Press freedom

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  • Essential for a healthy democracy

 

On Press Freedom Day held a few days ago tribute was paid to 95 journalists killed globally in the line of duty last year with around 700 killed over the past decade. Focus was however on the need for a free independent media to have a progressive and complete democracy. There is no denying the fact that press freedom has taken a nosedive in recent years with only 24 percent of the 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index being classified as “good”. Pakistan has dropped three places in that ranking since the previous year, being placed at 142. The reasons for the drop are quite apparent. In the run up to the 2018 general elections there was unprecedented increased interference in the editorial operations of newspapers and news channels. As a result our electoral process was compromised. UN chief António Guterres, in a video message shared on Twitter, said, “Facts, not falsehoods, should guide people as they choose their representatives”.

A calculated system of dictating what can and cannot be published or broadcast, has since become the norm. Those who oppose this are strangled financially through cuts in advertisement; circulations and broadcasts are disrupted in certain areas; dissenting journalists are picked up, harassed, and in some cases charges are framed against them on flimsy grounds.

These draconian measures are reminiscent of the Zia era, but at least at that time the advisory was clear and every news outlet had to work within it. At the moment the same is being done but covertly, leaving room for deniability while the rules are changed almost every day as the powers that be see fit. This is worse and more damaging to democracy as it confuses editors and newsrooms, while censorship steadily increases and space for freedom of expression decreases. Only a united front against these atrocities will get the government’s attention. Unfortunately there are bad apples in the media industry as well, who are complaisant due to their vested interests and are therefore equally responsible in making this the new normal.