ISLAMABAD: The Joint Action Committee, comprising journalists’ organisations and representative bodies of the media industry including All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), has strongly condemned the suspension of government advertisements to newspapers and television channels, terming it a direct attack on editorial independence and a dangerous attempt to control the media.
In a joint statement, the committee warned against creating circumstances that could push media organisations towards extreme steps and demanded that the government immediately stop using government advertisements as a tool of pressure against media houses. It specifically called for the immediate lifting of advertising restrictions imposed on the Dawn Group, urging the authorities to refrain from actions that could further undermine media freedom.
The Joint Action Committee reaffirmed its resolve to continue its struggle at all levels for free journalism and the public’s right to information.
The committee, comprising All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), said the government was systematically using government advertisements as a coercive instrument against media organisations. Such a policy, it said, was aimed at curtailing freedom of expression and weakening independent journalism.
The statement noted that the most prominent target of this undemocratic practice was the Dawn Group, whose newspapers — and now television and radio outlets — have faced prolonged suspension of government advertisements due to their editorial policies and commitment to impartial journalism. The committee said the move reflected an attempt to inflict financial damage on media organisations in order to curtail their editorial independence.
It warned that the suspension of advertisements signalled the possibility of even more dangerous steps in the future, posing a serious threat not only to journalism but also to democracy.
Separately, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) also expressed concern over the decision by the federal and provincial governments to suspend government advertisements to Dawn News and other media outlets of the Dawn Media Group. In a statement, APNS said government advertisements were funded by the public exchequer and should not be used to silence dissenting voices.
Expressing solidarity with the Dawn Media Group at a time of financial strain, the APNS urged the federal and provincial governments to review their unconstitutional decision and restore government advertisements to the group. APNS pointed out that Daily Dawn had already been facing reduced government advertising for the past 13 months, and that the extension of the ban to Dawn News television and FM radio was not only unjust but also an attack on freedom of expression.
The APNS further observed that the action appeared to be aimed at pressuring the media group to alter its editorial policy.
