ROLE OF MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA MEDIA CENSORSHIPIN PAKISTAN

Role of Media
and Social
Media
Media Censorship in
Pakistan

Anam Naveed | 190737

Ureeba Rashid | 190713

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Contents
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................2
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA/ MASS MEDIA?....................................................................................................2
INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIETY................................................................................................6
Social Media Backlash..............................................................................................................................7
SIGNIFICANCE OF MEDIA/SOCIAL MEDIA ON PAKISTANI SOCIETY............................................................8
EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PAKITSAN........................................................................................9
FREEDOM OF SPEECH...............................................................................................................................10
THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND ETHICAL CONFLICTS.....................................................................................12
Examples from different Media Platforms.............................................................................................12
 Broadcast Media........................................................................................................................12
 Entertainment Media................................................................................................................13
 Social Media...............................................................................................................................14
CENSORSHIP AND THE REGULATORY BODY ...........................................................................................15
PEMRA .......................................................................................................................................16
Censorship activities by PEMRA.............................................................................................................17
PEMRA and Freedom of Speech/Expression..........................................................................................18
Social Media- to the rescue!..............................................................................................................18
Media Industry under different leaders .............................................................................................19
 General Zia-Ul-Haq to have coverage in the country. .................................................................19
 Benazir Bhutto...............................................................................................................................20
 General Pervez Musharraf ...........................................................................................................20
ROLE OF MEDIA TODAY............................................................................................................................20
Analysis over its impact.........................................................................................................................21
MEDIA INDUSTRY AND CSR......................................................................................................................21
Marketing..............................................................................................................................................22
REFLECTION...............................................................................................................................................26

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Abstract
This report is aimed to have an insight on the Media Industry in Pakistan. Here we will look into
how Social Media has emerged as the most effective media platform and the impact of the
industry as a whole on Pakistani Society.
Furthermore, the research will cover how Media and social media have been granted freedom of
speech but still have to bear challenges in many domains. Whether it be Ethical clashes or the
censorship culture. For more understanding, we have studied about the role of Regulatory Bodies
like PEMRA; which can at times act as hurdles for the Media Industry. We have developed a
clear through over the dilemmas through various examples that take place now and then.

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WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA/ MASS MEDIA?

Social media is a platform designed to allow people to create and share content efficiently
comprising of a wide range of apps and websites like Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Whatsapp
and Instagram mainly. Social media is an internet communication that can be accessed through
smart phones and computers. The easy sharing of content and engagement with activities
happening around the globe, social media has completely changed the way we live. In simpler
times, the resources for social media were limited like communication and flow of information
through newspapers, television and radio etc. These means were not effective enough and with
time this communication took a form of social media that is an efficient platform.

Social media may take the form of a variety of tech-enabled activities. These activities include
photo sharing, blogging, social gaming, social networks, video sharing, business networks,
virtual worlds, reviews, and much more. Even governments and politicians utilize social media
to engage with constituents and voters. Social media has changed the way that we all interact
with each other online. It has given us the power to discover almost everything happening in the
world in real time, to connecting with each other and staying in touch with long distance friends
and having an access to endless amounts of information at your fingertips. In many ways, social
media has helped many individuals find common ground with others online and has made the
world seem more approachable.  People also use various social media applications for
networking and finding career opportunities, connecting with people across the globe with
similar interests and share their own thoughts, feelings, and insights online.

Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary means
of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most common

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platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The
general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding political
issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture. Due to the strong position of the
Media Industry, it has a strong influence over the masses. The narrative Media is going to
showcase, that perception will be embedded in the minds of the audience. This is at many
occasions, very misleading and unjust. For example, during the regime of Ex PM Shareef, news
channels like Geo news were Pro-Government, due to this they gave judgments and information
only in favor of the government. Hence at many times, stating biased opinions and deceiving the
public. Another example of media creating a certain perspective in the mind of public can be
seen in the recent hit TV serial “MERAY PAAS TUM HO” written by Khalil-Ur-Rehman, a
famous Pakistani writer who is also well-known for his misogynistic behavior on random talk
shows and on other platforms. While this show was a source of entertainment for the audience, it
also acted as a rollercoaster ride in forming opinion about women as “gold diggers” and quoting
a woman in his script as “Do takkay ki aurat” portraying a negative image and disrespect about a
specific gender using absurd language and unethical opinions. After the serial got attention,
massive memes and mocking towards women could be seen throughout the social media where a
lot of men were seen appreciating Khalil-Ul-Rehman’s misogyny and disrespect towards women.
Such shows provoke gender discrimination and hate among society. Thus depicting the might of
media & social media.

