A total of 110 journalists were killed around the world in 2015, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday, warning that more were being deliberately targeted for their work in supposedly peaceful countries.

Sixty-seven journalists were killed in the line of duty this year, and another 43 died in circumstances that were unclear, the watchdog group said in its annual roundup. Another 27 non-professional “citizen-journalists” and seven other media workers were also killed.

The high toll is “largely attributable to deliberate violence against journalists” and demonstrates the failure of initiatives to protect media personnel, the report said, calling for the United Nations to take action.

In particular, the report shed light on the growing role of “non-state groups” – often militants such as the Islamic State group – in perpetrating atrocities against journalists.

In 2014, it said, two-thirds of the journalists killed were in war zones. But in 2015, it was the exact opposite: “Two-thirds were killed in countries ‘at peace’.”

“The creation of a specific mechanism for enforcing international law on the protection of journalists is absolutely essential,” RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire said.

“Non-state groups perpetrate targeted atrocities while too many governments do not comply with their obligations under international law.”

“The 110 journalists killed this year need a response that matches the emergency. A special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for the safety of journalists must be appointed without delay.”

The 67 deaths bring to 787 the total number of journalists who were murdered, knowingly targeted or killed in the course of their work since 2005, the Paris-based organisation said. In 2014, there were 66 such fatalities.

War-torn Iraq and Syria were the most dangerous places in the world this year for journalists, with 11 and 10 fatalities respectively, the RSF report found.

Third on the list was France, where eight journalists were killed in a militant assault in January on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in an assault that shocked the world.

“It was an unprecedented tragedy,” RSF said. “A western country had never suffered a massacre of this kind in the past.

“Charlie Hebdo’s journalists and employees have been living under close protection ever since. Some of them still have to keep changing their place of residence.”

War-torn Iraq and Syria were the most dangerous places in the world this year for journalists, with 11 and 10 fatalities respectively

In Syria, the northern town of Aleppo was described as “a minefield” for professional and citizen-journalists alike.

“Caught between the various parties to the conflict since 2011, journalists are liable to end up as collateral victims, being taken hostage by a non-state group (such as Islamic State, the Al Nusra Front or the Free Syrian Army) or being arrested by the Assad regime,” RSF said.

Those murdered in Syria included Japanese freelance reporter Kenji Goto, whose execution by the Islamic State group was unveiled in a macabre video in January.

The RSF report also singled out India, where nine journalists had been murdered since the start of 2015, some of them for reporting on organised crime and its links with politicians and others for covering illegal mining.

India saw five journalists killed in the course of their work and four for uncertain reasons, which is why it ranked below France where the cause of death was known.

“Their deaths confirm India’s position as Asia’s deadliest country for media personnel, ahead of both Pakistan and Afghanistan,” RSF said, urging the Indian government to establish “a national plan for protecting journalists”.

In Bangladesh, four secularist bloggers were killed in acts claimed by local.

“The passivity of the Bangladeshi authorities in the face of this bloodbath has fostered a climate of impunity that is extremely dangerous for citizen journalists,” RSF said.

The report also placed the spotlight on 54 journalists who were held hostage at the end of 2015, 26 of them in Syria, and 153 journalists who were in prison, 23 of them in China and 22 in Egypt.

Pakistan Today

This was stated by PFUJ Secretary General while speaking at the Jamhoor Camp on Thursday.He warned the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan if any further attacks were made on Geo TV and media houses by his workers, the journalists would stage a demonstration in front of Imran Khan’s house in Islamabad.

Abbasi said that the journalists were in a deep crisis and holding demonstrations all over the country and, on the other end, Imran Khan was provoking his workers against the media. He asked what his objectives were. The KPC President, Imtiaz Faran, asked the PTI chairman why he was targeting journalists and what his objectives were.

Faran said Khan would be asked that he should provide the names of journalists who were involved in taking bribes.He strongly condemned the continued closure of Geo TV at some places despite the court orders and Pemra directives.Faran said all the conspiracies being hatched against the journalists’ community would be foiled. He said the Jamhoor Camp would continue and today was its 16th day.

The News

The media representatives were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans demanding the arrest of perpetrators of journalists’ killings in Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province.

Last month, armed men had barged into the Online news agency’s office and killed all three newsmen in Kabir Building area of Jinnah road Quetta. The incident sparked severe criticism of law enforcement agencies in the provincial capital.

Balochistan is considered to be one of the most sensitive areas for journalists. According to BUJ, during the last seven years, nearly 40 journalists have been killed in different incidents with the killers still at large.

