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HRCP report highlights stifling media environment

Tuesday, Mar 08, 2022

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has released its report, Truth Comes at a Price: Censorship and the battle for an independent media, says a press release. The report was produced as part of the prestigious I A Rehman Research Grant Series.

The report was authored by senior journalist Razeshta Sethna and documented the stifling media environment in Pakistan following the 2018 elections, which the author contended, had compelled journalists and editors to work at even greater personal risk than before.

A press release issued by HRCP on Monday documents the frequency and types of attacks on journalists and asks whether such attacks have changed face as journalists increasingly use online platforms to hold power to account. Sethna finds that the incumbent government has served the interests of certain circles more than any previous government when it comes to muzzling critical news coverage.