PAKISTAN MEDIA MONITOR – December 2024

PAKISTAN MEDIA MONITOR – December 2024

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. 5, No. 12 December 2024 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

PM forms task force to identify suspects behind propaganda over Islamabad protests

Date: December 3, 2024 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Arab News

The federal cabinet endorsed a decision by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the formation of a joint task force to trace perpetrators involved in ‘fake news’ regarding the death of protesters in a crackdown by the government to disperse the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protesters.

How not to fight fake news

Date: December 3, 2024 – Source: The News

Disinformation must be combated, but through democratic, lawful, and transparent means. Pakistan authorities’ reliance on criminal law, rather than civil law, to address this issue creates a chilling effect on freedom of speech and stokes distrust between the state and its citizens.

Local YouTubers growing their audience outside Pakistan

Date: December 5, 2024 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune

The number of Pakistan-based content creators on YouTube earning over Rs10 million annually saw a 25 per cent increase, while over 65 per cent of the watch time on Pakistani content came from viewers outside the country.

Army calls for tougher laws to curb divisive misinformation on social media

Date: December 6, 2024 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Express Tribune

Pakistan Army expressed concern over the ‘malicious propaganda’ by certain political elements against the armed forces and called on the federal government to enact and enforce stringent laws and regulations to curb the misuse of freedom of expression.

IT Minister confirms cybercrime law changes ‘to curb fake news’

Date: December 6, 2024 – Source: Dawn

State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima confirmed government plans to amend cybercrime laws to address concerns regarding the spread of misinformation on social and digital media platforms.

FIA cybercrime wing registers first case of fake news in Karachi

Date: December 9, 2024 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)

The Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Karachi registered its first case related to the dissemination of fake news on social media. The case was registered for propagation of false information during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) protest in Islamabad.

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 

Newspaper owners asked to rethink reducing print editions

Date: December 9, 2024 – Source: The News

Participants of the four-day 17th International Urdu Conference organized by the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) in Karachi called for measures to promote books, magazines and print editions of national and regional newspapers.

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

Journalist granted bail in narcotics, terrorism cases

Date: December 1, 2024 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Express Tribune

Journalist Matiullah Jan, who was arrested by the Islamabad Police (IP), was freed from jail after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted him bail in cases pertaining to terrorism and the possession of narcotics.

Changes to cybercrime law to tighten noose on social media

Date: December 3, 2024 – Source: Dawn

The federal government plans to bring ‘wholesale’ changes to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, which would see the formation of a new authority, with powers to block online content and access to social media, as well as prosecuting those propagating ‘fake news’.

Hafizabad court confirms bail for six journalists accused of obstructing police operations

Date: December 3, 2024 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

A Hafizabad court confirmed pre-arrest bails for six journalists accused of resisting police operations and allegedly aiding offenders in fleeing the outhouse of former Member of National Assembly (MNA) Mehdi Hassan Bhatti.

FIA empowered to take action against social media crimes

Date: December 11, 2024 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Pakistan Today

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication issued a notification to restore the powers of the Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate and prosecute crimes in the digital sphere.

Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA law

Date: December 14, 2024 – Source: Dawn

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated action against over 150 individuals – including journalists, vloggers, and an anchorperson – for allegedly promoting a false narrative against state institutions over Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) protest in Islamabad.

PFUJ condemns arrest orders against journalists under PECA

Date: December 15, 2024 – Source: Dawn

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the arrest order of journalists, including the general secretary of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), and anchorperson Harmeet Singh under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

Defense analysts: IHC suspends PEMRA’s notification linking participation to ISPR participation

Date: December 20, 2024 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) notification for linking participation of defense analysts in television programs to Inter-Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) permission.

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.  

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