Television – Page 8 – Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

January 29, 2019

Attack on media freedom

The Federal cabinet gave its go-ahead on Thursday to the government plan to form a new Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) bringing under it the existing media regulatory bodies. This, said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, is to be done by merging all the rules related to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan, and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Notably, PEMRA’s role is only to issue licenses for the broadcast media -television channels as well as FM radio- allot them frequencies, and regulate cable operators’ affairs. Its function is not to tell the media houses what they can or cannot put on the air. The real stakeholders are the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Council of Pakistan News Papers Editors (CPNE), and All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS).

The proposed authority is a blatant attempt to control media content rather than regulate anything. In fact, while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Information, the minister revealed the real intent behind the move when he said the PTI-led government would ‘regulate’ all media and no one will be able to defame anyone. He should know that already there are defamation laws in this country to deal with the publication or broadcast, without proof, of defamatory matter. Besides, the media persons are subject to all laws of the land like any private citizen. Violators can be held to account under the present laws. Freedom of expression is a core democratic value which should be as important for an elected government to uphold as it is for the purveyors of news and views. Nonetheless, in a functioning democracy government and media have an adversarial relationship. As society’s watchdog, the latter have a responsibility to point out the rulers acts of omission and commission. The proposed regulatory authority, therefore, can only be seen as an effort to rein in those in the print and electronic media who refuse to fall in line. It is an attack on their hard won freedom, which must be resisted by all stakeholders.

The bad faith is obvious also from the fact that although the government says the new authority is to be constituted in consultation with journalists, it is not paying heed to what the Press Council has had to say on the issue at its last month’s a general council meeting, which was attended by various representative bodies of the media as well as civil society groups. The meeting passed a unanimous resolution rejecting the proposed regulatory authority and advising the government to ensure freedom of the press. The ruling party seems to be relying on the divisions among the media bodies to bring them under control. It is about time they saw the threat for what it is and joined hands to protect and promote their common interest.

Business Recorder

January 28, 2019

Media bodies rejects cabinet decision on PMRA

The federal cabinet approved the formation of new regulatory body called Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) with the merger of all media regulating bodies including print, electronic and digital media. The meeting was held on January 24, headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by the journalists’ associations.

The Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said “This would be done by merging all existing rules and acts related to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.”

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) opposed the decision of federal cabinet.

In its press release issued on January 25, APNS President Hameed Haroon and Secretary General Sarmad Ali termed the decision of cabinet as the most regressive step against the media. APNS further stated that the current media laws including Press Council Ordinance, Press Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance and PEMRA are being annulled which were enacted after consultation by the government with the media bodies.

The APNS has urged to all democratic forces to raise voice against the undemocratic and anti-public step of government to safeguard the democratic norms in the country.

CPNE President Arif Nizami, Senior Vice President Imtinan Shahid and Secretary General Dr. Jabbar Khattak also opposed the decision and termed it a move to curb the freedom of print media and added there was no need for special laws for the print media.

The PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Ayub Jan Sirhandi termed the establishment of PMRA a step worse than the draconian Press and Publications Ordinance that the Pakistani media struggled for decades that led to its repeal. According to PFUJ the hidden motive of the proposal was subjecting the print media to draconian black laws and PFUJ will never accept this.

Talking to Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), G.M. Jamali President of another faction of PFUJ said the decision was taken without any consent of journalists.

Earlier in December 2018, Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) rejected government’s proposed creation of PMRA and urged the government to ensure the freedom of press.

January 28, 2019

Stifling the press

A “WALKING shadow”. A “poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more”. A “tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing”. Shakespeare was describing life. He could as easily have been writing about the state of Pakistan’s media.

On television screens, pundits screech and pontificate. Online, tweets and retweets document righteous fury and differing opinions. On radio, DJs chatter late into the night. In print, columnists fill column inches with feisty words, punctuation serving in place of pounding fists. But this is all noise without substance.

State attempts to control Pakistan’s independent media are near complete. The Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority, approved by the cabinet last week, is the formal trapping confirming what has long been implicitly known: there is no appetite for press freedom in Pakistan today. The PMRA will bring all media — print, broadcast, digital — under the control of one regulator that will dictate rules, licensing and punitive measures.

