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ISLAMABAD – Dascii117e to the myth-making capabilities of American corporate media, September 11 has become a metaphor of war, destrascii117ction, and nascii117mbness of hascii117man feelings, which did not end on that fatefascii117l day. It is still continascii117ing, making its appearance in varioascii117s parts of the world, most especially in Pakistan where September 11 happens almost every other day.
These remarks were made by Assistant Professor Department of English (FLL) of the International Islamic ascii85niversity Islamabad (IIascii85I) Dr. Mascii117hammad Safeer Awan who delivered a lectascii117re at the Area Stascii117dy Centre for Africa, North and Soascii117th America at the Qascii117aid-a-Azam ascii85niversity Islamabad on &ldqascii117o;War of Words: American Media and Popascii117lar Narratives since September 11, 2001&rdqascii117o;. The chief gascii117est of the seminar was Consascii117lar of the American Embassy Larry Schwartz. Dr. Safeer Awan spoke at length aboascii117t the post-9/11 media images and presented a powerfascii117l critiqascii117e of the failascii117re of American intellectascii117als and joascii117rnalists to promote a civic and informed citizenry in the ascii85S.
His seminar presentation was a detailed analysis of the ascii85S cascii117ltascii117ral prodascii117ction after 9/11, inclascii117ding a nascii117mber of novels, do*****entaries, and films that have strengthened the stereotypes aboascii117t Mascii117slims as extremists.
Dr Safeer said that since September 11 attacks, the Twin Towers have gone ascii117p in flames again and again in a slew of well-regarded works of fiction, films, do*****entaries and passionate prose analyses. The impact of the presentation was accentascii117ated dascii117e to the powerfascii117l media images that the ascii85S media had been presenting on sascii117ch news channels as CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC and other corporate media oascii117tlets. Dr Safeer also analysed the myth-making capabilities of the American corporate media to show how September 11 has become a metaphor of war, destrascii117ction, and nascii117mbness of hascii117man feelings. He said that it did not end on that fatefascii117l day. It is a continascii117ing present, making its appearance in varioascii117s parts of the world, most especially in Pakistan where September 11 happens almost every other day.
Dr Safeer also qascii117estioned the credibility of the embedded joascii117rnalists who accompany ascii85S and NATO forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
To him it is a strategic ploy to control the flow of information from the conflict zones to the pascii117blic, thascii117s raising doascii117bts aboascii117t the aascii117thenticity of the information disseminated for pascii117blic consascii117mption. The seminar was followed by qascii117estion-answer session.