In a letter, Game also asked the Prime Minister to take measures to promote the safety of journalists in mainstream and online media, and to combat impunity.

The Executive Director of IFEX,  the global network working to promote and defend freedom of expression worldwide, said the UNESCO Director-General’s biennial report was a way for states to demonstrate their commitment to addressing crimes against journalists and media workers by providing detailed information on the steps being taken to achieve justice and end impunity.

The report is expected to serve as a monitoring mechanism for tracking progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 16.10 on access to information and fundamental freedoms, which UN member states unanimously adopted. It has been observed that the report’s value would be further strengthened through the collection of information on good practices.

The IFEX Executive Director applauded Pakistan’s responses given in the years 2014 and 2016 on the Director-General’s request and asked him to further improve this trend of accountability by submitting a detailed and updated information on journalists killing cases to UNESCO, besides granting them permission to make it publicly available.

She hoped that the Prime Minister would assist UNESCO in the collection of good practices by providing information on general safeguards implemented for the protection of journalists and also end impunity issue in Pakistan.  She said responses by Pakistan would be included in the upcoming 2017 World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report and the 2018 report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity.

Game informed Sharif that since 2006, over 800 journalists and media workers had been killed worldwide and in more than 90% of those cases, the perpetrators had gone unpunished and such type of extreme unchecked violence was the ultimate form of censorship that severely curtailed the flow of information necessary for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic society to flourish.

“The culture of impunity that has developed around this issue only makes it more likely that such crimes will continue to occur. For this reason, the issue of impunity for killing of journalists is one of the greatest threats to freedom of expression and information worldwide,” she further said.

The IFEX Executive Director urged the Prime Minister to ensure that Pakistan’s efforts are documented in the relevant reports and the government demonstrates accountability by making the submission to UNESCO before 30 May 2017.

“In doing so, you will be helping to improve political will to address violence, building a global repertoire of best legal practices, and showing that attacks on freedom of expression in Pakistan will not be tolerated. We look forward to your response to this letter and to seeing updated information on the cases mentioned above made public in the relevant reports and on the UNESCO website,” Game concluded.

Since 2001, the Pakistan Press Foundation has documented 405 cases of violence against media personnel, including 49 murders, 269 assaults, and 42 abductions and detentions. Given this dire state of affairs, it was shocking that the media companies themselves were not working collectively for the safety of media professionals.

Launched in December 2015, the Editors for Safety (EfS) initiative has improved news coverage of violence against Pakistani media professionals. Comprised of the country’s leading editors, publishers, and media owners, EfS’s philosophy is that an attack on one media professional or organization should be considered an attack on the entire Pakistani media.

Zaffar Abbas, founding chairman of EfS and editor of leading English-language daily newspaper Dawn, explaining the reasons behind creating this initiative, says that when a journalist was targeted, it was a big story for his or her media organization but covered—if at all—as a routine story by the others. Most papers would not even mention the name of the media outlet that was attacked. “There was a realization that the reason media outlets were not able to speak with one voice was their commercial interests, and this lack of unity had become a huge problem for the safety of journalists,” he adds.

Thus, editors and directors of leading newspapers and television channels met in Istanbul in June 2015 to discuss the safety of Pakistani media. They came to the conclusion that, despite their different editorial lines and the fact that competing in a difficult market led them to disagree on many issues, they could agree on the common goal of responding to the growing threats against them. Then and there, they decided to unite for safety. The participants tasked Abbas with consulting the other editors to establish an effective mechanism to promote media safety. The result was Editors for Safety.

Abbas is satisfied with the progress EfS has made in just a few months. “No one in the journalistic fraternity in Pakistan could believe that an attack on a media house would be breaking news in media groups that are fierce competitors,” he beams. In a break from previous norms, television channels and newspapers now routinely highlight attacks on other organizations and journalists, regardless of the outlet.

The second major success has been real-time coordination of editors and directors whenever journalists are attacked or threatened. A powerful example of this was when Siddique Baloch, editor of the Baluchistan Express, sent a message to the group that armed men had broken into the house of journalist Afzal Mughal in Quetta and abducted him after kicking and punching him in front of his wife and children. Abbas sent an urgent appeal to television channels to highlight the issue until Mughal’s safe return. “Critical at this point is to make every effort not only to save his life, but also to protect him from possible torture,” said the message sent by Abbas. The media responded with breaking news, tickers, and updates. Within hours, Mughal was released and back with his family.