The PMRA’s approval should be the fillip that unites the media.

The consolidation of media regulation is particularly damaging to print media, historically perceived as the industry’s ‘release valve’, able to publish content that could not be broadcast owing to its limited readership. Beyond the centralisation of control, the PMRA also reeks of authoritarianism because it disregards the concerns of stakeholders such as media associations.

But the PMRA is not damaging in isolation. It comes as the culmination of a more than a decade-long campaign to stifle the press. This has been multipronged, entailing journalists’ intimidation and killing, stoking rivalries between media outlets, issuing backchannel directives about what can and cannot be published or broadcast, clampdowns on papers’ circulation, blocking channels and websites, silencing online voices.

The PMRA seems especially excessive because this campaign has been so effective. A report published last year by the Committee to Protect Journalists highlighted the widespread practice of self-censorship, with journalists conceding that they did not comment on no-go issues for fear of being sacked, harassed, killed (notably, journalists’ identified fear of retaliation by militant groups as another driver of self-censorship alongside pressure from state institutions). Against this backdrop, the PMRA will sanction overt censorship, beyond that which is already being done.

The PMRA’s approval should be the fillip that unites the media industry to coordinate its response to this attack on press freedom. The divisiveness within the industry has been a key reason for the state’s success in encroaching on freedoms so far. A first step could be for the independent media to reconsider self-censorship as the prime strategy for dodging strong-arming by the state, which will increase under the PMRA.

Self-censorship is a win-win for the state. It enables the semblance of a free and vibrant press — the sound and fury that the government can tout at international fora as proof of Pakistan’s democratic credentials — all the while signifying nothing, failing to report the truth, failing to hold state institutions accountable, failing to inform the citizenry.

By resorting to self-censorship, the independent media has hidden the extent to which it is cowered from its audiences, and left itself open to charges of venality and avarice. Pakistan’s middle classes have become accustomed to criticising what they read and watch, without demanding to learn what information is being denied to them.

Journalists must remember that the press comprises the country’s public record. It is what will become history, and what will inform future national narratives. Self-censorship, by definition, leaves things unsaid, without revealing that what is documented is merely a coerced sampling of available information. By self-censoring, the media becomes complicit in the authoritarian project of coining a unified, imposed narrative about the country, its politics, its predicaments and potential.

There is a reason why our senior journalists and editors, when confronted with press censorship under Zia, chose to black out columns to indicate when the military regime objected to certain content. This let the public know the conditions under which the press was operating. And while it didn’t help people learn what they were not being told, it empowered them to understand that they did not have the complete story. Such awareness helped fuel the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, and kept the appetite for civilian rule alive through dark times.

History will view the formation of the PMRA as a low for the PTI government, confirmation of its undemocratic agenda and subservience to Pakistan’s real power brokers. But it will equally judge the media’s response to such draconian measures. Rather than be reduced to a “tale told by an idiot”, the independent media should seriously consider how it will write the story of resistance.

Dawn

January 27, 2019

Govt’s move to set up PMRA widely slated

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have expressed serious concern at the establishment of Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA), replacing the existing print and electronic media statutory media bodies, maintaining that the government’s objective appears to be to control both electronic and print media.

This was the outcome of an anecdotal survey carried out by Business Recorder of the two top lawyers’ bodies in the country.

PBC Vice-Chairman Kamran Murtaza categorically stated that the objective behind creating the new body appears to be to control the media. In the presence of separate bodies for electronic and print media there is no need for an amalgamated regulatory body, he added.

Murtaza further contended that “stifling independent voices, controlling democratic institutions and curbing journalists engaged in criticizing the illegal and unlawful steps of the incumbent government will not be in anyone’s interest and would ultimately destroy institutions.”

Amanullah Kanrani President SCBA said restriction on freedom of speech and expression would not be tolerated and cited Article 19 which stipulates: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.”

The SCBA President pledged to oppose the passage of any law contrary to the spirit of Article 19.

Advocate Shafqat Abbasi, former chairman PPC, hailed the idea of bringing print, electronic and social media under one roof, but said instead of government the media should manage the body. He noted that in Europe and South Africa the media is run by media given that the bureaucrats or politicians are not aware of media problems.

