that the policy of not giving any KP government advertisement to the Jang Group had to be strictly followed.
During the last 10 months, there was one occasion when the provincial government briefly lifted the ban on advertisements to Jang and The News, but it was abruptly clamped down again. It is still a mystery why the ban was removed for a week or so and on whose orders.
It is not new for government advertisements, which are paid out of taxpayers’ money, to be denied to a particular media organisation. It has happened in the past and will happen again. The ruling elite, whether civil or military, have used official advertisements to punish newspapers and radio and TV channels that refuse to toe the line and insist on pursuing an independent policy. Government advertisements have also been used to reward the print and electronic media that supported the rulers.
One cannot argue that media organisations should get government advertisements as a matter of right. However, one can argue that publications with a wider circulation and sales deserve to be given more advertisements than those that aren’t widely read. The public need to know about government contracts, tender notices, jobs, etc through advertisements and this task is best performed by newspapers with a wider circulation and TV channels that are watched more. Government advertisements are a significant source of revenue for the media organisations even though the private sector now provides more ads and money to the media.
One thought Imran Khan and the PTI were different from the rest of the politicians and political parties. This impression was reinforced by the repeated claims of the PTI that it wanted to bring real change based on good governance and merit. The PTI slogan was ‘insaf’ and one expected it to deliver justice instead of using taxpayers’ money to settle scores or pursue a political agenda.
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.
Email: rahimyusufzaiyahoo.com