Less dramatic but equally important are the exchanges between the group’s editorial leadership every time media are threatened. These include acting as a unified front in a number of cases, such as when Islamic State militants threw grenades at offices of media outlets and fired on mobile television crews. These discussions are helping to create an informal understanding around editorial issues, such as how to avoid giving coverage to hoaxes and rumors of attacks or bomb threats.

Abbas feels that much more needs to be done, however. “While these are important first steps, the ultimate ambition is to end violence against media and the culture of impunity,” he says.

One area of weakness is the lack of follow-up coverage of cases of violence against journalists. After the initial media attention, which usually lasts about a week, cases are typically forgotten, with no coverage of investigations or prosecutions in the courts. Thus, the authorities feel little pressure to bring the perpetrators to justice. One of the goals, therefore, of EfS is to ensure that sustained coverage—and attention by the media community—can place further pressure on authorities to address this growing impunity.

Abbas believes it is the responsibility of the government to ensure a safe environment for the media to function without fear. This will only be possible if the media acts with one voice to respond to incidents of violence.

Source: Open Society Foundation

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)List of Media Professionals Killed and Murdered for their Work2002- – March 2-16

According to a press statement released by the regulatory authority, Dr Shahid Masood filed a complaint against the federal minister for criticising him and allegedly threatening him during a speech aired on public and private TV channels.

“After taking notice of the filed complaint, Pemra has conveyed the matter to Pemra Council of Complainants for taking further action,” the press release said.

In his complaint, Dr Masood, who hosts a political show on a private TV channel, maintained that the information minister’s remarks not only hurt his sentiments but also undermined his reputation all over the world.

Express Tribune

At least 71 media professionals were killed on the job last year, but their stories weren’t always reported. High-profile cases usually do get a lot of media attention, but the vast majority of killings involve local journalists. A group of Pakistani editors found a unique way to keep journalists safe by using media attention. Zaffar Abbas, Editor of Dawn newspaper, tells us more.

Afzal Mughal, a Pakistani journalist from a small newspaper in Quetta, the capital of the Balochistan province, was abducted, in the early morning of November, by a group of armed men who broke into his home while he was asleep. Normally, stories like this don’t make the front pages in Pakistan, which ranks as the sixth deadliest country for journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

But the new “Editors for Safety” initiative made all the difference. Instead of letting the case go by unnoticed, a message went out to a new Whatsapp group for Pakistani Editors, informing them of the kidnapping. In less than five minutes, 21 television channels were running the story. Its widespread dissemination even had international broadcasters, such as NBC, pick up the news.

“Within half an hour, he was back home, albeit badly battered,” Abbas, one of the key conveners of the group, told the World Editors Forum. “The government was rattled and the home security department stepped in to inquire.”

Formed in 2015 with the support of the Open Society Foundation, “Editors for Safety” has a single philosophy: An attack on one journalist is an attack on the whole industry.

Quick, easy communication to streamline media coverage
The Whatsapp group facilitates communication between editors, indicating how the details of an attack should be treated; whether to immediately publish or to hold details because negotiation is still ongoing. Almost all major newspapers and television stations in Pakistan are participating. And plans are made to include smaller newspapers, which are often the most vulnerable.

Despite initial reservations expressed by several editors about the initiative, six months in, Abbas began to see hope when rival television channels broadcasted kidnappings of journalists from competing stations. “They hated each other,” said Abbas. “But they were having breaking news about the other’s reporters’ kidnapping.”

“We have nothing to do with rivalry and politics,” said Abbas on the principle behind setting up the group. “Our point is about journalist safety.”

Media coverage is crucial to keeping journalists safe
The new initiative could be a sign of better times ahead, as addressing safety is a crucial step forward. But until the government and security forces tackle the issue of impunity, the threat of injustice will always be true. In Pakistan, 57 journalists have been reported killed since 1992. In 94% of cases, there has been complete impunity for the actors who committed these crimes.

Even though the attention on ending impunity often focuses on the Member States of the United Nations, editors are increasingly criticized for the lack of coverage of attacks on journalists.

“The main reason for the lack of coverage is often competition and the different interests of media owners,” said Abbas. “In the past, if news organizations were to report on attacks or the disappearance of journalists, they would often not include the name of the publication or the name of the journalist, which makes the issue faceless.”

World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

BRUSSELS: Pakistan is fourth on the list of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, and comes behind Mexico, Philippines and Iraq according to an International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report released on Wednesday.

The report which chronicles journalist deaths since 1990, says that at least 2,297 journalists and media workers have been killed in the last 25 years, with Iraq ranking as the deadliest country with 309 killings followed by the Philippines (146), Mexico (120), Pakistan (115), Russian Federation (109), Algeria (106), India (95), Somalia (75), Syria (67) and Brazil (62).