Abbasi further pointed out that the Press Council Ordinance, Press Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance and Pemra were enacted after dialogue and consultation by the government with the media bodies.

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) flayed the federal cabinet’s decision to set up PMRA lamenting the lack of consultation with stakeholders.

APNS office bearers have stated that it would be impractical to bring print and electronic, ie, TV, radio, social and digital media under one regulatory authority maintaining that while the broadcast and digital media may be brought under one umbrella print media is different in nature, format and issues arising thereof, cannot be lumped together.

Business Recorder

January 27, 2019

PMRA draconian, not acceptable, says PFUJ

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Saturday rejected the government’s recent decision to establish the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA).

A joint statement issued by the PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Ayub Jan Sarhandi said establishing the Authority would be an act worse than the Press and Publications Ordinance promulgated by the former military dictator General Ayub Khan.

The PFUJ expressed serious concern over the government’s decision and warned that it would not accept such draconian black laws.

“The establishment of PMRA is shrouded in mystery and the draft for establishment of the Authority has not been shared with relevant stakeholders. The PFUJ has come to know that the draft for establishment of PMRA has provisions related to cruel punishments for violations, which have not been made public,” said the statement.

It said aimed at introducing a system of annual licensing for the print media, establishment of PMRA is akin to making the press subservient to the bureaucrats of the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

This is in violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. Establishment of a federal institution to regulate printing and publication – which is a provincial subject after the 18th Constitutional Amendment – interferes in the domain of provinces and is, therefore, also in violation of the Constitution.

The government is violating the Constitution with the ulterior motive of subjecting the print media to draconian black laws, which would never be accepted by PFUJ.

Bringing print and electronic media, i.e., radio, TV, and digital media, under a single regulatory authority is completely illogical.

The two domains are completely distinct from each other requiring different rules and regulations. Nowhere in the civilized world-including developed and developing countries-are the regulatory bodies and regulatory rules of the print and electronic media the same. Putting both print and electronic media under a single regulatory authority in Pakistan would, therefore, create serious problems for freedom of press, accountability, and governance.

Media stakeholders were not taken onboard on the decision for establishing the PMRA. The PFUJ would not accept enactment of any media-related law without its input in the process. Establishment of the PMRA would abolish laws like the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance, Press Newspapers, News Agencies, and Books Registration Ordinance, and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which were promulgated after consultations with the media representatives.

Abolishing the aforementioned laws would also put an end to the Wage Award under which the media employees’ salaries are determined.

The PFUJ has a long and proud history of struggle against such draconian laws and warns the government to stay away from opening another Pandora’s Box for itself by establishing the PMRA.

The PFUJ urges the democratic forces, scholars, civil society, political parties, and lawyers to unite in raising their voice against government’s attempts at curbing freedom of press.

The PFUJ appeals to the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), and Pakistan Broadcasters’ Association (PBA) to fully support the struggle against imposition of draconian laws to curb freedom of press.

Let us not forget that freedom of press is the key to democratic freedom. As famously put by Thomas Jefferson, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

The News

January 26, 2019

PMRA: senseless and dangerous

AGAINST sane advice, the PTI government has moved ahead with its agenda to tighten its control over the media. On Thursday, the federal cabinet approved the creation of the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority that will enable the government to ‘regulate’ all media in the country from one platform.

The step has come in the face of strong resistance from media organisations and journalists amid severe criticism of the PTI setup’s overall handling of the conventional fourth pillar of the state. The government’s move is especially senseless when it is considered that print and electronic media are separate entities, each with its own defining features.

Indeed, democratic societies, while they may see the necessity to have regulations for the 24/7 electronic media, allow news publications to check their own content through a code of ethics — in keeping with the principle of freedom of expression.

Unfortunately, the PTI’s move to bring all media under state control, smacks of an authoritarian streak that should have no place in a democratically elected setup. Remarks such as those uttered by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday that all bodies representing journalist bodies would be taken ‘on board’ in formulating rules for the PMRA gloss over the fact that these very bodies i.e., CPNE, the Press Council, APNS and PFUJ, had already opposed the creation of the new regulator.

