Watch Part 2

For more than a month Pakistan’s military has been battling the forces of the Taliban in the country's Swat Valley region.

What the army calls Operation Black Thunder is is much more than just a military offensive. It has been backed by an aggressive media push by the Pakistani government.

Listening Post examines when the spin stops and the substance begins in the information war how the media in Pakistan cover the story.

War remembrance

Salah Khadr remembers how the global media used to treat the anniversary of the war in Iraq and how now, just six years on, it barely made news.

It seems the Western news media have stopped covering the Iraq story. The story has fallen off many an editor’s news agenda.

But the Iraqi media are still on it. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein there has been a boom in the number of newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations.

But with nearly all Iraq’s print media funded by political or religious groups – more media does not necessarily equate to better information while many journalists are still in grave danger just for doing their job.

Newsbytes

In this week’s Newsbytes: The temporary Facebook ban in Iran; Casualty figures released by the government in Sri Lanka; Sudan’s stifling media Bill and the New Yorker’s front cover – as painted by an iPhone.

Finally, ever wondered why some of the songs you hear on the radio sound just a bit too polished? Well that is maybe because they are – thanks to a piece of software called AutoTune.

Plus, a digital music maestro from the Bronx in New York City has mashed up a selection of evening news broadcasts for your enjoyment.
Watch both videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXIhgScn9iE; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1yAiwHSNVM