PAKISTAN MEDIA MONITOR – May 2025
A monthly report on trends relating to state of journalism and media rights, policies and practices
Tracking:
Media related laws, policies and regulations
The state of media professionalisms
The state of media economy
Threats and attacks against journalists and information practitioners
Vol. 6, No. 5 – May 2025 Edition
Produced by Freedom Network – www.fnpk.org
SECTION 1: Media related laws, policies, regulations, mechanisms
- Freedom of expression (FOE)
- Right to information (RTI), access to information (ATI)
- Federal and provincial governments (relevant ministries and departments)
- Media related regulators (PPC, PEMRA, PTA)
- Regulatory issues related to print, electronic and digital media
SECTION 2: The state of media professionalisms
- Media independence issues
- Public interest journalism practices and challenges
- Ethical journalism issues
- The state of thematic journalism
- Community-focused media
- Misinformation / disinformation / fake news
Dawn refutes fake report claiming TTP stole PAF’s F-16 fighter jet
Date: May 2, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Dawn newspaper clarified that a screenshot circulating on social media was “fake and digitally manipulated”, denying publishing any report suggesting that the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had stolen a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 fighter jet.
Fellowship on digital rights, gender inclusion announced for journalists
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Times of Karachi (TOK)
On World Press Freedom Day, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), in partnership with Media Matters for Democracy (MMD), launched a journalism fellowship to bolster reporting on digital rights and internet governance.
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: The News
As artificial intelligence (AI) and digital frenzy erode the foundations of serious journalism, we are rapidly shifting from the traditional ‘fourth estate’ to a rising ‘fifth estate’ – a loosely defined sphere of vloggers, influencers, and online content creators. Though their global reach is vast, many chose fame or fortune through sensationalism, lacking the vigor of seasoned investigative reporters.
CPNE elects new office bearers
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) elected new office bearers in an annual election held for 2025-2026. According to a press statement, Kazim Khan from Daily Duniya was elected as CPNE president and Ghulam Nabi Chandio from Daily Pak as secretary general.
AI, friend or foe for journalism?
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: The News
Artificial intelligence (AI) is not inherently benevolent or harmful – it is a potent tool, shaped entirely by human intent. While its misuse has already exposed journalism to new risks, its responsible application offers opportunities to reinforce the field’s integrity. Ultimately, the fate of journalism in the AI era hinges not only on the technology, but on the wisdom with which it is wielded.
Sindh government launches program for citizen journalists
Date: May 15, 2025 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
The Sindh government announced the launch of the Youth Citizen Journalism program, with the initiative aiming to provide specialized training for young individuals aged 18 to 29 in journalistic storytelling and reporting.
Date: May 7, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Media jingoism is not new. But the spectacle of Indian news and talk show anchorpersons frothing at the mouth as they call for a war against Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, verges on psychosis. There appears to be no space for saner voices amid the beat of war drums.
Social media users decry warmongering from India
Date: May 8, 2025 – Source: Dawn
In the aftermath of India’s air strikes on Pakistan, which claimed the lives of 31 civilians, Pakistani social media erupted in a wave of anger, grief and disbelief over Indian users’ warmongering on online platforms.
Fake news galore in Indian media
Date: May 9, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Indian media’s reports about shooting down a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 fighter jet were a “blatant lie and fake news”, security sources said, terming such reports a manifestation of Indian decision-makers’ alleged confusion after the loss of dozens of drones in Pakistan.
Lahore caught in maelstrom stirred up by Indian media
Date: May 9, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Lahore, which had already witnessed the downing of seven Indian drones by the armed forces of Pakistan in the first half of the day, found itself swept up in the maelstrom of Indian propaganda.
Indian media declares war and defeats Pakistan – all without leaving the studio!
Date: May 9, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Indian television channels declared an all-out imaginary war against Pakistan, reporting with astonishing confidence that cities had been destroyed, fighter jets downed, ports bombed, and even that the Pakistani army chief had been arrested – all without a shred of evidence.
Neutrality or complicity?
Date: May 10, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Digital Rights Monitor (DRM)
Media platforms must re-establish partnerships with independent fact-checkers in Urdu, Hindi, and regional languages. They must empower crisis-response teams that understand the political and cultural landscapes they operate in. And they must abandon the fantasy that ‘neutrality’ means letting dangerous falsehoods spread unchecked.
Indian media hits new low in fake news against Pakistan
Date: May 10, 2025 – Source: The News
In its frenzy against Pakistan, the Indian media crossed all bounds of fake and sensationalism journalism. Far from acting as a watchdog, it behaved more like rabid hound – vicious, aggressive, and uncontrolled.
