The phenomenal growth of press as industry during the last 20 years shows that the owners of the newspapers have become millionaires and, in some cases, billionaires. But nothing changed for working journalists as they are forced to live in pathetic conditions. The worst is the condition of those journalists who stick to ideals of journalism and speak the truth.

Bad working conditions for working journalists have led to a culture in which complaints and suspicions about the integrity of newsmen may arise easily. Nevertheless, there are still many newsmen who braved all odds and upheld the high goals of their profession.

Tahir Malik, a young and bold journalist associated with the profession for more than a decade, has carried out a scientific study on the working conditions of newsmen in That is perhaps for the first time in recent times. His valuable research report reveals many new facts about the journalist community and documents the social and economic factors behind the deteriorating standards of journalism in

Malik did his bachelor's from 's prestigious Government College and holds master's degree in mass communications from the University of the Punjab. With  limited resources and without any institutional support, he undertook this labourious job and successfully accomplished the task which, in principle, should have been done by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC).

After Mian Majid Shafi's valuable work in the form of an All Pakistan Journalists Directory is another step towards a systematic understanding of journalists and their profession in Both these seminal works are the result of individual efforts made by  these  two journalists..

Through his study, Mr Malik has brought to light the condition of journalists working in different parts of the country. His research is worth reading as it is an eye opener not only for the entire community and newspaper owners but also for the general public. It informs the reader as to how a journalist is subjected to poverty and is an object of economic exploitation.

Mr Malik's research is a major step towards unveiling the conditions of the services of the working journalists in This kind of work should have been done much earlier as the law to improve the conditions of journalists was legislated far back in 1973. He has well shown us a profession having unpaid or underpaid journalists. Here, only a small portion is remunerated for their services in accordance with the Wage Award that essentially defines moderate wages and not the high earnings for journalists.
With growing cost of living and increasing power of a free press, journalists, if rendered with meager opportunities to earn through fair means are always tempted to corruption or are forced to leave this profession.

The goals of professionalism and integrity in journalism cannot be achieved unless these adverse conditions are changed and journalists are provided respectable means of living.

If the print media has to restore its credibility in the eye of the public and gain some respect, it has to improve working conditions for journalists. We shall have to devise ways and means to ensure that the wage award is implemented in letter and spirit as announced under the Newspaper Employees Act l973.

Saqlain Imam

Former President, Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ)/ Press Club (LPC)