Delisted KP newspapers to be restored after meeting criteria: official

PESHAWAR: The KP Information Department on Monday said that the delisted newspapers could be restored on the media list after the publishers meet the minimum criteria. An official of the department said the government had cancelled declaration of 116 newspapers in 2016 for failing to meet the minimum criteria.

The official said that the government did not cancel the newspapers declaration this time and had given these newspapers a chance to meet the criteria. He said that the government regularly takes action against dummy newspapers to ensure the basic objective of journalism.

The official claimed that dummy newspapers were a hurdle to true journalism and do not contribute to job creation in the province.

He added that the Information Department’s action was aimed at discouraging plagiarism and providing accurate information to the masses. The official maintained that newspapers had to fulfill the minimum criteria that included the renewal of annual registration, ensuring the provision of newspapers to the Information Department and at stalls and job creation. Besides failing to meet these basic criteria some of the newspapers were found to have been leased to contractors while others obtained declaration of two or more newspapers, the official claimed.

He added that these newspapers would be restored on the media list after they met the minimum criteria. “Failing to meet the criteria would result in cancellation of their declaration,” the official warned. KP govt spokesperson Kamran Bangash told The News that the delisting was the maximum the provincial government could do.