The provincial government had announced the formation of a judicial commission six months back, but the judge probing the murder of journalists is yet to be nominated.

In today’s rally, the journalists chanted full-throated slogans “stop killing journalists they are your voice”, “long live freedom of expression” and “we want justice” among others.

“We will intensify our protest for the protection of journalists in Balochistan,” President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Afzal Butt said while taking part in the demonstration.

Members of Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ), Hawkers community and the Quetta Press Club participated in the protest rally that turned into a human-chain in the high security zone of the city.

The journalist community has been protesting against the cold blooded murder of three colleagues in Quetta for the last fifteen days. “Journalists are in the line of fire in this part of the country,” Afzal Butt said.

The journalists demanded of the Balochistan government to step up efforts for the formation of a judicial commission to probe into the killings.

“We have lost around 40 colleagues during last seven years,” Irfan Saeed, the President BUJ lamented during the protest demonstration.

The journalists urged upon provincial and federal governments to ensure protection of the media men working in Balochistan and arrest those involved in the killings.

Pakistan is ranked as the world’s most dangerous country for journalists and reporters by rights groups and watchdogs.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), seven reporters lost their lives in the line of duty in 2013 in the country.

Placing Pakistan as the 158th country out of 180 on its Press Freedom Index, a report by the RSF had noted earlier this year: “The government appears powerless in the Taliban… and the military establishment, which is known as a ‘state within a state’ among many international observers.”

DAWN

He proposed to the NA Speaker to refer the issue to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Information so that it could draft a policy for the protection of journalists and the issue of closure of Geo News could be settled with the help of parliament.

He said the government would take all possible measures for the protection of journalists and those involved in the attacks would be brought to justice.Responding to the request of Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid for referring the issue to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Information, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said he would consult the Senate chairman so as to refer it to the joint committee of the National Assembly and Senate on Information to review the issue comprehensively and settle it amicably.

Speaking in the House, Senator Farhatullah Babar also raised the issue of closure of Geo News, saying that despite paying the heavy penalty and suspension, it was unjust that Geo News was still not open.

He proposed that this issue be referred to the joint committee of both the houses of parliament to look into why the channel was still closed despite paying heavy penalties and tendering an apology.

Senator Babar Ghauri of the MQM also raised his voice in support of Geo News, saying Geo News was still facing suspension despite paying heavy penalties. “Geo News also tendered an apology but the channel is still facing closure,” he added.

He said Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid should also take notice of the Geo News closure and resolve it as soon as possible. “Owing to the Geo News closure, 5,000 workers will lose their jobs which are in fact 5,000 families that would face hardships, so we appeal to the government to settle this issue immediately,” he added.

Earlier, journalists staged a walkout from the Press Gallery during the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament to register their protest against the repeated attacks on the office of Geo News in Islamabad.

On the intervention of the Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid, the reporters ended their protest and came back to their seats to cover the proceedings. On the occasion, Pervaiz Rashid said last night when the Geo News office was attacked, he was attending the programme of its senior anchor Salim Safi. He said the country was confronted with a new trend of hooliganism where anybody who disagreed with anything got attacked.

Rashid, however, said that it was not weakness of the government yet it might be termed ‘our negligence’. But, he added, it was beyond doubt that ‘we stand with the media’.He said the time has come to cancel the licences of some of the cable operators. He said Pemra ought to discharge its duty. Geo, he said, has implemented the law by paying the fine and facing the punishment.

The minister said action would be taken against all those involved in the attack on PTV and other channels. He said if someone took the law into his hands, action would be taken against him.

Pervaiz Rashid said cable operators were bound by an agreement to show channels of choice of the people. He said Pemra would cancel the licences of those cable operators who had violated the agreement.

The News

From 2011-2012, the young media professional has worked in close collaboration with press clubs in Pakistan (in Sindh, Punjab, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), initiating comprehensive Investigative Journalism and Media Ethics courses for journalists across the board. Currently the director of Mishal Pakistan (a social enterprise) and the founder of non-profit Agahi, under which she launched the Agahi Awards, Pakistan’s first annual journalism awards, Chaudhary is presently also serving as a member of the World Futures Society as a contributing reviewer on the millennium project which unites futurists the world over to improve global foresight.

In an interview with The Diplomat, Chaudhary speaks about the downside of Pakistan’s media industry, media ethics and the state of investigative journalism in the country.