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Social Media also has a strong grip when it comes to having some kind of influence. Social
media influencers are the ones creating and changing trends in Pakistan. The public dedicatedly
follow influencers and want to wear like them, eat what they suggest, buy products that they
market for. It most definitely has a firm grip over the minds and actions. In addition, social
media has been vested with the power of brining everything in front of the common man. For
example, in the case of Cannoli Restaurant when the two owners belittled and insulted their
manager over poor English, the video of this incident went viral and grabbed attention. The
owners were resented and a very bad goodwill for the brand resulted for them. Hence, the might
of Social Media cannot be underrated. Although there are other means of media but social media
is leading in creating an effective and efficient impact and hence is the mainstream media of
current times.

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIETY

The pace of change is increasing with time. The development of mobile technology has played a
vital role in shaping the impact of social media. As a mean to connect everywhere, at any time
mobile phones dominate role in creating an influence as they are an easy access. Without social
media, social, ethical, environmental, and political ills would have minimal visibility. Increased
visibility of issues has shifted the balance of power from the hands of a few to the masses. The
impact created on the society by social media is irreplaceable as it creates a quick and effective
influence on the mind of people. The engagement on social media is rapid and has proven to
reach to unexpected levels. Every single person can create an influence by a simple like, share or
a retweet can create a big difference as the impact grows stronger with every person adding his

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part in creating an overall impact.

People these days are very vocal about their opinions and these opinions collectively become a
voice that creates an impact on a society. Any act of negligence, indecency, illegal means and
injustice cannot be tolerated as people have more awareness about right and wrong and they do
not stick to the opinions created by the higher authorities rather they have their own judgment
because of which people cannot get away with their wrong deeds. Now it depends on the
respective parties (organizations and people) if they create a fruitful outcome out of this platform
or they ruin their image with their choices. Social media users have the privilege of educating
themselves with information available on social media, so they cannot be manipulated. The
Influence of Social media is being used in ways that shape politics, business, world culture,
education, careers, innovation, and more. These factors have caused social networks to evolve
from being a handy means for keeping in touch with friends and family to being used in ways
that have a real impact on society.

Social Media Backlash

The outgrowth of influence created by social media experts, celebrities and other high profile
social media personalities has proven to be good for our society. For better or worse, the internet
and social media have significantly amplified humanity’s means of public shaming, taking
victims from the town square to a global network of connected screens. “The internet now allows
hundreds or thousands of people to participate in collective shaming, in a way that wasn’t
possible before,” says Takuya Sawaoka, a social psychologist and research director at
OpenMind, a psychology-based educational platform. Some call it cancel culture; others
embrace it as a social reckoning. Whatever you call this new wave of public shaming,
researchers are evaluating whether the ancient emotion is benefiting or harming humans today.

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The results may hold some keys to our collective future. The association between SNS and
family relationship is also an area which has been researched widely across the globe. In this
regards a growing concern related with SNS has been reported to be the increasing change in the
behavior and interests of people towards their relatives. There was a time when people around
the world were conscious about relationships, family matters and their friends circle but the
scenario has changed in the recent past. People who used to give plenty of time to their families
and their social circle spent hours and hours on surfing internet or other futile activities. It has
been argued that because of this plenty of families are now lacking the close emotional pledges
that build when they have close social contact.

The social media rage has proven to be beneficial too because of the culture of calling out and
condemning the wrong. It has created an acknowledgment of one’s action. Holding one
accountable has created more responsibility among society to be careful about their particular
actions in general. Some of which are stated like, The world's biggest arms
manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, asked its followers in August to share a photo of one of its
products for #WorldPhotoDay, prompting a backlash on Twitter. Amid the heated conversations
about gun control, users responded by showing their awareness of violence happening around the
world. For instance, one user posted a photo of a fragment of a bomb used to destroy a school in
Yemen. Lockheed had to delete is tweet within two hours.

