News agencies working in Pakistan & Pakistan Press Laws

1. NEWS AGENCIES &
PRESS LAWS
Muhammad Sohaib Afzaal

2. NEWS Agencies
• An organization that collects news items and
distributes them to newspapers or broadcasters.

3. Agence France-Presse
• The Agence Havas was founded in 1835 by a Parisian translator
and advertising agent, Charles-Louis Havas as Agence Havas.
• Two of his employees, Paul Reuter and Bernhard Wolff, later set
up rival news agencies in London and Berlin respectively, starting
1848.
• In order to reduce overhead and develop the lucrative advertising
side of the business, Havas's sons, who had succeeded him in
1852, signed agreements with Reuter and Wolff, giving each news
agency an exclusive reporting zone in different parts of Europe.
• This arrangement lasted until the 1930s, when the invention of
short-wave wireless improved and cut communications costs. To
help Havas extend the scope of its reporting at a time of great
international tension, the French government financed up to 47%
of its investments.

4. • Established in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter in Britain at
the London Royal Exchange
• First to report Abraham Lincoln’s assassination among other
major stories
• Operates in more than 200 cities in 94 countries in about 20
languages
• Acquired by the Thomson Corporation in 2008. Now called
Thomson Reuters
• Provide wire services (news, images and videos) to print and
electronic news organization .

5. ASSOCIATED PRESS
• The Associated Press (AP) is an American multinational
nonprofit news agency headquartered in New York City. The AP is
owned by its contributing newspapers, radio, and television
stations in the United States, all of which contribute stories to the
AP and use material written by its staff journalists.
• Established 1839 & Founded May 1846
• In addition to more than 5,000 television and radio broadcasters.
The photograph library of the AP consists of over 10 million
images. The AP operates 243 news bureaus in 120 countries. It
also operates the AP Radio Network, which provides newscasts
twice hourly for broadcast and satellite radio and television
stations.

6. • The Associated Press of Pakistan started its life in 1947, with the independence of
Pakistan. Initially it was run through a trust, but owing to financial problems, it was
taken over by the Government through an Ordinance called; "Associated Press of
Pakistan (taking over) Ordinance 1961", on 15th June 1961, to put it on a sound
financial footing. The journalists were allowed to retain their independent status
under this ordinance. They are not regarded as government or semi-government
employees. They are governed by Labour Laws as is the case with the newspaper
industry in Pakistan. It is administered through the Director General APP, who is
appointed by the Government.
• Computers have replaced typewriters and the Agency's offices are connected through
Local, and Wide Area Networks. From a transmission speed of 50 words per minute,
it now provides news at a speed of 1200 WPM, most of which is directly fed into the
computers of the subscribers simultaneously throughout Pakistan and overseas. APP
currently has its own buildings at Islamabad and Lahore.

7. Pakistan Press International
• Pakistan Press International (PPI) is a news agency founded in
June 1956 as Pakistan Press Association (PPA).
• The name was changed in 1968. It was first started by Mr. Muzzam
Ali, the Chief Editor of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
• The agency objective was to provide competition to APP's monopoly.
It began its service by hand, only in Karachi. PPA also built up a
network of correspondents in the smaller cities and towns in Pakistan.
• This was in contrast to APP, which had coverage in a limited number
of large cities. For foreign news the agency signed up with the
Agence France-Presse (AFP) in 1957, and a year later became the
first Asian partner of DPA.
• PPA also posted a correspondent in the Middle East, an area of
special interest to Pakistani newspapers.
• In 1958, the agency installed the teleprinters in the offices of its
clients. By 1960, PPI had subscribers in all the major newspapers
centers of Pakistan, namely Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Dacca.

