Dawn editorial slams government for ad ban over critical reporting

ISLAMABAD—The Federal and Punjab governments have denied advertisements to Dawn newspaper since October last year, the paper said in an editorial titled ‘Ad ban’  on Wednesday.

However, the paper said it would not abandon principled journalism as “its duty first and foremost, is to maintain journalistic integrity.”

In its ‘Islamabad Declaration’, this fact was made public by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, saying military and civilian dispensations have deployed government ads to “promote their own ‘fake’ news’”.

According to the editorial, the ads have been denied “because of its professional and critical approach in reporting and editorials.” It regretted that the “current regime’s attempt to punish the paper has taken a different form, but its aim is the same: to apply pressure tactics to gain compliance.”

The editorial maintained that silencing criticism is no solution. “Unsurprisingly, weak rulers have always struggled to grasp this simple truth. In era after era, we have seen dictators attempt to control the press—to cajole, bribe, or browbeat newspapers and journalists into submitting to those they were meant to hold to account.”

It said from time to time, the Sindh government also “withheld its ads for arbitrary reasons.”

The paper recalled the Dawn Leaks scandal, saying the authorities had tried to obstruct fair reporting. “After the so-called ‘Dawn Leaks’, the paper’s circulation was blocked in large parts of the country, especially the cantonment areas, on the orders of certain individuals. Gen Qamar Bajwa later reportedly stated that the crisis had been created so his predecessor could secure an extension.”

Source: Dawn/Journalism Pakistan