Thus, social media influence is real and can be seen worldwide.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MEDIA/SOCIAL MEDIA ON PAKISTANI SOCIETY

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic
literature across the globe. The current research was conducted to explore the effects of social
media on youth in contemporary Pakistan especially focusing on the change in family relations.
Under the paradigm of quantitative research methodology the researchers used survey method to
collect data. Data was collected through structured questionnaire from 175 Masters level students
from the International Islamic University Islamabad who were excessively using SNS. The
respondents were selected by using Random sampling technique and stratified sampling
technique. The findings show that the majority (94%) of the respondents acknowledged that
excessive use of social media affects family relationships negatively. They reported to have
experienced being isolated and alienated from relatives, friends and from themselves. This in
turn was reported to lead to introvert personalities. In the light of the findings it can be concluded
that the use of SNS among youth is reducing the bonding of the youth with their family and is
changing the value system. On the other hand, the youth and social media both have proven to be
effective on raising voice regarding various matters that used to be suppressed in the past like
racism, harassment, gender discrimination, rights of minorities, politics, education and what not.
In Pakistan, twitter trends and content going viral on various platforms has helped in increasing
the efficiency in actions of Government and higher authorities. Like recently Pakistani rage on

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Palestinian genocide caused it to go on trending for a long time which gained the attention of
higher authorities and the PM Imran Khan took a stronger stance in the support of Palestine. In
his address, the premier said that during his time spent in the West, he had never seen such
criticism of the Israeli army for its atrocities against Palestinians from Western media,
newspapers and politicians. "Instead they all [thought] as if injustice was being done against
Israel but this is the first time that voices have started rising from there," he said, adding that now
Western newspapers, media and politicians were criticizing Israel. "I never thought that they
would criticize Israel in America or Western countries.” A big reason for this change in public
opinion is social media. Even if the mainstream media stops or censors any report, social media
is such a force that no one can stop news or communication.” Speaking about the protests being
carried out in support of Palestine on Palestine Solidarity Day, he said he was very "happy" to
see how the nation had come out in support of the cause and highlighted and condemned the
injustices in Palestine. "I want to pay tribute to you all," said the prime minister. He added that
Pakistan had supported and stood with Palestinians on every forum. He mentioned how he had
been in Medina when he first got to know of the attacks by Israeli police on worshippers in Al
Aqsa on the 27th of Ramadan and the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes by
settlers.

EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PAKITSAN

The excessive use of SNS in turn has been reported to affect the performance of individuals in
real life. The new generation of kids and teens are growing up with social media as an integral
part of their lives. It is changing how they interact with peers, parents and how they use
technology.

Public moral outrage is not always aimed at reforming a specific offender. The goal might be
solidarity with a victim, group or cause, and shifting cultural values in anyone witnessing the
outrage. This outrage has proven to be effective in holding people accountable for their actions
as being a social media user we all can witness various incidents that got hype on social media
and were resolved by the higher authorities.

Apart from social media, mainstream media television, printing media and radio also play their
role as mobile phones are still not in available readily in backward areas of Pakistan. Mass media
and social media both have proven to portray their opinion to their audience as they have the
power to manipulate their motive. Sometimes media has set aside its boundaries a lot of times
though. It depends on the viewers too because they have their own judgment of right and wrong
according to their own knowledge but sometimes the ones who lack knowledge about a specific
matter can be manipulated by what media decides to show them. The better way is not to be
blind and deaf by following everything you see or hear on social media rather it is wise to get

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your facts straight before forming opinion on any subject and then act accordingly. Media also
has a duty to spread rightful information that can be of a good cause for the society.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH
It is evident that social media has given its users a freedom of speech which has let every
individual express his own opinion regarding any subject but this freedom of speech sometimes
take form of online bullying, false accusations and hateful speech that is a drawback and
overshadows the benefit that can be caused by this freedom of speech. More and more authority
given to media has proven to be helpful in creating awareness in a society but at the same time
this power enables media to create unnecessary conflicts among a society that has a negative
impact.

