DawnNews.tv closure raises concerns over media job security in Pakistan

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  JP Staff Report

DawnNews.tv’s shutdown and related layoffs highlight growing instability in Pakistan’s media sector as unions urge the government to protect journalists’ rights and ensure labor-law compliance.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Dawn Media Group formally closed its Urdu digital platform DawnNews.tv on December 1, terminating 12 media workers. The International Federation of Journalists and its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, condemned the layoffs and urged Pakistan’s government to ensure media outlets comply with labor laws and safeguard worker rights.

The closure was announced in November 2025, providing its dozen employees one month’s notice before the shutdown. Dawn Media Group said it has faced declining revenue and reduced advertising availability, noting in a March 2025 editorial that the federal and Punjab governments had withheld advertisements for five months. Dawn Urdu had been a prominent platform for Urdu digital journalism.

Industry pressures and earlier closures

The shutdown adds to earlier retrenchments at the media group, which ended publication of Aurora magazine in August 2025 and the Herald magazine in 2019. Dawn.com, its English-language platform, remains operational. The DawnNews.tv closure also follows the sudden termination of 37 journalists at Nukta, a digital news outlet, in November.

In a November 5 LinkedIn post, Nukta Pakistan said the decision was part of a long-term sustainability plan. Following industry concerns about rising job instability, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar pledged to help secure new jobs for the 37 journalists within 48 hours, stressing that employees must not be burdened by financial pressures or dismissed without due process.

Wider sector layoffs and union concerns

Pakistan’s media sector has experienced repeated job losses in 2025. Jang Group terminated 80 employees in May from Jang Rawalpindi and The News, followed by 137 layoffs in June from Awaz. Union representatives from the Punjab Union of Journalists said workers in Lahore and Rawalpindi were dismissed without notice or severance. Protests also highlighted wage delays at state-run PTV and Radio Pakistan.

Commentators and unions say these closures raise broader concerns about the stability of Pakistan’s media environment, including leadership decisions, financial sustainability, digital strategies, labor rights enforcement, and the long-term viability of credible journalism.

The PFUJ said the government must take serious notice of what it called illegal layoffs and protect media workers’ rights to ensure a free and vibrant press. The IFJ urged authorities to address not only labor-rights violations but also the wider challenge of sustaining Pakistan’s media sector, calling for government engagement with industry stakeholders to strengthen long-term viability.

KEY POINTS:

• DawnNews.tv closed on December 1, ending roles for 12 media workers
• IFJ and PFUJ condemned the layoffs and called for stronger labor-law enforcement
• Closure follows earlier Dawn Group shutdowns and Nukta’s termination of 37 journalists
• Jang Group conducted two major rounds of layoffs in 2025
• Unions warn job cuts threaten media sustainability and worker protections

ATTRIBUTION: Information based on IFJ statement, published editorials, and publicly available announcements.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.