[cr-india] State of the Media in Pakistan report...

[Frederick Noronha]

>From Shahzad Ahmad on the Association for Progressive Communications
mailing list. --FN

From: Shahzad Ahmad <shahzad.ahmad at isb.iucnp.org>	
To: apc.forum at lists.apc.org, apc.asia at lists.apc.org
Date: 31-May-2006 00:45

Internews Pakistan (http://www.internews.org.pk) compiles an annual
State of the Media in Pakistan report. The one for the year 2005-06
has recently been launched. Welcoming the report, Hasan Rizvi, one of
the pioneers in ICTs and development communications guru in the
country commented  however, that "The report is somewhat sketchy,
especially in terms of media's coverage/access (geographic,
demographic, ethnic, as well as thematic), the issues related to
plurality, gender and the vast under-privileged sections of the
society. That's hardly surprising for it is compiled from media
practitioners point of view, and as such, the citizens' perspective is
missing " .

The report has three chapters: Chapter 1: The Year of Reporting
Dangerously; Chapter 2: Electronic Media: The Good the Bad and the
Ugly; Chapter 3: Chronicles of Violations against Media.

 The full report can be accessed at:

http://www.internews.org.pk/stateofmedia2006.php

Covering the Radio Sector, the report informs that the year saw an
exponential growth in the commercial FM radio sector where the number
of licenses granted by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
(PEMRA )  grew from just over 40 to 86 during the period. As of May 3,
2006, there were over 50  commercial FM radio stations on air. The
highlight of the latest bidding process was a Rs .  3 million (or
$50,000)  plus bid for a commercial FM radio station in Peshawar, the
highest ever, made and won. At the moment  total of 12 public sector
universities currently hold Campus Radio licenses across Pakistan and
more are joining in from the private sector.

The report emphasises the fact that the earthquake resulted in a huge
information gap in the affected areas and responding to lobbying,
including by Internews, PEMRA issued within a few weeks 10 emergency
area non-commercial FM radio licenses,  8 of them  operational. In
April six more FM licenses for the affected areas were granted – this
time commercial – taking the total radio licenses in quake areas of
Kashmir and NWFP to 16. The government has also invited private
parties to establish terrestrial local TV channels in Kashmir . The
government also allowed establishment of two  commercial FM stations
in the country's Northern Areas.

The report further elaborates that there are many challenges facing
the fragile private radio sector in Pakistan .  It is the world of the
richest because a rich man in Karachi could win a bid for a station in
Quetta and therefore, the station would not be a community radio
station, one that should ideally be owned by the local community.
PEMRA is yet to come  up with a real community radio station
definition and policy.
Titled "Media in Pakistan: The Year of Report Dangerously," the report
says making bad news worse is the fact that there has been a dramatic
increase in the level of violence and intimidation against journalists
and media organizations this year. The good news  though is that the
impetus of expansion in media space has kept up from the previous
three years – particularly in the radio and TV sectors where more
licenses have been issued to private media .

The report highlights that "The government authorities and
functionaries emerged as media's greatest adversary being involved in
arresting dozens of journalists and attacking and beating up hundreds
besides banning publications, media reports on electronic media, TV
channels and Internet websites, shutting down radio stations, raiding
presses, instituting cases against journalists, restricting media from
going about their duties including aggressively keeping journalists
out of large swathes of territories, particularly the tribal areas in
the northwest bordering Afghanistan".

According to the report's authors Adnan Rehmat and Matiullah Jan, the
chronicles of violations against media freedoms in Pakistan this year
make for grim reading: at least three journalists killed; two
abducted; 206 attacked, beaten, tortured and shot at; 65 arrested;
four jailed; five threatened; 19 publications, 32 TV channels and 16
websites banned; 13 newspaper presses raided; one FM station sealed;
12 journalists and media organizations slapped with court cases; 21
prevented from covering official functions and seven newspapers denied
state-sponsored advertising from public funds for being critical of
government policies – making all this one of the worst years of
journalism in Pakistan in recent years.
-- 
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Frederick 'FN' Noronha   | Yahoomessenger: fredericknoronha
http://fn.goa-india.org     | fred at bytesforall.org
Independent Journalist   | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9822122436
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