JournalismPakistan.com | Published November 18, 2021 | Daud Malik
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD—Who is a journalist? These days it seems everyone is. With technology, we have entered the era of citizen journalism, where electronic media encourages viewers to send their videos on a particular issue. The journalists managing online channels seem to mock the TV channels, covering events with a mobile phone and reaching their followers.
However, the question persists who is a journalist? In a politically polarized society like ours, we often hear journalists questioned about their journalistic credentials. With the advent of electronic media, this question has been asked repeatedly. Pakistan witnessed a surge in journalists, almost all of them tagged with the moniker—senior.
The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 tries to answer the question. In the section of definitions, the law defines a journalist as "any person who is professionally or regularly engaged by a newspaper, magazine, news website, or other news broadcast medium (whether online or offline)…" This is quite a broad definition and perhaps includes everybody. It goes on to define freelancers. A freelance journalist is "any person with a substantial track record of freelancing for at least three years for any newspaper, magazine, news website, or other news broadcast medium."
The law also introduces the category of media professionals. A media professional is "any other person regularly or professionally engaged in the collection, processing, and dissemination of information to the public via any means of mass communication, including cameraperson and photographers, technical support staff, drivers and interpreters, editors, translators, publishers, broadcasters, printers and distributors."
It defines the non-journalist in the administrative context. "A person who is employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity in a media organization, or is being employed there in a supervisory capacity…"
The use of technology has changed the face of journalism and raised the question of who is a journalist. What defines a journalist— the privilege or the work? Tom Rosenstiel, an American author, and journalist thinks journalism is about action and not affiliation. "You can't say, 'I'm a journalist, here's my press pass. You have to say, 'I'm a journalist. Here's my work'." But others see journalists in a more formal role—the one who collects information to disseminate it.
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.