Hasan's journalism career progressed from sub-editor, reporter, to news bureau chief at

Pakistan Press International Pakistan Press International (PPI)Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is a trade union federation of journalists in Pakistan. PFUJ is affiliated with the International Federation of Journalists. History The constitution of the PFUJ was first adopted in Karachi in A ...

(PFUJ) five times. Hasan also had been a news commentator and analyst for

Pakistani television Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 Augus ...

since 1962, including for

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, Deutsche Welle,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

, and

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, and a contributor to all major newspapers in Pakistan and a columnist at English daily ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

'' and at

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Human Rights Commission of Pakistan The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan ( ur, ) (HRCP) is an independent, democratic non-profit organisation. Founded in 1987, it is one of the oldest human rights organisations in the country. HRCP is committed to monitoring, protecting a ...

, Hasan wrote many papers, and participated in multiple seminars. In 2015, addressing a public event at

University of Gujrat The University of Gujrat (UOG) is a Leading public university located in Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 2004.Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier ...

cameras. His passion for photography took him to the frontline of the Lahore war zone in 1965, although he was not a professional photographer.

Personal life and death

Hasan died after a protracted illness on 23 February 2022 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

. He was survived by his wife, Rakhshanda Hasan, and two sons.

Awards and recognition

In 2012, he received the

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

Award from the President of Pakistan for his services in the field of literature and journalism.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasan, Mehdi 1937 births 2022 deaths People from Panipat People from Sahiwal People from Lahore Pakistani opinion journalists Pakistani male journalists Media historians University of the Punjab alumni Academic staff of Beaconhouse National University Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz University of Colorado Boulder alumni Academic staff of the University of Lahore Academic staff of the University of the Punjab

Early life and education

Career

Personal life and death

Awards and recognition

See also

References