Sunday, May 2, 2021
OPINION: #JournalismIsNotACrime - The crisis in Pakistani media
WALEED TARIQ@WaleedTariq89 'Media outlets should...strive to resolve the question of financial stability – on their own' Dozens of independent news platforms have started operations in Pakistan following a crisis in the media industry. At least 7,500 journalists and associated media workers have lost their jobs since Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to power in 2018, while more than two dozen publications have closed since then, according to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. But how did it all unfold, and who is at fault? And how are the outlets faring now? I joined the Daily Times, once a top newspaper in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2013. It was my first job after graduation. Before being offered work, I was informed that there would often be a delay in salary by at least two weeks. As time passed, the delay would sometimes last up to five weeks. Staffers often protested, but they would be given assurances that the payments would be made as soon as their advertisement dues were cleared. I worked at the paper for seven months, and it still owes me two months' salary. I moved then to The Express Tribune, where I was paid relatively on time. This was when Pakistan was migrating its content online, and there was a shift toward new media. But in late 2018, we saw mass retrenchments in the industry, with many staffers, mostly reporters, being shown the door. The primary reason for the mass layoffs was said to be a slash in government advertising, which was a key source of income for newspapers.Critics say the government led by Imran Khan reduced the advertising budget to control dissenting voices on the behest of the country’s powerful military. The government denies, this but there have been abductions, and cases have been lodged against activists and journalists who disagree with its policies. Meanwhile, those who support its narrative are termed “brave and bold.” Over 100 satellite TV licenses have been issued since 2002, while nearly 350 Urdu, English, and regional language daily, weekly, and monthly publications are listed with the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS). Unlike online media, a large chunk of Pakistani print media’s earnings comes from government advertisements. And this dependence has been exploited by successive governments. Although the distribution of state advertising is supposed to be based on the status and circulation of each publication, it is often influenced by favoritism and connections. Even owners of “dummy” newspapers, with no actual readership, receive government advertising contracts. When the PTI came into power, it tried to break the status quo in media as well: it held back payments for advertisements that had already been run (said to be over 5 billion rupees for both print and electronic media), and stopped much of government advertisements, saying it would devise a new “transparent” advertising policy. The volume of advertisements released by the federal government has since decreased by over 50%, according to the APNS. They were now limited, an official of a newspaper association told me, to the budget one department has. This deprived newspapers of a critical part of their revenue. They lost business, started laying off staffers, introduced pay cuts, and stalled payments. Many of them had to shut down. What's next? Amid pressure from media rights organizations, the government says it is making the payments, is putting in efforts to ensure transparency and merit in the release of government advertisements, and wants the media fraternity to weed out non-professionals from its ranks. In 2019, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told me that Pakistan’s media was facing a “technological” rather than “economic” crisis, and that the government could not support it anymore. Notwithstanding its anti-media policies and a push for censorship, the government might be right for once. While it needs to end its arbitrary approach toward media advertising, media outlets should also strive to resolve the question of financial stability – on their own. To cope with unemployment and censorship, many journalists have started their own news ventures. During research, I found a number of new Pakistani news websites (both English and Urdu), but most of them have unappealing design, there is no About Us section, their stories are poorly written and edited, photos are not sourced, and many still rely on Gmail and Hotmail for email. But some publications have started exploring new revenue models, including donor funding and reader subscriptions – something that is taking shape worldwide. The Current, a digital news portal, recently won a grant from Google News. It started out as a video platform – short and candid interviews with celebrities and politicians – attracted an audience, and is now managing a lifestyle and entertainment web portal as well. Similarly, Pakistan Today’s Profit, a weekly business magazine, has enforced a paywall on its premium content, and is offering print + digital subscriptions for as low as $3.25 a month. Foreign media groups such as the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, which owns Urdu News, Independent Urdu, and Arab News, have also entered the Pakistani market. Regardless of the "foreign agenda," the new outlets have contributed to credible reporting – and jobs. Many journalists have even started their own YouTube channels in a bid to dodge censorship and monetize. Given the circumstances, there is a greater need for the training and capacity building of journalists such that they can sustain themselves and make an impact – while continuing to speak truth to power https://www..com/vrappleroices/ispeak/opinion-the-crisis-in-pakistani-mediacc
Pakistani Watchdog Reports ‘Dramatic’ Worsening Of Media Environment
A Pakistani watchdog says a “dramatic escalation” in the intimidation and harassment of the media in the South Asian country over the past year is “squeezing the space” of freedom of expression and limiting access to information.
In its annual report on the state of Pakistan’s press freedom issued on April 30, Freedom Network recorded 148 cases of “attacks and violations” against outlets, journalists, and other media workers between May 2020 and April 2021 -- an increase of more than 40 percent compared to the previous.
These cases included the killing of six journalists due to their journalistic work, seven assassination attempts, five kidnappings, 25 arrests or detentions, 15 physical assaults, and 27 legal cases registered against media workers.
“The increase in attacks on media and its practioners in Pakistan points to a collective failure of the government and the state of Pakistan to honor its commitment to uphold peoples’ right to speak without fear,” Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said in a statement.
