Pakistan's Print Media System

Pakistan's media system has developed a great deal in the last few years. Although broadcast media is the primary way that Pakistanis get information, the press has a long history in the country and an uneasy relationship with the government.

When Pakistan became independent from British India in 1947, there were only four major Muslim-owned newspapers in the country: Pakistan Times, Zamindar, Nawa-i-Waqt and Civil and Military Gazette, according to the Pakistan Press. Since then, Pakistan's media system has grown a great deal. Today, there are about 1,000 daily newspapers, most of which are in English or Urdu. The English-language newspapers tend to cater to a liberal elite while the Urdu-language papers appeal more to the general public. The Daily Jang is the oldest and largest newspaper and is also the largest Urdu language newspaper in the world. The country has 21 major national magazines and many smaller ones. Because less than half the population is literate, print publications are not as influential-and consequently, not as strictly regulated-as broadcast media in Pakistan. Out of a country of 160 million people, only about 2 million read newspapers.

Unlike broadcast media, the Pakistani press has very rarely suffered direct government censorship. But the press is very much under the sway of the government's and media owners' interests. The government has significant influence over the news media through advertising. It is the largest advertiser, accounting for 30 percent of all advertising revenue, and can pull its advertising to devastating effect if it is displeased. For instance, after publishing unflattering articles about the government, the Daily Jang was cut off from government advertising funds, harassed with $13 million in tax notices and even restricted in its ability to obtain sufficient newsprint to publish. The military is not usually criticized, because the Office of Inter-Services Public Relations closely controls all military news. An oligopolic media corporation system also influences content, because there are a few, powerful owners who are often the editors of the papers, too. Thus, economic interests often affect the editorial decisions of newspapers in Pakistan.

The foreign media presence has grown in Pakistan since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Because of the country's proximity to Afghanistan and Musharraf's pledge to aid the U.S. in the war on terrorism, foreign journalists have used Pakistan as a base from which to report the war. All foreign correspondents must be accredited through the Press and Information Departments under the Ministry of Information. While accreditation is not generally a problem, the government rarely grants visas to Indian journalists.

Sources:
"Pakistan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers," Press Reference.
"Pakistan Magazines," All You Can Read.
Bob Garfield. "On the Media: Press Freedom in Pakistan." Association of Pakistani Professionals.