8. United Press Of Pakistan
• First private sector news agency established in
1948 and "Pictorial News Review",
famous among diplomats of Pakistan since 1970.
• Chairman and founder: Syed Abdul Hafeez
• Managing editor and director: Mahmudul Aziz
• Executive editor: Sohela Aziz
• Director administration and marketing: Naveedul
Aziz

9. • The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the public-service
broadcaster of the United Kingdom, headquartered at Broadcasting
House in London.
• It is the world's oldest national broadcasting organization.
• The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and
used to fund the BBC's extensive radio, TV, and online services
covering the nations and regions of the UK. From 1 April 2014 it also
funds the BBC World Service, launched in 1932, which provides
comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic, and Persian,
and broadcasts in 28 languages.
• Around a quarter of BBC revenues come from its commercial arm
BBC Worldwide Ltd. which sells BBC programmes and services
internationally and also distributes the BBC's international 24-hour
English language news services BBC World News and BBC.com,
provided by BBC Global News Ltd.

10. 1. Name of Chief Executive: Mr. Mohammad Siddiq Napper
Suite No. 803, 804, 805, 8th Floor, Regal Trade Square, Saddar,
Karachi
Chief Editor: Muhammad Siddique Napper
Managing Editor: Muhammad Akram
Chief Executive: Sabir A. Qureshi
KARACHI (Sindh)
Bureau Chief: S.M. Shakeel
Sr. Reporter Khi/Sindh: M. Salahuddin
2. ISLAMABAD:
Bureau Chief: Mr. Naveed Ahmad 7-B, Muzaffar Chamber,
Fazale Road, Blue Area, Islamabad
3. LAHORE:
Bureau Chief: Mr. Farooq Rana, 130 Ferozepur Road, Lahore

11. • The Islamic Republic News Agency (Persian or IRNA, is the
official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is
government-funded and controlled under the Iranian Ministry of
Culture and Islamic Guidance. The agency also publishes the
newspaper Iran. As of 2010, the Managing Director of IRNA is
Mohammad Khodaddi. IRNA has 60 offices in Iran and 30 more
in various countries around the world.
• In 1934, Pars Agency was established by the Foreign Ministry of
Iran (Persia) as the country's official national news outlet. For the
next six years it operated under the Iranian Foreign Ministry
working to disseminate national and international news. Pars
Agency published a bulletin twice daily in French and Persian,
which it circulated among government officials, international news
agencies in Tehran and the local press.

12. • Kyodo News (共同通信社 Kyōdō Tsūshinsha) is a nonprofit
cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo.
• It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to
almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan.
The newspapers using its news have about 50 million subscribers.
K. K. Kyodo News is Kyodo News' business arm, established in
1972. The subdivision Kyodo News International, founded in
1982, provides over 200 reports to international news media and is
located in Rockefeller Center, New York.
• Their online news site is in Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and
Traditional), Korean, and English.
• The agency employs over 1,000 journalists and photographers,
and maintains news exchange agreements with over 70
international media outlets.

13. • Editor-in-Chief : Ammar Yasir
Mobile No:0333-5175252
Address of the Head Office:
Apartment No. 06, Block No. 15, PHA
Apartments, G-7/1, Zero Point, Islamabad.

14. • The Voice of America (VOA) is the official external broadcast
institution of the United States federal government.
• Founded 1942
• The VOA provides programming for broadcast on radio, TV, and
the Internet outside of the U.S., in English and some foreign
languages.VOA radio and television broadcasts are distributed by
satellite, cable and on FM, AM, and shortwave radio frequencies.
• They are streamed on individual language service websites, social
media sites and mobile platforms. The VOA has affiliate and
contract agreements with radio and television stations and cable
networks worldwide.

15. SHARP EYE
• Sharp Eye is Pakistan's Independent International News
Agency Established in January 2000. With the aim to
provide true news to T.V. Channels, national as well as
international newspapers on modern lines following the
modern and latest standards; "Sharp Eye" is working under
the supervision of its founder Mian Muhammad Azhar
Amin.
• He is renowned Journalist of Pakistan and has the
experience of working for Pakistani as well as foreign
Newspapers, News Agencies and a TV Channel. In the light
of his Experience he felt the need for establishment of an
independent news agency that could be a source for
presenting true news to media all the world in different
languages.

