Dictators try to control the press, the Daily Dawn circulation stopped in the Cantonment areas
Silent criticism is not a solution, be it social, political, or any other. It is not surprising that weak rulers have always struggled to grasp this simple truth.
In era after era, we have seen dictators try to control the press – to make newspapers and journalists submit to those who were supposed to be accountable. In each such era, many chose to put the public interest above all else. They endured physical violence, financial loss, and even harmful legislation.
Much of this suffering was borne patiently because responsible newspapers and journalists always knew that they could not shirk their duty or betray the public trust. They believed that Pakistan had been strengthened by their sacrifices. They should be honored and remembered as Pakistani media once again suffers the worst of repression and control.
Last week, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, in its ‘Islamabad Declaration’, pointed out how both military and civilian institutions have deployed government advertising as a way to “promote their own ‘fake’ news”. In context, government advertising is being banned from publications that have chosen to adopt independent editorial policies, obviously reducing their revenues and forcing compliance.
Dr. Akhtar Gulfam, president of the London Media Club and PFUJ, cited the example of Dawn, which has been denied advertising by the federal and Punjab governments, particularly since last October, “due to its professional and critical approach to reporting and editorials.” The Sindh government has also been withholding its advertising from time to time for arbitrary reasons.
This is not the only way in which authorities have tried to obstruct fair reporting. The paper’s circulation was stopped in large parts of the country, especially in the cantonment areas, after the so-called ‘Dawn Leaks’, on the orders of certain individuals. General Qamar Bajwa later reportedly said that the crisis was created so that his predecessors could gain expansion.
The current government’s attempt to punish the paper has taken a different form, but its aim is the same: to use pressure tactics to gain compliance. The publication always considers multiple angles when making editorial decisions. Others may not always agree with its stance, but pressure tactics will not force Dawn to abandon principled journalism. Its duty, first and foremost, is to uphold journalistic integrity.
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