Kinnaird College for women, Lahore

Name: Aimen Anjum

Major: News reporting and editing

Topic: News analysis on a famous death

Instructor: Amna Waheeda

Date: 22nd April 2022

 Dawn Newspaper
The newspaper I chose is Dawn Newspaper because of
its authenticity in the narration of any event and it’s a
national newspaper, it is likely to present the death
news of a famous Pakistani actor more tenderly. The
headline “Comedy King Umar Sharif passes away in
Germany at age 66” is a simple headline that would be
impactful on the mind of the reader as it is truly a piece
of breaking news. Anything associated with a famous
personality automatically becomes breaking news since
people idolize them and update themselves regularly
with their activities. The article is written by Peerzada
Salman and was published on the 3rd of October 2021
which is just a day after his actual day of death which
fulfills the element of timeliness as people got updated
shortly after his death.
The article mentions the events following the death and
also mentions the place where he died. It mentions how
he was suffering from multiple ailments and of which
prior to flying out to Germany he had been hospitalized
in Karachi for a few weeks. It says that Umer Sharif had boarded an air ambulance for treatment
at a hospital in the US on September 28. Later his ‘medical condition’ got worse and he died in
Nuremberg, Germany on Saturday. The article does clearly narrate the events of death using the
narrative style of news writing but doesn’t anywhere in the article states his actual “cause of
death”. It is only referred to as “medical condition” but no specific condition as to why he died
has been mentioned. Newspapers usually do this in order to safeguard the reputation of the actor
since print media has the responsibility to secure the media’s reputation. Another reason for that
is also that simply the family of the person who passed away refuses to tell the real causes.
However, later on in the article, his past health problem has been mentioned helping the reader
get a little clearer picture of the cause of his death. It has been mentioned that Sharif suffered a
heart attack in August, and according to his close friend, Pervaiz Kaifi, he has gone through two
heart bypasses. This information helps the reader get a somewhat of an idea that probably the
cause of death is related to some heart disease or collapse. It doesn’t leave the reader clueless.
Another piece of information rather indicating the element of “prominence” or “Conflict” is that
it mentions that Sharif’s condition was more of national concern after he made a video appeal to
PM Imran Khan to help him secure a visa to travel abroad for medical treatment to which the
federal government assured him that it would help and the Government of Sindh sanctioned
Rs.40 million for his treatment. This might give the reader an overview that since such big
authorities are involved, it might indicate that Sharif’s disease was a very serious one and needed
a lot of help and aid, leaving a mark of sympathy for the actor in the hearts of the reader.
The article mostly talks about his achievements and autobiography since it is considered to be a
great loss for Pakistan because indeed Umar Sharif was responsible for the nation’s laughter. It
talks about the roles he played which gave him immense fame and as well as the awards he won
thought his career. He started his career as a stage performer and his popular comedy stage plays
were Bakra Qistoon Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai. He also received national awards for best
director and best actor in 1992 for Mr.420. This sort of nostalgia creates a feeling of pity and
solace in the mind and hearts of the readers which makes the article more “impactful”.
Not only that it also mentions how different celebrities and politicians have shared their grief
through their tweets. Imran Khan, the Pm, and Arif Alvi, the President of Pakistan shared their
deep sorrows and prayed for the departed soul, and granted the courage to the bereaved family to
bear the loss. Not only that but the Ambassador of Germany, Bernhard Schlagheck deemed
Sharif’s death as “a tragic loss for the entertainment industry” via his tweet. The source,
Pakistan’s ambassador, Dr. Mohammad Faisal also confirmed the news of the death and tweeted
that “Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Our CG is present at the hospital to
assist the family in every way.”
The does give the reader a whole overview of how the death took place but there are some
elements that are not mentioned like how the family felt and absolutely no mention of it is
present which might give the reader a bad impression. Not only that but the address where the
funeral will take place and when and what time is also not mentioned which could definitely be a
useful piece of information to all those fans willing to attend and pry for him. This information is
a basic or key element when writing an article about obituaries that are not mentioned in the
article anywhere.
Besides the elements not mentioned, the reporter has indeed written and published the article in a
very respectful way without any sort of disrespect towards the actor himself or his family. The
reporter had mentioned the events of death, his age, the place, and also his birthdate which is
April 19, 1955, giving the reader as much information about the comedian as possible. The
reporter manages to make the article impactful for the reader as well as inform them about the
tragic incident, from a catchy headline to details, making it worth a read.