While international human rights law requires states to prohibit the most severe forms of “hate
speech”, censorship is rarely an effective means of tackling its root-causes. Broadly framed hate
speech laws are also frequently misused to target opposing political views, narratives and
dissenting expression. Governments should engage in a range of law and policy measures to
counter hate speech with more speech, seeking to maximize inclusivity, diversity and pluralism
in public discourse. That means clearly defining the circumstances in which certain types of hate
speech can or must be limited, and ensuring those measures are only used exceptionally, and as a
last resort. Hate speech covers many forms of expressions which spread, incite, promote or
justify hatred, violence and discrimination against a person or community on the basis of
religion, race, nationality, ethnicity and gender. If left unaddressed, it can lead to violence and
conflict on a wider scale. In this sense, hate speech is an extreme form of intolerance which
contributes to hate crime. This free speech and freedom of expression is under attack throughout
the world. Governments around the world, whether democratic or authoritarian, have been
imposing direct and indirect restrictions on free speech and freedom of expression. Governments
are intervening directly to criminalize dissent through regulations and new laws. Indirect
censorship has been imposed through the social media giants – Facebook, Twitter, Google and
YouTube. Governments have been putting pressure on these social media giants to censor
content on grounds of national security. Both governments and the board of directors of these
corporations now decide what is good or harmful for us.

It took governments little time to realize the potential power of social media to challenge state-
imposed ideologies and narratives. So they started to impose censorship and regulations to
control it. Governments are also using the same social media platforms and tools to intimidate,
monitor and identify those activists that pose a challenge to them. The PTI government seems to
want to impose more regulations and censorship on social media. There already exists self-
censorship on electronic and print media. The stated reason for regulating social media is to
control the hate speech on social media. The PTI government also wants bring the social, digital,
print and electronic media under the proposed Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority to better

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control, monitor and regulate all forms of media. No proper discussion and public debate has
taken place on this proposed new media regulatory authority. Media organizations and journalist
bodies have already raised serious concerns and objections on the proposed regulatory authority.
The government should not take a unilateral decision on this issue. There needs to be proper
debate and discussion both inside and outside parliament before such new authority is
promulgated. The government says it is preparing to launch a crackdown against hate speech on
social media. There are concerns and worries about this planned crackdown, which should not be
used to repress dissent or dominate the political narrative. There is no doubt that Pakistan needs
measures to address the menace of hate speech. But any restrictions on hate speech should not be
misused to silence critical voices and suppress criticism of government policies.

THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND ETHICAL CONFLICTS

Media is considered as the eyes and ears of a society and it is considered as a pillar of the state.
Ethical dilemmas ordinarily arise whenever the media/social media/print media is concerned.
Practising Business Ethics means strictly abiding by its variables; which include honesty,
morality, principle, integrity, responsibility, fairness, behaviour and so on. It is unfortunate to
observe that in Pakistan, most cases from the media industry are put forward on the basis of
violations of these very ethical features. Until 2002, the only television channels that operated in
Pakistan were the state-run PTV with a couple of its specialized news and entertainment
subsidiaries. Media in Pakistan purposely followed the ethical lines to disseminate the credible
information which caused to the gradual rise in the maturity in the attitude of the people towards
politics and the social responsibility. However, the last decade has witnessed a great shift in the
media policy of the government due to opening of a lot of private television channels. All of this
contributed into “freedom” of speech and expression which in turn has been found guilty of
violating ethical dimensions in Pakistan.

Examples from different Media Platforms

Broadcast Media
Big news broadcasting channels in Pakistan like GEO, Dunya, Samaa and others are
involved in a mad race of the “breaking news syndrome” in order to gain the viewers and
popularity, instead of focusing on delivery authentic information to the masses. For
example, Geo news had aired a false information about Pakistan’s ambassador to the US,
Jalil Abbas Jilani. The news channel had reported that the White House had reprimanded
Pakistan’s Ambassador for the country for tweeting pictures with the first lady, Michelle
Obama, without official consent. With this unverified and risky report, GEO news were
issued with a show cause notice and heavily fined. Such irresponsible reporting not only
deceive masses but puts Pakistan’s good will and image in jeopardy, in front of the
international community. Geo news was alleged to have been accepting bribes from the

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government during the tenure of Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. They were believed to
have been show casing biased reports and only pro PML-N content. Geo news as a result
experienced a bad goodwill generation for itself and public outburst on various occasions.
Hence violating Business ethics through lack of integrity, responsibility, morality and

fairness.

Entertainment Media
In Pakistan, religion and culture are very sensitive subjects. Ethics are closely tied to
religion and culture. Anything which goes against the two are not accepted by the society.
For example, Gala Biscuit by LU aired an ad which consisted of a dance performance. It

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was banned for being indecent and the allegation was that it goes against our culture.

Similarly, ARY’s popular drama series ‘Jalan’ was also banned as it was said the series
was unethical and would pollute minds of the youth. Ads about contraceptives have also
been banned on the account of going against the religious and ethical value.

There are hundreds of such cases that go about on a regular basis in the media industry.
The ethical clashes with the media surely does make it a tough row to hoe. Production
houses and media channels have a very challenging task on bringing up outlines that
would not lead to any sort of ethical violations.

Social Media
Social media- The queen is the industry as many people like to say is no less than a
victim of these challenges. Social media influencers, particularly on Instagram have to
bear with a lot of backlash and criticism as described earlier in this report. Many are often
labelled for spreading unethical ideas and setting unethical precedents through clothing,
lifestyles and believes which go against the Pakistani culture. For example, an influencer
who goes by the handle ‘anooshaesays’ was criticised for her dressing, she was given
disrespectful titles and her followers rapidly decreased. In the same way, strong
resentment was expressed towards the Instagram queen Hania Amir, who shared an
inappropriate video with a friend. It was deemed unethical by the masses and she became
the hot news for denunciation.

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Just like any other media platform, freedom of speech and expression has given a lot of
power to undeserving personnel. For example, recently, a Youtuber who goes by the
name Muhammad Ali had been arrested for making unethical videos for his youtube
channel. Ali’s content comprised of him harassing women in public and portraying it in a
comic way-all for views. He was rightfully arrested and held by the police shortly. For
success and good reputation, people must focus on opting for ways which are ethically
accepted. This would not only help the profits be long lasting for an influencer/media
house/news channel but they will be generating a positive goodwill.

CENSORSHIP AND THE REGULATORY BODY

Media and Social Media has been experiencing its fair set of challenges in Pakistan.
Noncompliance of contents with Ethical/Business Ethical values has always contributed to
this predicament. These dilemmas lead to the content being restricted, prohibited and in other
words ‘censored’. As was talked about above, various ads, News channels and every non
ethical content/subject gets banned in the country. The Pakistani Constitution does not
encourage Censorship but allows "reasonable restrictions in the interests of the sovereignty
and integrity of Pakistan or public order or morality".
But the question arises, who makes that decision? And who regulates such activities of
censorships? The answer to this question is Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
(PEMRA). Whenever discussing the scope, laws, facilitation, boundaries and ethics for
Media/Social Media in Pakistan, PEMRA is a very indispensable topic to look into.

PEMRA
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was established in 2002 (under the
PEMRA ordinance) to cater for the broadcasting of fine content which meets with the ethical
and moral/social norms of Pakistan. PEMRA was directed to regulate the private electronic
media in Pakistan (but not social media), as well as improve the standard of contents being
produced, information being shared and assist the technological advancement as well as the
entertainment fields of the Media Industry.
PEMRA has the mandate to decide what can be broadcasted what cannot be, regulates the
distribution of foreign content/channels in Pakistan and has the authority to give licenses and
also cancel them if needed. PEMRA has the whole the right to carry out censorship activities
whenever its board members decide that it is needed. PEMRA has the power to put heavy
fines on media houses/news channels who air disrespectful content regarding the head of the
state, important military personnel, or hurt religious sentiments of the masses.
PEMRA wants to monitor the media and prevent the sharing of news, shows, contents which
could cause instability, uprisings, conflicts, disputes, immorality in the country.

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Apart from all these monitory actions, PEMRA’s goal is to expand and improve the Media
Industry by introducing a vast array of choices and contents for current affairs, entertainment,
science, technology, economical education & development, drama & culture, and much
more.

Censorship activities by PEMRA

PEMRA has censored and banned broadcasting of various ads, shows, interviews whenever it
was a threat to the religious, social or ethical norms. For example, the protests that were held
by the Pakista Tehreek e Labaiq (TLP) were censored across the country on media channels.
As the TLP went against the ethical considerations of integrity, loyalty, morality and
responsibility. TLP was trying to make an uprising in the country to overthrow the
government. Hence, no news channel or print media was allowed to do coverage of its
protest. Similarly, Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s dissonant speeches were also censored which had
anti-government elements all along.

Moreover, a senior Journalist, Hamid Mir was heavily fined by PEMRA and his show was
banned due to his contemptuous statements regarding the military and important military
personnel of Pakistan. He violated the ethical benchmarks and thus PEMRA had to take
action.

