The Late Night Show

Published on January 3, 2007

Nicole Greenfield: In an article in today’s New York Times, Salman Masood writes about an eccentricity currently dominating Pakistani prime-time — a cross-dressing, bisexual man who hosts a talk show as widow Begum Nawazish Ali. But because of bad reporting (Masood includes only the host’s voice and simply speculates about public opinion of the show) […]

Nicole Greenfield: In an article in today’s New York Times, Salman Masood writes about an eccentricity currently dominating Pakistani prime-time — a cross-dressing, bisexual man who hosts a talk show as widow Begum Nawazish Ali. But because of bad reporting (Masood includes only the host’s voice and simply speculates about public opinion of the show) and a reliance on old tropes (urban is modern and rural is not, “fundamentalist Islamic clerics” are always poised to “stir a backlash,” etc.), the piece is ultimately a failure. Had it been done right, it would have made a pretty interesting story. Instead, Masood’s article serves as just another example of reductionist religion reporting.

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