A safe place for aspiring journalists?
Sir: Free media in Pakistan is still a new and growing phenomenon but with its burgeoning reach and influence it has succeeded in attracting the youth who are rushing to be a part of this field. Many leading universities have initiated media studies programmes that are swiftly gaining popularity.
This indicates a positive approach towards our media, but the question is, is it safe to be a journalist in Pakistan? The media is advancing but the freedom granted to it is still limited. Instead of securing the establishment of media and firmly rooting it in the state, it is victimised, time and again, at the hands of pressure groups, political parties and agencies. Pakistan ranks 151st on the Press Freedom Index, even below Afghanistan. With the deteriorating state of press freedom and journalists’ protection not being ensured, it would not come as a surprise to see us falling even more on the index. The history of journalism is filled with incidents that decrease the morale of many future journalists. The killing of journalists like Siddiq Eido, Mohammad Khan Sasoli, Daniel Pearl and Saleem Shahzad, repeated victimisation and shutdowns of channels and sources of journalists being questioned, what future do productive journalism and journalists have in Pakistan?
YUMNA RAFI
Via e-mail
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