Journalists lost their lives in targeted killings, bomb attacks, in the cross-fire and kidnappings in wars and armed conflicts across the globe while others were killed by organised crime barons and corrupt officials, the IFJ said.

Some 112 journalists and media professionals were killed last year alone, although the peak year was 155 killings in 2006, it said.

“At least 2,297 journalists and media staff have been killed since 1990, “the report said.

With just one out of 10 killings investigated, the IFJ said failure to end the impunity for killings and other attacks on media professionals only fuels the violence against them.

“This milestone publication charts the trajectory of safety crisis in journalism and bears witness to the IFJ’s long running campaign to end impunity for violence against media professionals,” IFJ President Jim Boumelha said in a statement.

“These annual reports were more than just about recording the killings of colleagues,” Boumelha said.

“They also represented our tribute for their courage and the ultimate sacrifice paid by journalists in their thousands who lost their lives fulfilling the role to inform and empower the public,” he added.

Since 1990, the Asia Pacific region registered the highest death toll at 571, followed by the Middle East with 473 killings, the Americas at 472, Africa at 424, and Europe with 357 dead.

The IFJ called on government officials, security and military officers and others who deal with them to respect their independence.

It urged “governments to comply with their international obligations by investigating journalists’ killings and bringing those responsible to justice, thus deterring future violence. “

Dawn

Iqbal Khattak, a senior journalist while in a conversation on ending impunity against violence against the journalists added, “it is not only the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of journalists in the line of duty, the media houses are equally responsible to make certain safety measures”. Muhammad Aftab Alam, a legal expert added that “since Pakistan is a signatory of UN Plan of action on the safety of journalists, it has the responsibility of fulfilling its commitments.

Fazil Jamili, President Karachi Press Club while speaking at the concluding session of media conference said, “In order to facilitate the working journalists, personnel press clubs have been established all over Pakistan but unfortunately they are not operating effectively due to various reasons. There is a need to ensure that press clubs are functioning effectively and facilitating their members in all respects.”

Syed Asif Salah Uddin , CEO of Adgroup spoke in detail about the dynamics of media economy and said, “Advertising gets a lots of criticism but if there were no advertisements journalists would not get paid”. Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha, Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting while speaking at the concluding session said, “One can simply not ignore the role of media today. The issues raised by senior and experienced representatives of media at this platform identifies a clear gap that is present among the consumers of media also the gaps among media owners and working journalists. It is for the best interest of all that such gaps are reduced

Business Recorder

In September, an attack on Geo News van killed its engineer while the driver suffered bullet injuries.

Officials were not sure about the motive behind the firing, but they believed it was a deliberate attack when armed riders fired shots at the DSNG moving with its staff for a routine work.

“Witnesses said that armed men on a motorbike fired shots at the DSNG van,” said DIG East Munir Sheikh.

“Four shots were fired at the van and one of them hit a man sitting inside.

He has been identified as DSNG engineer Muhammad Hassan, who has been moved to a private hospital for treatment.”

The fresh attack came as a grim reminder of an episode in September when an attack claimed life of Geo News satellite engineer Syed Arshad Jaffery and left the driver injured.

In January 2014 three employees of the Express News channel were shot dead in North Nazimabad in an attack claimed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The media fraternity reacted strongly to the attack on DawnNews van vehicle, calling it an attempt to harass and suppress the spirit of free media.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the Karachi Union of Journalists called for thorough and transparent investigations into the incident.

The DawnNews management said there was no prior threat from any group or any warning from law enforcement agencies, but that the attack would definitely cause harassment among media workers.

“Police have to determine what motive was behind the attack,” said Zahid Mazhar, Director of News and Head of Current Affairs of DawnNews.

“Right now we can only demand a police investigation into the incident to determine the motive behind the attack and arrest of those people who have done it.

“The closure of the case without any result will fan speculations and cause fear among media workers.”

Dawn

KARACHI: The owner of a web TV channel, whose office was damaged in a fire that broke out under ‘mysterious’ circumstances on Monday, believed it was an ‘arson attack’ and said on Thursday that he had been receiving threats for “the past six months”.

Situated in a congested lane of a predominantly Christian neighbourhood in Akhter Colony’s C-Sector, the web TV office is set up on the first floor of a four-storey building with a Catholic church, St Peter’s Church, standing right across it.

Sarfaraz William, the web TV owner, was the first one to be informed by the Mehmoodabad police personnel when the fire broke out in its office between 2:30am and 3am on Monday.

Standing near a pile of burnt copies of the holy books in the three-room apartment, Mr William spoke about the threats he had been receiving since May.

