Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) expressed concern over the further blocking of government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group. The withholding of advertisements is an alarming tool the government has decided to use to strangle the media group financially. At a time of prevailing economic challenges to the media, such a tactic is a dangerous targeted tool to cut off the media outlet economically.
In March of this year, it was reported that the federal, Punjab, and Sindh governments’ had decided to stop providing advertisements to Dawn, Pakistan’s leading English newspaper.
On December 12, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) strongly condemned the block on ads to Dawn TV and Dawn Radio, following the block on ads to newspapers of the Dawn Media Group. CPNE stated that imposing a ban on government advertising on Dawn was tantamount to weakening it economically.
In their joint statement, CPNE President and General Secretary said Dawn Media Group has been providing impartial information since the inception of Pakistan. Initially, its newspaper advertisements were banned and now Dawn Media Group’s electronic platforms have also been deprived of government advertisements. They demanded that the government immediately lift the block on ads to Dawn.
In a statement, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) said that for the past 13 months the Dawn newspaper had seen the curtailment of ads and now the television channel and radio station was also being denied government advertising. According to APNS, this was to “force the media group to change its editorial policy,” and as government ads are paid through the public exchequer, they shouldn’t be used as a “tool to strangle the dissenting voices.” APNS expressed solidarity with the Dawn Media Group and urged the governments (federal and provincial) to “review their unconstitutional decision” and restore ads.
The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) urged the government to withdraw the ad ban “in the interest of free and responsible journalism.”
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) also condemned the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group, terming it an “attack on press freedom” and “an attempt to control media and stifle free expression.” In a joint statement issued on December 14, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari said the decision was aimed at financially crippling a respected media outlet and forcing it to change its editorial policy, which they described as unacceptable. Emphasizing Dawn’s legacy, the PFUJ noted that the newspaper was founded by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and is respected globally for its unbiased reporting, and urged the government to immediately withdraw the ban in the interest of “free and responsible journalism.”