It is no secret that the PTI government has an adversarial relationship with the media. Much of this is the rulers’ own fault. They have unwisely created an atmosphere where any criticism of the government is seen as an ulterior motive, leaving little room for an exchange of views which is central to a nation’s progress. On too many occasions, PTI cadres have denigrated the press and hurled invectives at those who have raised questions about the government’s performance.

This is a short-sighted approach, especially when the PTI itself has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of media freedom in Pakistan. It makes little sense for it to try and destroy the very vehicle which has helped it reach the seat of power.

Crucially, by its actions, it has also shown contempt for the long, difficult journey taken by Pakistan’s press. Over the course of the years, journalists have been imprisoned, tortured and killed in the line of duty. Their hard-won gains must be defended, in fact, built upon, not snatched away by a setup that seeks dictatorial ‘solutions’ through the creation of a new regulatory body —without realising that it is setting a trap the government itself could fall into.

With the rulers in full war regalia, it seems that it is now up to the media itself to protect its freedoms, and unite in the face of any attempt to shake the foundations of an independent press.

Dawn

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The Nation: A New PEMRA?

January 26, 2019

APNS, CPNE assail move to form new media body

KARACHI: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) have criticised the federal cabinet’s decision to set up the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) that is to replace the existing bodies regulating print and electronic media.

The APNS termed the decision a particularly regressive measure and the CPNE described it as a move aimed at curbing the freedom of print media.

In a press release issued on Friday, APNS President Hameed Haroon and its Secretary General Sarmad Ali expressed concern over the move and said it was the “most regressive measure against the media”.

The existing media laws — namely the Press Council Ordinance; Press Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance; and Pemra Ordinance — were being annulled that were enacted after protracted dialogue and consultation between the government and the media organisations, they said.

And the proposed PMRA was being formed without any consultation between the stakeholders, contrary to the firm assurances given in this regard by Iftikhar Durrani, the special assistant to the prime minister on media, and Fawad Chaudhry, the federal information minister, they added.

The APNS office-bearers said it would be impractical to bring print and electronic media (i.e. television, radio, social and digital media) under one regulatory authority. “The broadcast and digital media can be brought under one umbrella but print media, being different in nature…, cannot be lumped with them. Even, in developing countries, print and electronic media are treated separately,” said their press release.

They pointed out that the information ministry had not provided the draft of the proposed PMRA to APNS but only disclosed some salient features of the new body, which included a licensing system to control the media and composition of the authority to administer the media. However, the draconian “teeth” relating to terms of licensing and punishment of any breach had been concealed.

“It seems the officials of the Ministry of Information have dug out the notorious PPO, promulgated by military dictator General Ayub Khan, from the dustbin of history and presented it with a new title, which is not acceptable to the media in the country,” said the press release.

“The APNS is of the considered opinion that the proposed licensing system and measure intended to tame, control and subjugate the media are in gross conflict with Article 19 of the Constitution and basic human rights.”

The APNS office-bearers also pointed out that after the 18th Amendment, any legislation in relation to newspapers, books and printing presses had become an exclusive provincial subject and any attempt by the federal government to form such an authority would be in contravention to the Constitution.

“However, the federal government is trying to bring e-papers of newspapers under the ambit of this authority and impose its draconian laws on print media indirectly after bypassing the Constitution,” said the press release.

The APNS office-bearers urged the federal government to ensure a meaningful dialogue and consultation with all the stakeholders in the media before setting up the proposed authority.

For their part, CPNE President Arif Nizami, Senior Vice President Imtinan Shahid and Secretary General Dr Jabbar Khattak said that efforts aimed at controlling media in the name of regulating them would never gain popularity and support in the country.

“The CPNE believes that although improving media laws in the light of requirements of the Constitution and aspirations of the people is the need of the hour, it’s vital that before formulating any such formula or law all the stakeholders are consulted,” they said in their press release.

The CPNE office-bearers said there was no need for special laws for the print media and therefore they should be allowed to function under “normal laws”.

Dawn

The News: APNS rejects new media regulatory body

Pakistan Today: CPNE turns down formation of PMRA to regulate media

Daily Balochistan Express: CPNE turns down formation of PMRA to regulate media

Business Recorder: ‘Media Regulatory Authority’: APNS strongly criticises government decision