Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalismHum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI toolsEnhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory adsBlogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepensPTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilitiesWill PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battleDefying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in PakistanIndia revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outletsUkraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda reportTwo Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture videoThe Olympic Games: A timeless testament to human excellence and unity

Indian journalists, activists protest murder of newspaper publisher

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published September 06, 2017

Join our WhatsApp channel

Indian journalists, activists protest murder of newspaper publisher

BENGALURU, India - Indian journalists and rights activists protested on Wednesday against the murder of an outspoken publisher of a weekly tabloid amid growing concerns about freedom of the press at a time of rising nationalism and intolerance of dissent.

Gauri Lankesh, 55, the editor and publisher of the Kannada-language Gauri Lankesh Patrike newspaper, was shot dead Tuesday by unidentified assailants near her home in the southern city of Bengaluru.

She had parked her car outside her gate and was walking to the main entrance of her home when the attackers fired at least seven rounds, killing her, police said.

The motive was not known.

Lankesh was a fierce advocate of secularism and opposed hardline Hindu groups associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing, nationalist ruling party.

Her weekly, with a circulation of more than 5,000, is regarded as influential in the state, read by policy-makers and politicians.

Lankesh spent decades with various media outlets before taking over the newspaper started by her father.

Several journalist groups, including the Editors’ Guild, Press Club of India and Press Association, held protests in cities across India, calling her murder a “brutal assault on the freedom of the press”.

They said she was a critical, secular voice at a time when the country was being swept by a wave of right-wing, Hindu nationalism.

“She was an idealist and would take on the right-wing forces on several controversial issues,” said Y.P. Rajesh, an executive editor at the news website The Print and a long-time friend of Lankesh.

The U.S. embassy in New Delhi also condemned the killing.

The murder is a new low in India’s recent record of protecting journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has said that there have been no convictions in any of the 27 cases of journalists murdered in India because of their work since 1992.

This year, the country of 1.3 billion people slipped three places to 136th in the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders.

The group said Hindu nationalists, on the rise since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in 2014, were “trying to purge all manifestations of anti-national thought”.

Journalists seen to be critical of Hindu nationalists are often insulted on social media, and some women reporters have been threatened with assault.

People, including BJP members, have also openly insulted journalists, using terms like “presstitute” - a combination press and prostitute - to berate them.

In recent weeks, Lankesh had posted videos on her Facebook page that were critical of Modi’s economic policies and the rise of hardline Hindu groups since he came to power.

Last year, she was sentenced to six months in jail after a defamation case was filed by a BJP member. She was released on bail.

Ananth Kumar, a federal minister in the Modi government, said the state government must arrest those behind the killing.

The state government in Karnataka, run by the Congress party, said it had set up a special investigations team to investigate and police were examining CCTV footage.

M.N. Anucheth, a senior police official investigating the case, said Lankesh was shot in the head, neck, and chest.

“This is an attempt to silence all of us -  all of those who believe in democracy and decency,” Ramchandra Guha, a historian told the Indian Express newspaper. - Reuters

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

 February 11, 2025:  The PFUJ has petitioned the Islamabad High Court to suspend the PECA Amendment Act, arguing that the law curtails press freedom and contains contradictory provisions. The court has issued a notice to the Attorney General for assistance.

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

 February 09, 2025:  Hum News Network becomes the first Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, enhancing productivity and innovation. Discover how this visionary move sets new standards in media.

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

 February 08, 2025:  As Pakistan faces an economic crisis, the government splurges taxpayers' money on full-page ads and press releases to glorify its achievements. Critics call it a wasteful PR stunt. Read how public funds are being misused for political propaganda.

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

 February 07, 2025:  PTV pensioners staged nationwide protests demanding their unpaid pensions, medical benefits, and dues for nearly 400 retirees. Protesters, supported by PFUJ, criticized PTV management for corruption and lavish expenses while neglecting retirees' rights.

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

 February 06, 2025:  PFUJ has challenged the controversial PECA Act 2025 in the Islamabad High Court, citing it as an attack on press freedom. Journalists and rights organizations protest the law’s implications for free speech and media independence in Pakistan.

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

 February 06, 2025:  Pakistani women journalists like Munizae Jahangir and Asma Shirazi face severe threats, harassment, and online abuse. This article explores the struggles of women in media, the systemic challenges, and potential solutions to ensure press freedom and journalist safety.

Contrasting paths:  White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

Contrasting paths: White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

 January 29, 2025:  As the White House welcomes podcasters and digital journalists, Pakistan tightens censorship through PECA amendments, silencing independent voices and forcing journalists into exile. A stark contrast in press freedom emerges.

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

 January 29, 2025:  Pakistan’s latest PECA amendments expand government control over social media, criminalize misinformation, and threaten freedom of expression. Media stakeholders and human rights groups condemn the draconian changes. Learn more about the implications for journalists and activists.

Newsroom
Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

 February 09, 2025 The Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025 is open for applications! This prestigious program at Columbia University offers journalists an intensive seminar on trauma reporting, media ethics, and responsible journalism. Apply by March 3, 2025.

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

 February 07, 2025 Mozambican journalist Albino Sibia was killed while filming police brutality, and reporter Pedro Junior was shot covering his funeral. Arlindo Chissale remains missing. These attacks highlight the dire state of press freedom in Mozambique amid post-election unrest.

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

 February 05, 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Indian government to stop targeting independent journalism after revoking the nonprofit and tax-exempt statuses of The Reporters’ Collective and The File. Learn how this impacts investigative reporting and media freedom in India.

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

 February 04, 2025 Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has opened a criminal case for disclosure of state secrets following Ukrainska Pravda’s report on statements by military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. CPJ urges authorities to respect press freedom and journalist protections.

Two Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

Two Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

 February 03, 2025 Cambodian journalists Duong Akhara and Lay Socheat have been detained on incitement charges after publishing a video allegedly showing torture in a cyberscam center. Press freedom advocates call for their immediate release.