Noting that a record number of legal cases were filed against journalists during the period under review -- 27 -- Khattak said Pakistani laws must protect journalists instead of being used to “silence” them.
The state and civil servants have “shockingly” emerged as “the principal threat actor wielding the biggest stick to browbeat the media into submission and growing silence,” according to the report.
Attacks against journalists are taking place across Pakistan, but the federal capital, Islamabad, emerged as the “riskiest and most dangerous” place for journalists with 34 percent of the recorded violations -- 51 out of total 148 cases.
The report comes ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistani-watchdog-reports-dramatic-worsening-of-media-environment/31231476.html
Press freedoms in Pakistan have been chained through threats, intimidation, and pressure tactics by the PTI regime, Chairman PPP
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that press freedoms in Pakistan have been chained through threats, intimidation, and pressure tactics by the PTI regime, calling for lifting the declared and undeclared curbs imposed on the media.In his message on World Press Freedom Day being observed tomorrow, the PPP Chairman said that the Imran Khan-led PTI regime has gagged the media to hide its illegitimacy, incompetency and sheer failures in every sector. Several independent journalists and anchorpersons have been forcibly taken off TV screens by, leading them to take to social media to express their independent analysis and opinions, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out that PPP has been at the forefront of championing press freedom in Pakistan and former Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had abolished the draconian press laws imposed by Zia’s dictatorial regime.
He said that the suppression of free media in Pakistan is a great disservice to the nation and will only serve to add fuel to flames of the legitimate anger and frustration of the people. Freedom of the press, he added, was a pivotal part of a vibrant society and democracy, giving voice to the people to be heard. Therefore, all censorship, including the imposed self-censorship through latent threats should be undone and the media should be allowed to play its role as an independent watchdog, he demanded.
He expressed concern that during the PTI regime, Pakistan had dropped to 145 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking of countries published by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international non-governmental organization dedicated to safeguarding the right to freedom of information.
The PPP Chairman endorsed the United Nation’s 2021 World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good” and called for an end to the era of sponsored media trials of Opposition political leaders in Pakistan.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pledged that PPP would continue to fight against curbs on a free media and that the Party would live up to its history of standing shoulder to shoulder with the journalist community, and that the PPP would not rest until the press in Pakistan becomes truly independent and free, as it would in any true democratic country.
PPP welcomes election commission’s decision on a recount in NA-249
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Secretary General, Senator Farhatullah Babar and Pakistan Peoples Party Secretary General, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari have said that the Election Commission has decided a recount in constituency NA-249 at the request of PML-N in the by-elections and while we welcome this decision, the manner in which such a situation was handled in the 2018 elections was very different. The PDM was made by the PPP and now we demand withdrawal of show cause notice and apology to us.
Farhatullah Babar said that we want to put forward some important points about the by-election of NA-249. The Election Commission has decided to recount at the request of PML-N. This is their right. We welcome it and want to see the Election Commission of Pakistan strong. Same was said in the 2018 elections that where the winning margin was less than 5%, it should have been recounted. The recount was to be held in 34 constituencies which were not conducted. Only the recount of two constituencies started and was stopped and never completed.
He said that this constituency NA-249 was not new to the PPP. The PPP candidate from this constituency had also won in the 1988 elections. The PPP does not have a large majority of votes in this constituency but we have considerable support for the PPP. The PPP has shown groundwork, activism and has now won.
He said that only the Election Commission could explain the reason for the delay in the counting process but there were 30 candidates and eight election observers who had to be given the Form 45 during Ramadan. For this exercise, the Election Commission has to fill 10-12 forms. Farhatullah Babar said that if we had lost this election, we would never have had raised this issue. We believe in election laws. He said that in the recount, the votes of PPP may increase. He said to the PML-N that you must go to the Election Commission but do not say that the PPP has come through the help of the establishment. Our movement is against Imran Khan and not the opposition.Farhatullah Babar said that the internet is being tampered with in the name of security in Pakistan. Electronic voting will be more dangerous here. The countries that started it have also given up on using electronic voting machines. He said that this government is not serious about negotiating with the opposition. They are incompetent.In response to a question, Farhatullah Babar said that the internet is being tampered with in the name of security every day in Pakistan. Many of the countries that started this experiment gave up and Imran Khan should know that there is a report by NADRA about EVM. He said that the PPP made the PDM, who are these people who are talking about us approaching them to rejoin the PDM, instead they should come to us, take back the show cause notice and apologize to us.
Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that the ground realities are very clear. PPP candidate has been present in this constituency. Qadir Mandokhel is a political activist. He has experimented with other political parties in the past like PML-N and PTI. PTI had introduced a technocrat Hafeez Sheikh who lost the Senate election. In NA-249 the PML-N introduced another technocrat, Miftah Ismail who also lost.
Before this, the role of the PTI candidate in this constituency was also in front of everyone who used to bring shoes and put them on the table and sometimes came with pistols. Nayyar Bukhari said that unemployment and lawlessness has increased in the country. We believe that the Election Commission will take decisions according to the law. Bukhari said that the PML-N harmed the PDM. The PPP was ready for a long march and no-confidence motion against the government.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24722/