Pakistani journalism: at the crossroads of Muslim identity, national priorities and journalistic culture

Abstract

A loosening of controls on the Pakistani media in recent years has meant the influence of Pakistani journalists is increasingly being felt in country’s tumultuous internal politics and its relations with the West. That has sparked a backlash, which has made Pakistan among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Given the country’s key strategic role, both in terms of South Asian regional geo-politics and in the broader global struggle against radical Islamist militancy, it is important to better understand the evolution of media culture in Pakistani society. A nationwide survey, replicating recent studies of Arab and Indonesian journalists, found that nationalism, religious identity and a growing sense of professionalism shape the worldview of Pakistani journalists, whose overarching goals include defending national sovereignty and facilitating societal development.

Journalistic Roles and the Struggle Over Institutional Identity: The Discursive Constitution of Journalism

“…In addition, a growing number of studies looked specifically at journalists' roles beyond the Western world. In a series of surveys, Pintak (; Pintak & Nazir, ), for instance, studied journalists in the Arab and Islamic world, finding them to serve their audiences in the capacity of an agent of change. Other studies have identified journalistic traits that correspond to the idea of “development journalism” in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and Nigeria (Edeani, ; Ramaprasad & Kelly, ; Ramaprasad & Rahman, ; Romano, ).…”

Journalism and the Islamic Worldview

“…A growing number of studies specifically look at journalists' roles beyond the western world. In a series of surveys, Pintak (2014;Pintak and Nazir 2013), for instance, found journalists in the Arab and Islamic world to serve their audiences in the capacity of an agent of change. Other studies identified journalistic traits that correspond to the idea of "development journalism" in parts of Asia and Africa (Edeani 1993;Ramaprasad and Kelly 2003;Ramaprasad and Rahman 2006;Romano 2003).…”

“…The conditions under which journalists work in these countries clearly influence the way they reflect on journalism's contribution to society. Pintak (2014;Pintak and Nazir 2013) found journalists in the Muslim world act as "agents of change" in their respective communities. Such a perception may be driven by the particular political situation in these countries as well as by socio-cultural values.…”

“…These studies often emphasized normative issues (Azzi 2011;Hamada 2016) as well as general characteristics of journalism, such as press freedom, media laws, media policy, and media ownership (Amin 2002;Hamada 2004Hamada , 2008Hamdy 2013;Sakr 2006), as well as self-censorship and restrictions in the newsroom (Hamayotsu 2013). Furthermore, recent years have seen a considerable stream of comparative analyses, for example by Hafez (2002), Steele (2011Steele ( , 2013, and Pintak (2014;Pintak and Ginges 2008;Pintak and Setiyono 2011;Pintak and Nazir 2013).…”

Professionalism Under Threat of Violence

“…For decades, Weaver and colleagues (Weaver and Wilhoit 1986;Weaver and Wu 1998;Weaver et al 4 CELESTE GONZÁLEZ DE BUSTAMANTE AND JEANNINE E. RELLY 2007; Weaver and Willnat 2012) have studied US journalistic values and role perceptions as they have evolved and others have subsequently studied professionalism around the world and in the region (Herscovitz 2004;Hughes 2006;Mellado et al 2012;Pintak andGinges 2008, 2009;Pintak and Nazir 2013) using modified models. However, in reflecting on studies of journalists in 31 countries and territories from around the world, Weaver and Willnat (2012, 544) concluded there are many differences across countries in the profession and "the patterns of similarities and differences are not neatly classifiable along some of the more common political or cultural dimensions.…”