Freedom of the press in Pakistan

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Freedom of the press in Pakistan is legally protected by the law of Pakistan as stated in its constitutional amendments, while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the specified media law, Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, and Code of Conduct Rules 2010. In Pakistan, the code of conduct and ordinance act comprises a set of rules for publishing, distributing, and circulating news stories and operating media organizations working independently or running in the country.

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The law of Pakistan (in media) maintains a hybrid legal system for independent journalism, while it prohibits media bias or misleading information under certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. Media crime which is described by the country's criminal codes is recognized as an unlawful act.

Nevertheless, freedom of the press in Pakistan is subject to certain restrictions, such as defamation law, a lack of protection for whistleblowers, barriers to information access, and constraints caused by public and government hostility to journalists. The press, including print, television, radio, and internet are amended to express their concerns under the selected provisions such as PEMRA Ordinance 2002, Defamation Ordinance 2002, Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1973, and Code of Conduct for Media Broadcasters/Cable TV Operators. The Protection of Journalists Act, of 2014 allows a journalist or media industry to cover any story and brought it to the audiences without impacting the national security of the country.

To protect the intellectual, moral, and fundamental rights of the citizens, the government has taken several countermeasures to combat circulating fake news and restricting objectionable content across multiple platforms. The law of Pakistan prohibits spreading or publishing fake news through social or mass media, and could lead to the imprisonment of a journalist or a newspaper ban. [1] [2] [3]

Journalists accuse the military and security agencies of suppressing negative publicity. [4]

Global ranking

In 2020, Pakistan's press freedom rank 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. [5] In 2019, the country's press freedom rank was recorded as 142 on Press Freedom Index, making it a slight decline from the previous annual report. [6] Pakistan's global index rank declined for several issues such as killings of journalists, restrictions imposed on news media, withdrawal of government ads threats, harassment, violation of independent journalism, detention, abduction, and frivolous lawsuits against journalists.

Targeting victims such as physical abuse against journalists and prejudice is one of the other reasons for the decline in the world ranking index. The annual report stated the declination of rank for several unlawful reasons such as written and verbal threats of murder, and offline and online harassment. The report argued self-censorship in the country. [7]

Reactions

The prime minister of Pakistan in his speech during a visit to the United States criticized the report published by Reporters Without Borders citing that "curbs on press freedom in Pakistan was a joke". His remarks on the global annual report were subsequently criticized by the RWB. [8]

Censorship on press

The government of Pakistan is often argued for carrying self-censorship and detentions of journalists under single-issue politics. [9] [10] Sometimes, the only news that favors the regime is published by the local media, whilst news that covers the economic and political problems in the country, or criticisms of the regime faces threatening warnings from the state. The print and broadcasting media claims to carry stories under political pressure since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a major political party in Pakistan came into power. [11] [12]

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors, a nonprofit organization of Pakistan dedicated to safeguards of journalists and media outlets argued Pakistan's direct and self-censorship and state-sponsored hostility towards independent journalists working in the country. In the recent years (around 2018 or 2019), seven journalists were killed while fifteen others were injured in different violences. In Pakistan, sixty journalists were allegedly charged under Anti-Terrorism Act. The government, however, cited the issue with the country's law and order. In 2019 or earlier, the administration, first time in the history of Pakistan temporarily banned a journalist for possessing the material unlawfully. [13] The federal government-owned agency Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass, print and electronic media, restricted some news presenters from participating in debates on Talk shows, and later the restrictions were lifted after sixty days. [14]

In 2019, the government suspended news TV channels, including Channel 24 , Abb Takk News , and Capital TV for broadcasting the opposition party's program on their channels. Reporters Without Borders criticized the action citing "brazen censorship". The government, however, suspended under a set of new laws for media regulators to attempt to restrict press conferences convicted or on-trial politicians. [15] During the tenure of Imran Khan's PTI government, the state was criticised for "muffling" the press. [16] [11]

On 4 January 2023, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) blocked Wikipedia for blasphemous content. The spokesperson from PTA told the press that it would remain blocked until it removes all the objectionable material. [17] Pakistan also blocked Youtube from 2012 to 2016 for blasphemous content again Prophet Mohammed. [18]

Related Research Articles

Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely. Such freedom implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state; its preservation may be sought through a constitution or other legal protection and security. It is in opposition to paid press, where communities, police organizations, and governments are paid for their copyrights.

Claims of media bias in South Asia attract constant attention. The question of bias in South Asian media is also of great interest to people living outside of South Asia. Some accusations of media bias are motivated by a disinterested desire for truth, some are politically motivated. Media bias occurs in television, newspapers, school books and other media.

In Iran, censorship was ranked among the world's most extreme in 2024. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, which ranks countries from 1 to 180 based on the level of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders described Iran as “one of the world’s five biggest prisons for media personnel" in the 40 years since the revolution. In the Freedom House Index, Iran scored low on political rights and civil liberties and has been classified as 'not free.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Pakistan</span>

The situation of human rights in Pakistan is complex as a result of the country's diversity, large population, its status as a developing country and a sovereign Islamic democracy with a mixture of both Islamic and secular law.

The Pakistani Constitution limits Censorship in Pakistan, but allows "reasonable restrictions in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan or public order or morality". Press freedom in Pakistan is limited by official censorship that restricts critical reporting and by the high level of violence against journalists. The armed forces, the judiciary, and religion are topics that frequently attract the government's attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority</span> Government agency of Pakistan

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) (Urdu: مقتدرہِ ضابطہِ برقی ذرائع ابلاغ پاکستان) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print and electronic media.

Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.

