The punishment for being a journalist

Pakistan has witnessed over 150 killings of journalists in the past 25 years, but that is hardly something that has ever bothered our successive governments. A report – ‘Crime and Punishment in Pakistan’s Journalism – Impunity Report 2024’ – by Adnan Rehmat for the Freedom Network is an eye-opening document.

The report has analysed the killings of 151 journalists in Pakistan in the 21st century and also highlighted the most dangerous places to practise journalism in the country. That none of the killers has received due punishment displays a high level of impunity as courts have mostly failed to rescue journalists. The report uses the Pakistan Impunity Index and a digital map of Pakistani journalists killed to delineate a clear picture of the malaise. For the uninitiated, Freedom Network is an Islamabad-based independent media and development sector research, advocacy, and training organisation that has been working for over a decade now.

The report covers the period from January 2000 to August 2024, and with verified data puts the number of journalists killed in that period at 151. The analysis does not include the several other journalists and media practitioners who lost their lives in incidents not related to their work; it includes cases of deaths and murders that have something to do with their journalism work. Freedom Network has taken into account media reports and verified them by other sources. In the 296 months from 2000 to 2024, every month one journalist on average lost their life in attacks that had something to do with their work.

In Pakistan, such attacks claimed at least 12 journalists’ lives every year on average in the 21st century. It is noteworthy that at least three women journalists also lost their lives in such attacks. Though 98 per cent of the journalists killed were men, the targeting of women journalists even if they are just two per cent of the total shows an alarming trend in the country’s media landscape. Since the figure includes journalists and ‘other media professionals’ (OMPs), it again draws our attention to the fact that 125 or 83 per cent of those murdered were journalists and 26 were OMPs.

The print media appears to be the primary target of such killings as 81 of the 125 journalists killed worked for print media whereas 42 worked for TV channels and two for digital media outlets. This shows that print media journalists still carry greater heft in terms of their journalistic impact on society or on the powers that be. Despite the rapid growth of digital and electronic media, print journalism has not yet lost its influence. Digital and electronic media have yet to overtake print journalism in terms of how it affects and irks the authorities and powerful quarters in society.

The report is even more informative when it goes into the details of the most vulnerable segment of journalism. The designation and roles that journalists enjoyed and performed show us that over 80 per cent (102) of those who became targets of attacks and lost their lives were reporters, whereas eight were correspondents and four each were bureau chiefs and sub-editors. Two editors, one anchor person and one chief editor also lost their lives in such attacks. The killers did not even spare press club officials and columnists as one each lost their life. Finally, one resident editor also became a target of such killing.

The overwhelming number of reporters who lost their lives highlights that investigative reports that highlight some corruption or wrongdoing on the part of the powerful are perhaps the main cause of the ire of the attackers. This is one reason investigative journalism is dying a slow death in our society or perhaps has already stopped breathing; we hardly see any new or ground-breaking reports that were once the hallmark of good journalism. Bureau chiefs and editors are perhaps targeted for their audacity to allow or initiate such investigative reports that tend to expose corruption or other criminal activities.

Among other media professionals of the 26 killed, cameramen were the most vulnerable as 13 or 50 per cent of all OMPs killed belonged to this category of their profession. In addition, six bloggers or vloggers also lost their lives as they tend to do journalism that highlights citizens’ issues. As blogging and vlogging are increasingly gaining momentum in terms of their readership and viewership, this segment is also becoming a target of such attacks that result in casualties and fatalities. If the trend continues, there may be an unfortunate surge in such attacks on bloggers and vloggers.

The deadliest regions for killed journalists and other media professionals include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh where 46 and 42 journalists lost their lives in attacks respectively. It shows that nearly one-third of all killings in the country took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. Balochistan occupies an unenviable third place in terms of being most dangerous for journalists with 31 murders of journalists, while Punjab comes fourth with 27. While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have been the deadliest places for journalists and OMPs in Pakistan, over half of all journalists killed were in these two provinces.

If you look at the deadliest cities, Karachi happens to be the worst with 16 journalists killed in the past 25 years making it slightly over 10 per cent of all murders. Quetta and Khairpur are the second and third deadliest cities in the country with 12 and six killings respectively. At least five journalists and OMPs lost their lives in attacks in each of the following cities: Islamabad, Khuzdar, Lahore, Peshawar, and Swat. Four lost their lives in Charsadda and three each in Badin, Rawalpindi, and Turbat.

Two killings each took place in Bajaur, Hub, Hyderabad, Kalat, Khanewal, Larkana, Lasbela, Malakand, Mandi Bahauddin, Mardan, Mianwali, Mohmand, Naushero Feroz, North Waziristan, Sialkot, Sukkur, and Wana. These widespread killings display an insecurity present in nearly all parts of the country be it in any province. The modes of murders and deaths are also diverse across the country as 84 per cent of the total murders were the result of direct target killings that is shooting to death, while 16 per cent lost their lives in other kinds of attacks such as torture to death or beheadings.

One journalist was trampled under a truck and one was killed in a crossfire. If you look at the period from November 2023 to August 2024, at least 57 cases of attacks and violations against media and its practitioners took place in Pakistan. It shows a continuing trend of targeting journalists and OMPs including women journalists and those working for digital media.

The findings by Freedom Network reveal that, despite a change in government, hostility against the media has remained a constant feature throughout that period. No government has made serious efforts to make the media environment safe for journalists.

In 2023-24, Sindh emerged as the most dangerous region for media practitioners with 37 per cent of the violations in the country (21 out of a total of 57 cases). In this period, the medium of TV journalism emerged as the single largest victim with at least 30 of the reported cases. Print media was the second with 20 media practitioners working for it targeted. Women journalists were targeted in at least five of the total 57 violations against journalists in the period under review. The report is also impressive in that it gives the names of all 151 journalists killed in the past 25 years in Pakistan.

So far, this is the most comprehensive report about attacks on media in Pakistan. Freedom Network deserves commendations for their hard work, especially Adnan Rehmat who penned the report with his team comprising Faiza Hassan, Iqbal Khattak, Waqas Naeem, and Farhan Jawaid.

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He tweets/posts @NaazirMahmood and can be reached at: mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk