Media bodies reject Fawad Chaudhry's claims about revenue increase
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 18 January 2022
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Major media organizations in Pakistan have rejected Fawad Chaudhry's claims about a significant revenue increase. They labelled his statement as misinformation and called for a withdrawal.Summary
ISLAMABAD - Several leading media organisations have rejected a claim by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry that media revenues had increased by 600 per cent between 2018 and 2021.
The bodies, including All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), termed it a 'classic example of fake news.'
"He has only exposed his own ignorance about the matter and also how ill-informed his ministry is," a statement said.
The media organisations claimed that Chaudhry's statement attempted to sow unrest between media houses and their workers. They alleged that the minister had intentionally spread misinformation.
In response, the minister took to Twitter, claiming that media owners, "may be right and Aurora's figures are wrong but to prove it wrong it is necessary for media groups to open their accounts."
The media bodies also demanded that the minister withdraw his tweet at the earliest.
KEY POINTS:
- Fawad Chaudhry claimed media revenues increased by 600% from 2018 to 2021.
- Media groups including APNS, CPNE, and PBA denounced the claim as fake news.
- Organizations accused the minister of spreading misinformation intentionally.
- Chaudhry responded on Twitter, questioning the accuracy of estimates from media groups.
- Media bodies demanded the minister retract his statements promptly.
