PARTLY FACETIOUS: The credibility of a journalist’s source

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s what our political pundits are saying that’s so funny.”

“What? That the murdered journalist….”

“No, good heavens that’s not funny at all – but while we are on that subject I just want to say that the quality of an investigative journalist’s information is a direct function of the credibility of his source…”

“Right Daniel Pearl was also murdered because his assessment of his source’s objective was not right.”

“Indeed to put it mildly and given the divisiveness in our country today there are two distinct narratives and it’s unclear which one is the right one and I doubt if we will ever learn the truth because time will make us forget this terrible murder….”

“Right but anyway I guess what you found funny was Maryam Nawaz’s lips, they were kind of puffed.”

“Could be an allergic reaction to living in Avenfield flats?”

“Don’t be silly, could it be a botox lip injection because….”

“Stop it - it’s her right to spend daddy’s money however she wants; anyway what I found funny is the opinion by our political pundits that The Khan is delaying his arrival in the twin cities till the appointment of the next army chief which is still a couple of days less than one-month way.”

“But it makes sense because The Khan is willing to negotiate or shall we say talk on two matters - the date of the elections and the appointment of the next army chief and as the date of the elections is no longer possible this year therefore the matter of the appointment of the next army chief…”

“I don’t buy that!”

“Why ever not? I mean he is ratcheting up pressure on all stakeholders now. The daily Imran Khan bashing by the PML-N – from daddy to daughter to Unkill to The Man Without Portfolio, to the Man who put up posters accusing The Khan of being a watch thief and toshakhana thief and….”

“Could you please tell Khurram Dastgir to focus attention on the energy sector…”

“Nah, that’s not going to win him any brownie points with daddy…anyway what I found funny is that these political pundits ignore the obvious: The Khan’s reliance on numerology well before his third marriage, a reliance that reports indicate has simply strengthened since then.”

“Don’t be facetious.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022