Mazhar Farooqui: A man who isn’t afraid of exposing the truth.
Mazhar Farooqui is no stranger to the media fraternity, especially when he’s the only notable investigative journalist in the United Arab Emirates.
Working with Gulf News for over 15 years and having put over 200 people in jail or had them deported as a result of his extensive investigations, this man is nowhere near letting go of his passion.
Investigative journalism or investigative reporting, according to Farooqui, does not only involve sting operations or exposing frauds but could simply be a well-researched article regarding practically any topic.
“It’s the only thing I know, I don’t have any other traits,” says Farooqui in regard to his passion for journalism. Having worked for big names like the Hindustan Times and Times of India, among others, the Indian journalist knew all along that investigative journalism is what his heart was set on.
Farooqui, sitting in the most laid-back manner, goes on to narrate how with even 26 years behind him in this career, he is still as hooked. “The adrenaline keeps on pumping,” says Mazhar.
“The newspaper industry is the only one where you get paid to tell the truth, and if you can do that in a very coherent manner, if you can change corporate decisions and impact lives, I don’t think you can find a profession that brings more satisfaction than this one.”
A multiple award-winning journalist, including India’s most prestigious award for excellence in journalism, the K.C. Kulish International Award, as well as a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, Farooqui has made a name for himself here in the UAE, despite facing strict media laws that spare nobody. Not even Farooqui himself, who once spent 15 hours in prison as a result of a story he published.
The stringent laws of the UAE, however, don’t stop Farooqui from going out of his way to report scams. The Heera Group scandal, fraudulent job-portal Wisdom Jobs, con woman Gill Wallace Hope, the dodgy Exential Group and con man Aziz Mirza are only some of the groups and individuals that have been exposed courtesy of Mazhar Farooqui.
With a serious, yet humorous, feel, Farooqui reveals some of what he goes through because of his work. “I’ve got multiple lawsuits against me, lots of defamation notices as well, but I guess I play my role in keeping the legal department busy.
“There’s also one guy who calls me dutifully for the past year and a half, I believe he wants to threaten me, but I’m not too sure. I will admit, on some days when I don’t receive a call, I do tend to miss him a little!”
Along with getting himself in trouble, Farooqui also keeps Gulf News tangled up in his legal battles. “I get Gulf News in trouble all the time. Defamation suits against me cause the company a lot of money because each time a lawyer represents me, the company has to pay. But at the same time, Gulf News gains a lot of popularity because my stories drive the site’s traffic, so it’s a double-edged sword.”
However, it’s not all that light-hearted in the life of an investigative reporter who has put some in jail and made others very unhappy.
“After a certain point in such a career, threats don’t faze you anymore. But it does get a little overwhelming when you receive 60 calls in the middle of the night, wake up to a legal notice and then come across threats, trolling and malicious campaigns against you online throughout the rest of the day,” says Mazhar
The existence of criminals doesn’t worry him as Dubai is a relatively safe city but, the fact that there are “people who could go to extreme measure because I exposed those they supported does worry me a little,” the journalist confesses.
Being in such a career for well over two decades does come with a few frightening encounters. Death threats and harassment online are a rather milder form, physical dangers, however, one can never be prepared for enough.
Coming back to UAE and its strict defamation and cyber-crime laws, the sad reality of practising a profession like that of Farooqui is that not all your hard work sees the light of day. Some stories require months of investigating, gathering information, and deciphering through all the evidence, whereas other times the journalist gets lucky and gets a breakthrough quickly.
Due to legal compulsions, journalists often have to drop a story or leave out important information simply because they would be breaking laws if done otherwise.
“People think investigative journalism is very glamorous and we’re like James Bond, but it's anything but that. Newspapers, in this age, don’t have the luxury to spare a journalist for one big story. So while I’m working on an investigative piece, I’m also working on press releases, weather reports, and other stuff.”
Some stories Farooqui comes across himself, while others are told to him by people who’ve suffered at the hands of a fraudulent company or individual. What makes the job of a journalist even harder is the fact that often when they drop a story, they stand in an awkward position where people relying on Farooqui keep questioning him regarding updates on the story — while he’s got nothing to tell them.
“I wish there were more investigative reporters in the UAE,” says Farooqui.
“Sometimes, I feel upset because I’m the only one who does such stories, there’s only so much that I can do. There are so many stories to be told, so many lies to be exposed, but it’s not possible for me to do all of this. So if there were more journalists in this field, there’d be a better and bigger pool of journalists investigating and the common man would have more journalists to rely on.”
Farooqui lists out other journalists and news outlets whose work he has looked up to and enjoys reading. Indian journalists Anirudh Bahal and Ashish Khetan’s were among his top favourites, and he’s also fond of investigative stories from global outlets, The Guardian, The New Yorker as well as a Philippines-based news outlet called Rappler.
Towards the end of the interview, Farooqui is kind enough to lend a helping hand out to student journalists, as well as those wanting to pursue investigative journalism.
“For newcomers and aspiring journalists, they need to spend some time and contact the right people. The best way to do that would be to contact the Global Investigative Journalism Network. They’re the ones behind huge stories, Panama Leaks sort of stuff.”
“It’s a network of thousands of journalists, you can approach them, become a member, and they’ll invite you and train you free of cost regarding how to report, cover facts, teach you tricks about how to find deleted posts on Twitter, how to find people with just their contact numbers and all of that. It’s crazy but really helpful.”
“See, possibly the best thing about investigative journalism is that you don’t have to work for a publication to practice this form of journalism — not many people know that. All you need is a cracking story,” he says.
“There are so many agencies worldwide that will listen to your story pitch, find you a publication, fund your expenses as well as pay you for your work. All you need to know is who to contact,” concludes Farooqui.