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There are numerous examples of PEMRA censoring episodes of TV shows which include
immorality, in some cases banning the entire show. PEMRA makes sure not to let any media
house air false content about the government and thus prevents the sharing of anti-
government elements as well.

PEMRA and Freedom of Speech/Expression

Even though PEMRA is doing right towards the government i.e its shareholder, there are
different opinions when it comes to its impact on the media.
The media surely perceives censorship by PEMRA as a restriction on freedom of speech. For
example, a popular Pakistani Celebrity, Hamza Ali Abbasi was banned by PEMRA from hosting
a Ramadan Transmission because he questioned about the negligence of Ahmadi rights. From
the media’s perspective, it was unjust as the host was having a constructive argument/discussion
and was enjoying his freedom of thought and expression. However, for PEMRA, it was
threatening because of the crisis of sectarian conflicts in Pakistan so they did not feel
comfortable with airing such topics. Hence the live broadcast was censored and the host was
banned.
The heinous incident of the Motorway Rape Case was also censored from coverage on news
channels to protect the sanctity of the victim and her family. But banning such content would do
no good, such crimes should be aired to revel the culprits and gain public pressure on authorities
for stern and rapid actions. Here, PEMRA lacked the ethical values of responsibility and
reliability in my personal opinion.

Social Media- to the rescue!

Due to PEMRA’s vast influence and control over the media industry in Pakistan,
people/celebrities/TV personalities find it difficult to send their messages across the boundary to
the audiences. From my own outlook, such limitation have led people to find solace in the abode
of Social Media. Social Media is a ‘free’ platform in Pakistan where PEMRA or any prominent
regulatory authority cannot carry out censorship activities. Because of this facilitation, the trend
of Instagram influencers, celebrities, Podcasts, talk shows and many other
informative/entertaining platforms is on its peak in the country. Digital Marketing has become
even easier through social media. What cannot be expressed on TV is expressed on social media
along with constructive criticisms.

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MEDIA INDUSTRY UNDER DIFFERENT LEADERS

Pakistani Media Industry has experienced different setbacks and different benefits under
different leaders. Over here, some of the leaders who had a major impact on the Media Industry
will be discussed.
 General Zia-Ul-Haq
With his martial law imposition, Zia-Ul-Haq wanted the press and media to act like
puppets and only give coverage to governmental activities and figures. In 1977, Zia
banned the Daily Masawaat-a newspaper in an attempt of repressing Journalists. When
Journalists held strikes and fought for their rights, many were imprisoned, some were
inflicted with punishments of the lashes and flogging. Editors and Media Houses had to
submit their contents to the government censor’s for approval before broadcasting in on
TV and print media. No political activity was allowed to have coverage in the country.

Entertainment Media suffered the worst set back, the only TV channel was PTV and the
government had full right to censor any content they wanted. It was very hard to satisfy
the censors for directors and producers. Producing a film was a very hard task. There
were a lot of hurdles like coming in front of a committee for approval, submitting heavy
amounts, getting clearance and then making it in line with Zia’s ethical standards.
Pakistani Media Industry was declining.
 Benazir Bhutto
In 1988 when Benazir Bhutto became the Prime Minister, she gave some sort of freedom
to the media to carry out its role in the society. She established the People’s Television
Network in an act to break the domination of PTV; the network then sold some of its
broadcasting time to a private company the Network Television Marketing (NTM) which
cam up with many entertainment, religious and cultural shows. Directors were able to
produce dramas with songs and a lot of fun content in freedom. In order to cater for
freedom of expression for the media, the government came up with the decision to
telecast recorded versions of Question Hours in Parliament on radio and TV where
journalists could ask any question they wanted.

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 General Pervez Musharraf

It is interesting to note that freedom of Electronic and Print Media came in Pakistan
during the regime of a dictator- Pervez Musharraf. In the 2000s, he introduced the cable
system in the country through which citizens enjoyed many channels on TV. Musharraf
was the one who initiated the operations of private TV channels for news and
entertainment. Many acknowledgeable TV channels like Aaj, ARY, HUM etc came into
life due to his efforts. As a result, the Pakistani Media today is the most liberal and active
media of the Muslim World. The media industry has been enjoying freedom of
expression ever since.