Illuminated by one of the remaining studio lights, the owner explained the routine office work saying: “What we do over here is very simple. We hold Christian congregations and speak about God, followed by a sermon and the usual geet (songs). The sermon of the day is then uploaded on our website that reaches hundreds of other people. It was in May when we started receiving threats from some religious organisations to close down our office or to face consequences.”

Threat, police complaint

The threat was followed by a complaint by the same organisation at the Mehmoodabad police station against “increasing tableegh by members of different religious groups”. The police officers, according to Mr William, did not take any action but it “forced us to be cautious”.

Working from the same neighbourhood for the past seven years, the office of Gawahi.tv is funded by the Gawahi Welfare Organisation, also owned by Mr William. Giving a tour of the three-room office, which was dark and filled with the smell of burnt plastic, Mr William pointed towards the missing database of the destroyed computers in the editing room.

Pointing to the walls which remained unharmed in the fire, he said that only some of the things caught fire “which makes me believe that it was a case of arson and not short-circuit as was previously mentioned in the fire department’s initial inquiry report.”

The fire brigade, which came to the rescue on a call of the Mehmoodabad police station at around 4am on Monday, in its initial inquiry reportedly stated that the fire was caused by ‘a short-circuit’.

But when Chief Fire Officer Tehseen Ahmad Siddiqi was asked about it, he denied it. He said: “The inquiry report lying in front of me states that the cause of fire could not be ascertained.”

According to a recent department policy, he explained, “the fire department is not allowed to state the cause of a fire until they are 100 per cent sure of it.

“And in this case, when the fire fighters reached the building most of the things inside the office had already been destroyed. So there was not much left to ascertain the cause of the fire.”

On their part, Mr William and his team made sure to lodge an FIR on Thursday and were waiting for the police officers to complete the investigation. “The police have been very accommodative and cooperative for the past four days. For now, we are waiting to see what becomes of the investigation,” said Mr William.

Dawn

As is invariably the norm, the assailants in both instances escaped unchallenged after committing the crime. While it is too early to ascertain the motive of this second murder of a journalist within weeks (the first one was claimed by the Taliban), it is often the case that powerful groups, angry at being shown in a poor light for their wrongdoings, retaliate with violence.

Journalists have to come to grips with all sorts of pressures, from criminal elements, terrorists, government officials and even the law-enforcement apparatus, which is why theirs is such a perilous calling. A report on safety of Pakistani media professionals presents a bleak picture of level of insecurity faced by them and calls for serious efforts by governments and media to change the present situation where those who kill, injure, abduct and threaten journalists are almost never punished.

The Report on the Safety of Media Workers, released by Pakistan Press Foundation on the International Day on Impunity, documents that since 2001, 47 media workers have been murdered, 164 injured, 88 assaulted, 21 abducted and 40 detained. In addition, 24 media professionals died while covering dangerous assignments.

There have been convictions in only two cases out of 384 cases of violence against media. It should also be noted that Pakistan ranks ninth on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ global Impunity Index, which analyses countries where journalists are murdered and their killers roam free. The government needs to end its apathy and help change this dire situation. It needs to take action to ensure media workers carry out their professional duties in a less intimidating environment. They should enjoy the level of freedom necessary to work unhindered to report on matters of public interest.

Express Tribune

A Pakistani television journalist has been shot and killed by motorcycle gunmen in a tribal region in the country’s northwest that has been hit by a wave of attacks on members of the media.

Unidentified gunmen killed Hafeez Ur Rehman of Neo TV Nov. 22 near his home in the town of Kohat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as North-West Frontier Province, news outlets including Iran’s Press TV said.

The motive for the killing of Rehman, 42, remains unclear. No groups or individual have claimed responsibility yet. Rehman, who covered the region for Neo TV and previously edited his own newspaper, had not reported any threats made against him, Agence France-Presse reported. He is the second journalist to be killed in Pakistan this month and the third to be killed since September.

A local reporter, Zaman Mehsud, was shot five times in the same region Nov. 3. A Taliban commander later told Reuters his group was responsible for Mehsud’s death because of his “writing against us.” The commander also told the news agency the group had other journalists on its hit list in the region.

In September, a satellite technician for Pakistan’s Geo News and a former reporter for the network were killed in separate incidents in Karachi, and a third journalist was wounded in a shooting attack in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

At least 71 Pakistani media workers and journalists have been killed while practicing their profession in Pakistan since 2001 , according to a report Nov. 1 report released by the Pakistan Press Foundation. Of the 71 killed, the deaths of 47 journalists were directly related to their work, according to the report. Only two of the cases have resulted in criminal convictions.

Global Journalist