Umar Bacha

2022

Country/area: Pakistan

Organisation: Dawn

Organisation size: Big

Publication date: 07/03/2021

Credit: Umar Bacha, Editor EOS Dawn Faiza Shah

Biography:

Umar Bacha is a working young journalist from Khyber Pakhtunkwha’s province of Pakistan. He previously worked at the Express News and The Express Tribune and currently associated with Dawn since 2016.

He has done masters in Mass Communication from Alama Iqbal Open University and English from Unviersity of Swat.

His interest area of reporting is humnantirian reporting, tourism, health, economics.

Project description:

The story is about the physically challenged society of Shangla which has been facing different challenges as the area of Pakistan has a number of persons with disabalities, espcially of Spinal Cord Injury.

Impact reached:

This story impacted crucially on the society and the government which moved to take steps for their welfare, they have been included for receiving stipends from the governemnt and also the policy makers moved to enact policy for their welfare. It was most neglected and under reported class of the area.

Techniques/technologies used:

Use officials website for data, offices of the relevant authorites to obtain data which I used in this story.

It was least technology used story because of not being equipped and trainings to have used technologies, however, data I have put in obtained from the authorities and local soures, NGOs, relevent community.

What was the hardest part of this project?

The hardest part of this story was field meeting with the community memebrs as its majority living in mountainous region where I had to walk for hours upwards also the narrow and dangoures roads on which only a specific jeeps plying to reach some areas from where climbing upwards starts.

The obtaining data from authorties where their flaws are expected to be exposed was also a challenge but I got successfully by using Right To Information.

What can others learn from this project?

This project is based on social issue and humanitrian reporting which we journalists usually avoid but for a good journalism reporting on social issues give you a passion and develop your interest because of its immediate impacts and feedback from public and authorities.

The way I report is also maybe easy and relevant like story telling can be helpful for others.