How Indian channels invented a war
Date: May 10, 2025 – Source: The News
TRT Global, an international news agency, reported that the disinformation campaign on May 8th, aimed at stoking nationalist fervor, was not driven by internet trolls but by a steady flow of deceptive content broadcast through mainstream Indian media channels with vast national reach.
Hackers target government’s official accounts, fuel misinformation
Date: May 10, 2025 – Source: The News
The Pakistan government faced another wave of challenges after unidentified hackers gained access to multiple official social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter), posting misinformation that appeared to amplify Indian propaganda.
Date: May 10, 2025 – Source: The News
In his news talk show on Geo Television, anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada aired select footage exposing the barrage of fabricated news broadcast by Indian channels. The clips highlighted a frenzy of war-mongering, paranoia, and blatant falsehoods that have defined the Indian media’s narrative.
A ceasefire, a meltdown in Indian newsrooms
Date: May 11, 2025 – Source: The News
India’s surprise ceasefire with Pakistan triggered a predictable media frenzy across Indian television channels, where jingoism eclipsed facts. Nationalistic rhetoric, questionable claims, and outlandish spin dominated coverage, particularly in attempts to minimize President Donald Trump’s role.
When Indian media chose bloodlust over truth
Date: May 11, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
On May 8, Indian electronic and online media – save for a few exemptions – descended into a frenzy of propaganda, jingoism, and disinformation. Bloodthirsty slogans and hyper-nationalist monologues replaced journalism, as TRP-driven theatrics and viral hashtags drowned out reason.
Media, youth lauded for role in countering Indian fake news
Date: May 15, 2025 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the responsible role played by media practitioners and social media users in countering Indian fake news during the period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
Outcry as Dawn publishes op-ed by former chief justice
Date: May 15, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Dawn newspaper came under fire for featuring an op-ed by former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who discussed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and Indo-Pak tensions. Critics viewed the publication as politically charged, given the timing and Isa’s judicial decisions.
Date: May 18, 2025 – Source: Dawn
India’s mainstream media has traded fact for fantasy, devolving into a propaganda machine that espouses delusional narratives, endangers regional peace and erodes public reason. Delusional bubbles and enforced consensus are a recipe for disaster.
How Indian media amplified falsehoods in drumbeat of war
Date: May 18, 2025 – Source 1: The News York Times, Source 2: The News
During the conflict between India and Pakistan, even some long-trusted Indian media outlets reported unverified information and fabricated stories. The news reports chronicled India’s overwhelming successes. Each piece of information was highly specific, but none of it was true.
PM’s steering committee directs PEMRA to boost prime-time public service messages
Date: May 20, 2025 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Prime Minister’s Steering Committee on the Socio-Political Domain instructed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to ensure that all television channels allocate adequate prime-time slots for broadcasting public service messages.
Date: May 20, 2025 – Source: Dawn
It is important for us all to remember that this war of narratives we are carrying out with India is not just to shape domestic opinion but also to carry a message internationally. The latter cannot happen without credibility; and this will not come about just because the government is happy with the media.
Date: May 25, 2025 – Source: The News
Targeting a specific province or ethnicity reveals a troubling ignorance of history. Such prejudice often resurfaces during pivotal national moments. During the recent India-Pakistan tensions, as a ceasefire brought relief to billions, some used social media to launch divisive, anti-Punjab narratives – turning a moment of de-escalation into one of internal discord.
Date: May 25, 2025 – Source: The News
In the India-Pakistan standoff, the war played out on screens. India’s media turned studios and social feeds into battlegrounds, where truth was bent and jingoism streamed in high definition (HD). It was old nationalism, repackaged for the digital age – viral, emotional, and dangerously persuasive.
As fighting stops, India, Pakistan start narrative war to sway global opinion over conflict
Date: May 25, 2025 – Source: South China Morning Post (SCMP)
Two weeks after pulling back from the brink of all-out war, India and Pakistan are now racing to win over global opinion. Both sides are sending delegations to global capitals to influence international perception of the conflict, as tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals continue to simmer.
Cinemas struggle as LEDs, mobile phones take over
Date: May 27, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
The traditional cinema experience is rapidly losing its charm, as audiences increasingly turn to LED and mobile screens to watch their favorite films. The once-thriving charm of crowded theatres and the magic of the big screen is slowly fading.
How social media lies fueled a rush to war between India and Pakistan
Date: May 28, 2025 – Source: The Guardian
India’s mainstream media, which have already suffered a major loss of credibility owing to their heavy pro-government stance, are facing difficult questions. Some prominent anchorpersons have issued apologies for airing unverified information primarily fueled by social media’s war hysteria.
Media literacy termed cornerstone of democracy
Date: May 28, 2025 – Source: The News
Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danial Chaudhary emphasized that media literacy is the cornerstone of democracy, particularly in this digital era marked by the rise of misinformation and fake news.