You have more than a decade’s experience as a media professional in Pakistan. From your perspective, has the Pakistani media industry evolved?

Yes it has evolved. However it still has a lot of growing up to do. Recent trends indicate that consumption patterns have switched from linear to non-linear media, where much of the responsibility and the onus of public opinion principally come from the broadcast medium – be it television or radio. But then the question arises: are these information outlets doing a promising job? Unfortunately the struggle is still there. I believe the media can play a progressive role in nation-building, especially when it comes to a nation as young as ours. It can enable governments, corporations and other non-state actors such as the civil society and academia to create an environment that can assist in bridging gaps within the existing socio-economic and political structures.

Do you think a free and fair media exists in Pakistan today?

The media in Pakistan is free, whether or not it is fair, that’s an entirely different debate altogether. How many developing nations does one comes across that gets to see news coverage vehemently criticizing the government, the armed forces, the intelligence agency, the judiciary, etc? In Pakistan, these institutions are not only ridiculed but are also disgraced. Now, is that fair? I suppose not, because not enough research and competence goes into planning content. One can easily judge this by the sheer absence of quality programming one gets to see on a day-to-day basis.

What are our drawbacks?

The industry has yet to become professionally competitive. Our media lacks integration into a broader policy agenda on governance and public sector reform. The role of the media in a country clearly situates it as an actor on the political stage. The media cannot fulfill their democratic roles if they are not embedded in an enabling regulatory environment and a culture of transparency.

As of now the industry benchmarks its performance essentially based on two factors; sensationalism and who breaks the news fastest, neither of which qualifies as credible or even educational. The industry is missing performance-based mechanisms, indicators that observe the credibility and rationality of the content being delivered. These gaps are then exploited by either an extremely incompetent workforce or by other vested interests. The lack of industry-academia linkages is another issue – a common understanding on the relationship is that the collaboration between the two will not only produce quality research but would also contribute towards new information and knowledge building of the collective wisdom of the society. A corporate governance structure that safeguards the interests of various stakeholders in the information ecosystem is missing from within the media industry, which is leading to malpractice and exploitation.

Do you think we have solid investigative journalism being carried out on a local level?

It is well established that local and national journalists are prone to unhelpful sensationalism or single, unsubstantiated narrative. This often is a result of a lack of investment in investigative reporting. Public and institutional awareness of the benefits of investigative journalism creates indigenous demand for quality reporting and accountability of public representatives. Having said that, advertising revenues for both electronic and print are declining; unfortunately this has had a significant impact on human capital development. The Pakistani media industry lacks the capacity to understand and appreciate data, a key factor for quality investigative journalism. The amount of data available in Pakistan has not been properly exploited to create worthy investigative journalism pieces on governance, social injustice, and economic mismanagement.

Please comment on the lack of security provided by the state and media houses for journalists. How many more assassination attempts, murders and threats is it going to take for them to start taking security for media professionals seriously?

“I say protect the innocent. Protect those journalists who are doing their duty and who are serving both the public and the government by criticizing the government freely, independently, honestly which is an education for any government.” – Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the condition of the Press in India in the Imperial Legislative Council, September 19, 1918.

Need I say more? Pakistan is the world’s most dangerous country for the press. More than 90 journalists have been killed since 1947. These figures tell many stories, not all of course related to the buzz around “freedom of press.” Much of it has to do with training, competence, and capacity to operate in volatile areas and destabilizing conditions. Life before any story – a journalist can remain committed to his/her profession if he/she is committed to surviving.

Please comment on media ethics in Pakistan today.

Media organizations in Pakistan, just like elsewhere around the world, are owned by corporate, political and media persons. Different stakeholders in the industry exist to mold the public opinion for their own interests, [at the cost of] the ignorance of [ordinary people], exploiting their basic right to information. The thin line between rating vs. credibility is gradually disappearing. There’s no denying the efforts that have been made to revisit ethical codes of journalism and codes of conducts for journalists have been reframed nationally and internationally. But even [now], an institutionalized mechanism that sets benchmarks and demands quality journalism is still being overlooked and deliberately ignored.

What’s next for Agahi? How does it intend to aid in the evolution of investigative journalism in Pakistan?

Agahi intends to continue training journalists on emerging tools and technology for investigative reporting. Analysis of and synthesizing “big data” is something that is essentially required, since our audiences are no longer confined to traditional boundaries. Agahi will be focusing on data-driven journalism and hopefully, this will improve the quality of investigative reporting in Pakistan.