ROLE OF MEDIA TODAY

Pakistani Media relishes freedom of expression and speech to an evidently fine extent. In modern
day Pakistan, there are more than 30 private channels, and more than a hundred political talk
shows. Journalists are allowed to conduct any sort of interviews with question of their choices.
The Entertainment channels are creating numerous drama serials of top ratings. Many HUM TV
dramas are dubbed in Turkish and Arabic, thus airing outside of the country as well. Pakistani
Talk shows have a good number of rating on YouTube and other Social Media sites.
Social Media in the country is thriving strongly as anything. So many talented journalists and
actors make their recognition through social media.

Analysis over its impact

Because of the strong position of the Media Industry, it has a strong influence over the masses.
Whichever narrative the Media is going to showcase, that perception will be embedded in the
minds of the audience. This is at many occasions, very misleading and unjust.

Social Media also has a strong grip when it comes to having some kind of influence. Social
media influencers are the ones creating and changing trends in Pakistan. The public dedicatedly
follow influencers and want to wear like them, eat what they suggest, buy products that they

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market for. For example, in the case of Cannoli Restaurant and the case of the arrested Youtuber
would’ve never reached the public if it weren’t for social media. There are many such cases that
happen every day. Hence, the might of Social Media cannot be underrated.

MEDIA INDUSTRY AND CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is doing the greater good for the society other than profit
generation. CSR activities are very important for any organization.
Media and CSR are closely linked in the present timeframe. As media is the most effective way
of communicating with the public, businesses depend on media to get their messages across. For
example, ads are a typical way of marketing and practising CSR. Like the new social media
application ‘Snack Video’ which started a collaboration with Eidhi foundation for charity. They
went ahead with airing ads which made people get awareness about the initiative. Likewise,
Molty Foam made ads as well for educating the public about their program for breast cancer
awareness with Pink Ribbon.
Social media also has a stellar role to play in this aspect. Putting up posts and stories on
Instagram, Facebook and ads on Youtube is the easiest way to tell audiences about your
activities. Moreover, social media influencers are always sought to communicate about CSR
activities and marketing of brands. For example, the Instagram celebrity Waliya Najeeb had
become an advocate to tell the general public about Sapphire’s biodegradable bags on social
media. Pepsi’s litre of light was hyped up in every way by the brand on twitter, facebook,
Instagram and linkedin.

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Marketing
Just like CSR, digital marketing now heavily relies about TV commercials and social media.
Whether it be a clothing brand, a restaurant, a bank, any sorty of business, they seek the media
industry to market their products. Some examples can be Pantene who are said to be spending
the most money on TV commercials, Pakistan Super League who market about the tournament
through media platforms, Habib Bank who introduce new schemes for their customers through
Ads and there are numerous more examples.

Social Media profile of any business is a very crucial trait, social media is by what brands are
judged these days. Hiring social media managers has become a common trend now,
professionals are needed to keep up with social media glamour and competition. Influencers are
always reached out to market their brands in their posts, they are made brand ambassadors to win
more customer base. For example, an influencer who goes by the name Dananeer got very
popular due to a viral video. And so the owner of Peshawar Zalmi reached out to her and
appointed her as a brand ambassador.

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REFLECTION
From this report, it is obvious that the Media and Social Media Industry is a spectacle which has
a major impact on the Pakistani Society. Both the Social Media and the Media industry as a
whole has created a strong foundation base in the country; as a result it has been successful in
becoming the point of reliance for others. Whether it be businesses trying to market their
product/digital marketing, political parties/organizations trying to change perception of the
general masses, carry out CSR activities, spread any kind of awareness, educate the public and so
many other fields exist which can be covered through social media/media. However, we
observed that in Pakistan, even though the Media industry enjoys freedom, there are many
constraints like the censorship dilemmas and regulatory bodies which can act as hurdles. In
Pakistan, social media is the superior route to make a difference and act effectively since there is
no restriction when it comes to social media. Even though platforms like ‘Cyber Bullying Portal’
does exist, but due to lack of implementation and the culture of bribery, these bodies are
inoperable.
To conclude, Pakistani Media Industry, whether it be Entertainment Media, News Media or
Social Media, it has suffered its fair set of hardships. But the media, since the 2000s has
continued to thrive and practice freedom in the areas of journalism, speech, opinions, film
productions and much more to come in the future.

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