Journalism, the press and its freedom have always been at odds with the state and its institutions
LAHORE: Journalism, the press and its freedom have always been at odds with the state and its institutions. Only a few states across the world practise complete freedom of the press where journalists are not silenced for challenging or going against the state, one way or the other.
What is, however, disappointing is the silencing of dissent in democracies that are supposed to protect all rights of the citizens and ensure complete freedom of expression.
What is happening in reality is illustrated by the following. According to a report released by the Committee to Protect Journalist, 262 journalists around the world were sacked or arrested in the year 2017 for their journalistic work. Seventy-four per cent of these journalists have been charged with anti-state activities. The question that arises is, what actually can be defined as ‘anti-state’, is it challenging the writ of the state, highlighting the wrong committed by government and state or instigating people to overthrow the government or act in a way that would be detrimental to the interests of the state ?
However, one should realise that the history of democratic governments being toppled across the world is far older than the field of journalism itself, whose evolution into one of the biggest institutions is more recent. Despite this, it is the first one to be silenced in order to get rid of the voice of dissent.
Soha Ilyas
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2017.
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