Government Advertisements — Influence on Print Media Content: A Content Analysis of the Leading Newspapers of Pakistan

Abstract

Most of the books on Journalism, Mass Communication and Media Studies discuss and elaborate the areas of process and the effects of mass communication. These books deal with the effects of media content on people and society but it is equally important to understand the influences that shape media content. Media, not only influence target audience, but themselves are influenced by a number of factors. It has been found by research that media content is influenced by the personal attitudes and orientations of media workers, professionalism, corporate policies, ownership patterns, the economic environment, advertisers, audiences, ideology and above all, the governments (Shoemaker & Reese, 2004:4). This study investigates the influence of Government on print media content in Pakistan based on its advertising power and being the largest advertiser of the country.

Understandings and practices of freedom of expression and press freedom in Pakistan: ethnography of Karachi journalistic environment

“…Previously, international studies of press freedom dominantly focused on the institutional perspective of journalism and identified a variety of environmental constraints, which affect the journalists' work and press freedom in different contexts (Nixon, 1960(Nixon, , 1965Stein, 1966;Lowenstein, 1970;Kent, 1972;Nam and Oh', 1973;Weaver, 1977Weaver, , 1985Niazi, 1986;Price, 2002;Rozumilowicz, 2002;Jabbar, 1997;Riaz, 2007;Siraj, 2009;Amin, 2010;Popeseu, 2010). However, a very less attention was paid to study the individual journalists' understandings and practices of freedom of expression and press freedom especially in Pakistan (see Siraj, 2009).…”

“…The majority of these past inquiries of press freedom overlooked to investigate the journalists' attitudes towards freedom of expression and press freedom, especially within complex societies like Pakistan. Previously, many scholars studied the affect of environmental constraints on the journalists' work and media freedom in Pakistan (Ali, 1997;Jabbar, 1997;Riaz, 2007;Siraj, 2009;Niazi, 2010). However, there is a dearth of academic research addressing the journalists' understandings and practices of freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.…”

“…freedom emphasised the environmental constraints (Nixon, 1960(Nixon, , 1965Stein, 1966;Lowenstein, 1970;Kent, 1972;Weaver, 1977Weaver, , 1985Ali, 1997;Jabbar, 1997;Price, 2002;Rozumilowicz, 2002;Riaz, 2007;Amin, 2010;Popeseu, 2010). However, a comparatively less emphasis was given to analyse the journalists' personal understandings of freedom of expression and press freedom in pluralistic societies like Pakistan.…”

“…Particularly, the watchdog role of journalists is pragmatically a cliché in authoritarian countries (like Pakistan), where journalists perform their work in a constrained environment. Ostensibly, the major constraint comes from the government (either military or democratic) that wields restrain on media (Niazi, 1986;Jabbar, 1997;Ali, 1997;Riaz, 2007;Siraj, 2009). Nevertheless, the Pakistani journalists do confront political, legal, economic and safety constraints too while performing their work (Freedom House, 2012;…”

“…Over the past several decades, Pakistan's media witnessed the monopoly of state, in terms of ownership and content (see Niazi, 1986;Jabbar, 1997;Riaz, 2007). Consequently, 'protocol journalism' defined the journalism culture of Pakistan several years, when journalists used to engage more in events such as news conferences and news stories used to be the "mouth piece of politicians or state" (see Taylor, 2009, p. 27).…”