Censorship in Myanmar results from government policies in controlling and regulating certain information, particularly on religious, ethnic, political, and moral grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in Israel</span>

There are over ten different languages in the Israeli media, with Hebrew as the predominant one. Press in Arabic caters to the Arab citizens of Israel, with readers from areas including those governed by the Palestinian National Authority. During the eighties and nineties, the Israeli press underwent a process of significant change as the media gradually came to be controlled by a limited number of organizations, whereas the papers published by political parties began to disappear. Today, three large, privately owned conglomerates based in Tel Aviv dominate the mass media in Israel.

Censorship in Belarus, although prohibited by the country's constitution, is enforced by a number of laws. These include a law that makes insulting the president punishable by up to five years in prison, and another that makes criticizing Belarus abroad punishable by up to two years in prison.

North Korea ranks among some of the most extreme censorship in the world, with the government able to take strict control over communications. North Korea sits at one of the lowest places of Reporters Without Borders' 2024 Press Freedom Index, ranking 177 out of the 180 countries investigated.

The Constitution of India provides the right to freedom, given in article 19 with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution. The right to freedom in Article 19 guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, as one of its six freedoms.

Mass media in Pakistan provides information on television, radio, cinema, newspapers, and magazines in Pakistan. Pakistan has a vibrant media landscape; among the most dynamic in South Asia and world. Majority of media in Pakistan is privately owned. Pakistan has around 300 privately owned daily newspapers. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, they had a combined daily sale of 6.1 million copies in 2009. Television is the main source of news and information for people in Pakistan's towns, cities and large areas of the countryside. Marketing research company Gallup Pakistan, estimated there were 86 million TV viewers in Pakistan in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in the Philippines</span>

Mass media in the Philippines consists of several types of media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, and websites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom of speech by country</span>

Freedom of speech is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one's opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment. "Speech" is not limited to public speaking and is generally taken to include other forms of expression. The right is preserved in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is granted formal recognition by the laws of most nations. Nonetheless, the degree to which the right is upheld in practice varies greatly from one nation to another. In many nations, particularly those with authoritarian forms of government, overt government censorship is enforced. Censorship has also been claimed to occur in other forms and there are different approaches to issues such as hate speech, obscenity, and defamation laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are nationally and internationally state-owned and operated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media freedom in Serbia</span>

Censorship in Serbia is prohibited by the Constitution. Freedom of expression and of information are protected by international and national law, even if the guarantees enshrined in the laws are not coherently implemented. Instances of censorship and self-censorship are still reported in the country.

Censorship in Serbia is prohibited by the Serbian constitution. Freedom of expression and of information are protected by international and national law, even if the guarantees enshrined in the laws are not coherently implemented. However, instances of censorship and self-censorship have been reported; as of 2015 Serbia was deemed "partly free" as judged by Freedom House and ranked 59th out of 180 countries in the 2016 Press Freedom Index report compiled by Reporters Without Borders. According to the 2015 Freedom House report, media outlets and journalists in Serbia have been subject to pressure from politicians and owners over editorial contents. Also, Serbian media have been heavily dependent on advertising contracts and government subsidies which make journalists and media outlets exposed to economic pressures, such as payment defaults, termination of contracts and the like.

Freedom of the press in India is legally protected by the Amendment to the constitution of India, while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the law of India to maintain a hybrid legal system for independent journalism. In India, media bias or misleading information is restricted under the certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. The media crime is covered by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which is applicable to all substantive aspects of criminal law.

Freedom of the press in Myanmar refers to the freedom of speech, expression, right to information, and mass media in particular. The media of Myanmar is regulated by the law of Myanmar, the News Media Law which prevent spreading or circulating media bias. It also determines freedom of expression for media houses, journalists, and other individuals or organisations working within the country. Its print, broadcast and Internet media is regulated under the News Media Law, nominally compiled by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and international standards on freedom of expression.

References

  1. ↑ "PID". pid.gov.pk.
  2. ↑ "Pakistan Moves to Restrict Social Media | Voice of America – English". www.voanews.com.
  3. ↑ "The Protection of Journalists Act, 2014" (PDF). www.na.gov.pk.
  4. ↑ TV reporter goes missing in southern Pakistan The Guardian, 2020
  5. ↑ "Pakistan ranks 145 on press freedom index". DAWN.COM. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Pakistan struggles at 142nd rank on World Press Freedom Index | SAMAA". Samaa TV.
  7. ↑ "Press freedom declining in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 3 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Agencies (1 August 2019). "Reporters Without Borders blasts Imran's remarks on press freedom". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Opinion: The decline of media freedom in Pakistan – A journalist tells his story | DW | 10.12.2019". DW.COM.
  10. ↑ "Press Freedom Under Siege in Pakistan: Where to Next?". thediplomat.com.
  11. 1 2 Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer (5 November 2019). "'Extreme fear and self-censorship': media freedom under threat in Pakistan" – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ↑ Zafar, Imad (13 March 2020). "Attack on press freedom continues in Pakistan". Asia Times.
  13. ↑ "A bad year for press freedom | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
  14. ↑ "Pak media watchdog bans TV anchor, show for 60 days for letting minister display army boot to mock Oppn during talk show". Hindustan Times. 16 January 2020.
  15. ↑ "Media watchdogs slam 'brazen censorship' by Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com.
  16. ↑ "Pakistan: Imran Khan's government is 'muffling critical voices' | DW | 03.05.2020". DW.COM.
  17. ↑ "Why has Pakistan blocked Wikipedia?". The Indian Express. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  18. ↑ "Pakistan lifts YouTube ban after three years". CNBC. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
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