Before conviction comes online humiliation
Date: May 29, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Inside police stations in Punjab, videos of accused are recorded with their faces visible and uploaded to social media despite lawyers and former police officers stating that revealing identity of suspects is illegal and violates the constitutional right to dignity.
Legal remedies for victims of online humiliation
Date: May 29, 2025 – Source: Dawn
According to Aqsa Javed, a Lahore-based advocate, any aggrieved person whose videos are posted online without their consent can invoke Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteeing the right to dignity and privacy and Section 166 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 1860, which addresses a public servant disobeying the law with intent to cause injury.
Date: May 30, 2025 – Source: Reflections
War has transformed. Once fought with swords, rifles, and tanks, battles today unfold in the virtual world through memes, manipulated videos, and international media headlines. This new battleground is not about territory but perception. It’s about who gets to define the truth.
SECTION 3: The state of media economy
- Economic landscape of media industry
- Impact of Covid-19 on media resilience and sustainability
- Government and private advertising for media industry
- Advertising sector and its interface with media industry
- Business viability and sustainability of media
- Wages, salaries and arrears of journalists and media practitioners
SECTION 4: Threats and attacks against media and information practitioners, including online
- Murders and killings
- Kidnappings and abductions
- Arrests and detentions
- Threats – verbal and written
- Harassment and intimidation – offline and online
- Surveillance, hacking and data breaches
- Legal cases for journalism-related work or free speech
- Impunity of crimes against journalists
- Censorship
Crisis in the newsroom: Freedom Network sounds alarm on press freedom in Pakistan
Date: May 1, 2025 – Source 1: Freedom Network (FN), Source 2: Dawn, Source 3: The News
Pakistan’s media stands at a critical juncture, grappling with existential threats, mounting curbs, eroding safety and job security, and escalating pressures on journalistic integrity, warned Freedom Network’s annual Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom Report 2025.
Pakistan drops to 158th in RSF press freedom index
Date: May 2, 2025 – Source 1: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Source 2: Dawn
Pakistan has been placed in the World Press Freedom Index’s ‘red’ category, alongside all its neighbors, denoting countries where press freedom is virtually nonexistent and journalism poses grave risks. This category encompasses 42 nations and over half the global population – 56.7 per cent – lives under such conditions.
Journalists face tightening space for free expression
Date: May 2, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Journalists in Pakistan face mounting repression, according to the Pakistan Press Foundation’s (PPF) Intimidation on All Fronts report. Released on World Press Freedom day, it highlighted the chilling impact of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) passed in January 2025.
India continues blocking Pakistani social media channels
Date: May 3, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Arab News, Source 3: First Post
As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly refocused on economic stewardship and delegated defense to the military, India’s Pakistan strategy began mirroring its domestic approach to dissent – curbing financial channels and silencing media and social media voices.
PFUJ criticizes government over ‘black laws’, attacks on press freedom
Date: May 3, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) called upon the federal and provincial governments to respect press freedom and freedom of expression, which were allegedly eroding in the country.
Date: May 3, 2025 – Source: Dawn
World Press Freedom Day comes as journalism hits a historic low, rated ‘poor’ in half of the world’s countries. South Asia mirrors the crisis, with Pakistan ranked 158th, India 151st, and Bangladesh 149th – all under ‘very serious’ media restrictions.
Date: May 3, 2025 – Source: The News
Freedom Network’s (FN) Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom Report 2025 warned that Pakistan’s media faces an existential crisis amid tightening restrictions and escalating risks. Journalists grapple with declining safety, eroding job security, and mounting pressures on professional integrity.
Concern voiced over shrinking media freedom, growing tide of disinformation
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: The News
Journalists, academics, and human rights activists came together on World Press Freedom Day to raise alarm over the shrinking space for media freedom, increasing state control, declining journalistic standards, and the growing tide of disinformation.
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Press freedom is facing unprecedented pressure worldwide. In war zones, under authoritarian rule, and even within long-standing democracies, independent journalism is rapidly losing ground. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that press freedom has plummeted to its lowest point in over 20 years.
Truth to power: Year in review
Date: May 4, 2025 – Source: The News
Between May 2024 and April 2025, Pakistan’s media industry found itself at a crossroads, grappling with mounting legal restrictions, financial instability and escalating threats to journalists. The state enacted new legal provisions for use as tools for silencing dissent and enabling it to detain, fine and imprison journalists, political activists and human rights advocates for their online expressions.
India bans X accounts of Bilawal Bhutto, Imran Khan
Date: May 5, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: National Herald, Source 3: Mint
India’s central government blocked access to X accounts of former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari amid rising political tensions between the two countries following a terror attack in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir.