16. Xinhua News Agency
• The Xinhua News is the official press agency of the People's
Republic of China. Xinhua is the biggest and most influential media
organization in China. Xinhua is a ministry-level institution
subordinate to the Chinese central government. Its president is a
member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
• The Xinhua press agency was started in November 1931
• Xinhua operates more than 170 foreign bureaus worldwide, and
maintains 31 bureaus in China—one for each province, plus a
military bureau. Xinhua is the sole channel for the distribution of
important news related to the Communist Party and Chinese central
government.
• it owns more than 20 newspapers and a dozen magazines, and it
prints in eight languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, French,
Russian, Portuguese, Arabic and Japanese.

17. Press laws
• Press laws are the laws concerning the licensing of books and the
liberty of expression in all products of the printing-press, especially
newspapers.
• Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of
communication and expression through mediums including various
electronic media and published materials. While such freedom
mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching
state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other
legal protections.
• The United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference, and impart information and ideas through any media
regardless of frontiers"

18. Press and Publication Ordinance
(PPO)
• The first step in introducing media laws in the country was done
by the then military ruler and President Ayub Khan who
promulgated the Press and Publication Ordinance (PPO) in 1962.
• The law empowered the authorities to confiscate newspapers,
close down news providers, and arrest journalists. Using these
laws, Ayub Khan nationalized large parts of the press and took
over one of the two largest news agencies.
• The other agencies was pushed into severe crisis and had to seek
financial support from the government. Pakistani Radio and
Television, which was established in 1964 was also brought under
the strict control of the government.

19. Revised Press and Publication Ordinance
(RPPO)
• More draconian additions were made to the PPO during the reign
of General Zia-Ul-Haq in the 1980s. According to these new
amendments, the publisher would be liable and prosecuted if a
story was not to the liking of the administration even if it was
factual and of national interest.
• These amendments were used to promote Haq's Islamist leanings
and demonstrated the alliance between the military and religions
leaders.
• Censorship during the Zia years was direct, concrete and
dictatorial. Newspapers were scrutinised; critical or undesired
sections of an article censored. In the wake of Zia-ul-Haq's sudden
death and the return of democracy, the way was paved to abate the
draconian media laws through a revision of media legislation
called the Revised PPO (RPPO).

20. Musharraf ERA
• From 2002, under General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani media faced a decisive
development that would lead to a boom in Pakistani electronic media and paved
the way to it gaining political clout. New liberal media laws broke the state's
monopoly on the electronic media. TV broadcasting and FM radio licenses were
issued to private media outlets.
• The military's motivation for liberalising media licensing was based on an
assumption that the Pakistani media could be used to strengthen national security
and counter any perceived threats from India. What prompted this shift was the
military's experience during the two past confrontations with India. One was the
Kargil War and the other was the hijacking of the India Airliner by militants. In
both these instances, the Pakistani military was left with no options to reciprocate
because its electronic media were inferior to that of the Indian media. Better
electronic media capacity was needed in the future and thus the market for
electronic media was liberalised.
• The justification was just as much a desire to counter the Indian media power, as it
was a wish to set the media "free" with the rights that electronic media had in
liberal, open societies. The military thought it could still control the media and
harness it if it strayed from what the regime believed was in the national interest -
and in accordance with its own political agenda.

21. Other Press Ordinance
1. The Printing Presses and Publications Ordinance 1988,
2. The Freedom of Information Ordinance of 2002,
3. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) of 2002,
4. The Defamation Ordinance of 2002,
5. The Contempt of Court Ordinance of 2003, the Press,
6. Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance 2003,
7. The Press Council Ordinance 2002,
8. The Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan Ordinance 2005.
9. The Access to Information Ordinance of 2006.
10. There were attempts in 2006 for further legislation ostensibly "to streamline
registration of newspapers, periodicals, news and advertising agencies and
authentication of circulation figures of newspapers and periodicals
(PAPRA).

22. Conclude