Sonya Rehman is a journalist based in Lahore, Pakistan. She can be reached at: sonjarehman [at] gmail.com

The Diplomat

The journalists also criticised discontinuation of Geo News at some cable networks despite Supreme Court of Pakistan orders.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists had made a countrywide appeal to observe the black against the imposition of martial law and destruction of democratic institutions on July 5, 1977, by former president General Ziaul Haq.

The journalists condemned black laws against freedom of press and demanded repeal of such laws. They demanded freedom of Press and media and protection of journalists at all levels.

The South Punjab PPP office-bearers Malik Amir Dogar, Khawaja Rizwan Allam, Khurshid Ahmed Khan, traders representative Khalid Qureshi took part in the demonstration.

Senior journalists and former president Multan Press Club Rana Pervez Hamid, Multan Press Club caretaker Raziuddin Razi, Rao Asad, Sajjad Khokhar, Mazhar Khan and Nadeem shah also took a part in the demonstration.

The News

Addressing editors from Sindh at the CPNE Secretariat, he said the threat to senior journalist Imtiaz Alam, the attacks on Express News anchorperson Raza Rumi and Peshawar bureau chief Jamshed Baghwan and the harassment of other editors and journalists were ‘links in the same chain of events’.

The meeting was convened to discuss the increasing number of attacks on the media and the government’s failure to provide security to media persons.

Khattak said the UN and international media organisations have insisted that Pakistan will remain on top of the list of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists unless the persons involved in the attacks on the media are identified and arrested, and special prosecutors are appointed for their speedy trial.

Senior editor Wamiq Zuberi suggested that rather than waiting for any action from the government, journalists should arrange security on their own. Member of the council’s standing committee Aamir Mehmood said the plan of the CPNE Defence and Security Subcommittee is in its final stages.

The meeting was addressed by Hamid Hussain Moosavi, Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Mukhtar Aqil, Tahir Najmi, Nasirdad Baloch, Abdul Khaliq Marshal, Abdul Rahman Mangrio, Kamran Rizvi, Zahida Abbasi, Haseena Jatoi, Durdana Shahab, Sher Muhammad Kharo, Qazi Mustafa Asad Abbasi, Muhammad Taqi Alvi, Waheed jamal and Usman Arab.

Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Wednesday the setting up of a media commission for safety and security of journalists in Pakistan.

“This commission will propose measures to be adopted by the government to protect journalists in the field and to ensure their well being,” an official statement quoting the PM as saying during his meeting with head of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) which further added “this would be a commission comprising of media persons, public figures and government members.”

“I want to make Pakistan a journalist friendly country where not only national but international media community should feel safe, secure and respected” Premier Sharif said.

Sharif said that this commission will also suggest ways and means to effectively monitor the prosecution of crimes against journalists.

CPJ official Mrs. Kati Marton, the widow of late US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, appreciated the government’s resolve towards strengthening democratic institutions.

She appreciated the prime minister’s role in pursuing Wali Khan Babar’s case which resulted in the conviction of his killers and a strong message for the international community about the state of rule of law in Pakistan .

DAWN

ISLAMABAD: Media persons staged a walkout from the Press gallery of the National Assembly on Monday in protest against the killing of three Express News staffers in Karachi. The boycott was jointly announced by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), National Press Club (NPC) and Parliamentary Reporters Association.

NPC President Shehyar Khan, while pointing to fresh threats to the media, asked for the government’s response over the killing of three Express News staffers.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid told the protesting journalists that the government shared their grief and concerns. He added that the prime minister has constituted a committee to look into the matter. The committee would meet on January 31, he added. Representatives of the journalist community would also be invited to the meeting.

However, the minister said there was no quick fix to the problem. “Journalists will remain unsafe even if every single one is provided with a bullet-proof vehicle. This issue cannot be addressed unless all of Pakistan is safe,” he said.

He said there should be consensus on some issues and those in opposition should be labelled ‘from other side’. Rashid said Taliban did not acknowledge democracy and considered it un-Islamic and those who have soft corner for them should be addressed.

“We have to overcome the divide within us as Pakistan is being attacked from within,” he added, ‘we all, including politicians, army and law enforcement agencies were unsafe’.

Express Tribune

Sialkot: The government will take effective measures to provide security to journalists, Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid said on Sunday. He was addressing the media at Badiana, Pasrur. Hamid said that the media shoud promote a softer image of Pakistan. Hamid presented a cheque for Rs. 0.5 Million to the Badiana Press Club.

Express Tribune