Date: May 6, 2025 – Source: Dawn
In a bid to control the narrative following a terror attack in Pahalgam, the Indian government banned prominent Pakistani social media accounts, labelling their content too “provocative” for local audiences.
Livestream curbs persist as National Assembly holds ‘sensitive debate’
Date: May 7, 2025 – Source: Dawn
National Assembly (NA) proceedings were not broadcast live on its official social media platforms for a second consecutive day, as the House continued a discussion on tensions with India following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Prime suspect in journalist’s murder case killed in ‘police action’
Date: May 7, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Pakistan Today
The Shikarpur police claimed to have killed Sheroo Mahar – a dacoit nominated as the prime suspect in the murder case of journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar – in a drone attack in the kutcha area of Sukkur district.
PTA responds to Indian social media blockade, cyberattacks
Date: May 8, 2025 – Source: Dawn
In an attempt to combat disinformation in the wake of hostilities with India, Pakistan blocked over a dozen Indian YouTube channels, 31 video links, and 32 websites for disseminating “false information and anti-Pakistan propaganda”.
Pakistani authorities lift year-long ban on social media platform X
Date: May 8, 2025 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Pakistan Today
Social media platform X became accessible to users in Pakistan without the need for virtual private networks (VPNs). The platform had been blocked by authorities since 2024, following protests over allegations of vote rigging in the general election.
PFUJ honors journalists flogged in 1978 for defending press freedom
Date: May 12, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) paid tributes to the journalists who endured harsh punishments, including flogging, while leading the movement for press freedom and free speech during General Zia-ul-Haq’s martial law regime in 1978.
CPJ demands Pakistan restore journalist’s YouTube channel, end harassment of journalists
Date: May 19, 2025 – Source 1: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Source 2: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Pakistani authorities to restore access to exiled investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani’s YouTube channel and stop law enforcement agencies from harassing him and his family.
Anchorperson urges followers to use VPN amid fears of YouTube ban
Date: May 20, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Fearing his YouTube channel might be banned by authorities in Pakistan, anchorperson and content creator Imran Riaz Khan advised his 5.85 million subscribers to start using virtual private network (VPN) services to access his account on YouTube.
Journalist killed in targeted attack in Awaran
Date: May 24, 2025 – Source 1: Journalism Pakistan (JP), Source 2: Voice.pk, Source 3: Dawn
Unidentified armed assailants stormed the residence of journalist Abdul Latif Sajidi in Balochistan’s Awaran district, fatally shooting him as he slept. A correspondent of the daily Intikhab, Sajidi was brutally slain in what is believed to be targeted assassination.
Date: May 28, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Amid constant sociopolitical turmoil, Pakistan’s journalists have been under siege for long. As attempts to intimidate them into silence grow more blatant, Balochistan’s reporters, caught between the state and violent militants, battle an exceptionally hostile environment.
Pakistan urged not to deport at-risk Afghans, journalists
Date: May 29, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
More than a dozen international organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), urged Pakistan to stop the deportation of Afghan journalists and citizens who faced the risk of persecution in Afghanistan.
Journalist gunned down in Jacobabad
Date: May 30, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Unknown armed men shot dead journalist Syed Altaf Shah near Garhi Khero in Jacobabad district. Shah worked for a private television channel and was murdered at his residence.
OBJECTIVES: This series of monthly report aims to:
- Monitor the state of policies, regulations and mechanisms governing the media sector in Pakistan; the state of freedom of expression and right to information environment in the country and how these interfaces with media freedoms allowed or restricted via media regulations governed by the print, electronic and internet regulators.
- Track the state of media professionalisms in the country including ethical and public interest journalism practices and challenges, and the challenges of misinformation, disinformation and fake news phenomena.
- Follow the changing economic dynamics of the media industry and how they impact the business viability and sustainability of media and exploitation of media staff in lieu of their wages and arrears.
- Scrutinize threats and attacks against media and information practitioners, the state of impunity of crimes against journalists and efforts to provide justice for those aggrieved and distressed.
INFORMATION SOURCES: This report monitors, among others, the following sources of information:
- Government: Federal and provincial cabinets
- Ministries: Related ministries, including Information and Broadcasting, Information Technology (IT) and Telecom, Human Rights, Science and Technology, Commerce and Industry, etc.
- Legislatures: Senate, National Assembly, provincial assemblies, relevant standing committees
- Regulators: Pakistan telecommunications Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan (PPC), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), etc.
- Global organizations: UN/Unesco, International Media Support (IMS), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), etc.
- National organizations: Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), BoloBhi, Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD), Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), etc.
- Media: Dawn, The News, Express Tribune, The Nation, Pakistan Today, The Friday Times, etc.
- Social Media:Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Local networks: Journalists Safety Hubs Network, Alliance on Diversity & Pluralism in Media, etc.
- Any other open public information sources.
