Freedom of the press in Pakistan

rdf:langString Freedom of the press in Pakistan

rdf:langString Freedom of the press in Pakistan is legally protected by the law of Pakistan as stated in its constitutional amendments, while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the specified media law, Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 and Code of Conduct Rules 2010. In Pakistan, the code of conduct and ordinance act comprises a set of rules for publishing, distributing and circulating news stories and operating media organizations working independently or running in the country. The law of Pakistan (in media) maintains a hybrid legal system for independent journalism, while it prohibits media bias or misleading information under the certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. The media crime which is described by the country's criminal codes is recognized one of the unlawful act. Nevertheless, freedom of the press in Pakistan is subject to certain restrictions, such as defamation law, a lack of protection for whistleblowers, barriers to information access and constraints caused by public and government hostility to journalists. The press, including print, television, radio, and internet are amended to express their concerns under the selected provisions such as PEMRA Ordinance 2002, Defamation Ordinance 2002, Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1973 and Code of Conduct for Media Broadcasters/Cable TV Operators. The Protection of Journalists Act, 2014 allows a journalist or media industries to cover any story and brought it to the audiences without impacting national security of the country. To protect the intellectual, moral, and fundamental rights of the citizens, the government has taken several countermeasures to combat circulating junk news and restricting objectionable contents across the multiple platforms. The law of Pakistan prohibits spreading or publishing fake news through social or mass media, and could lead to imprisonment of a journalist or newspaper ban. Journalists accuse the military and security agencies of suppressing negative publicity.