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Regula ing Online Speech: Legal and E hical Challenges o
Digi al Jou nalism in Pakis an
D Aqsa I am Shahzadi
Assis an P o esso , Ins i u e o Media and Communica ion S udies,
Bahauddin Zaka iya Uni e si y, Mul an, Pakis an
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Amna Fazail
Lec u e , Depa men o Media & Communica ion S udies,
The Women Uni e si y, Mul an, Pakis an
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Muhammad Ahsan Iqbal Hashmi (Co esponding Au ho )
Assis an P o esso o Law, Bahauddin Zaka iya Uni e si y, Mul an (Veha i Campus),
Pakis an
Email: [email p o ec ed]
ABSTRACT
The de elopmen o he digi al jou nalism in Pakis an has had a huge impac in changing
he media landscape and enabled he dissemina ion o in o ma ion a apid a es and
in ol ing he ci izens e en u he . Bu his change also leads o a e y high numbe o
legal and e hical challenges, such as egula o y con usion, p i acy, coe cion by
misin o ma ion/sel -censo ship on jou nalis s. The legal p o isions ha go e n In e ne
speech in Pakis an ha will be analyzed in he pape include cons i u ional p o ec ion and
cybe c ime and he P e en ion o Elec onic C imes Ac (PECA) 2016. I also examines
e hical conce ns ha a e inhe en in he digi al jou nalism like How a e ulne able
popula ions p o ec ed? How eliable is he jou nalism and how is p i acy main ained?
The pape examines he clash ha exis s be ween ee speech, egula ion and e hical
esponsibili y on he basis o con empo a y schola ly li e a u e including s udies ha
ha e been conduc ed on media po ayals, egula ion and legal con ol and esponsibili y
in e ms o e hics. Finally, i p oposes a mul i-dimensional solu ion ha will in eg a e
ce ain legal p o ec ion, p o essionalism, echnological es ic ions and ci izen
in ol emen o ein o ce esponsible digi al jou nalism and p ese e democ a ic
eedoms.
Keywo ds: Digi al Jou nalism; Online Speech; F eedom o Exp ession; Cybe Laws;
Media E hics; P i acy; Pakis an
In oduc ion
The de elopmen o jou nalism in Pakis an ep esen s an o e all pa e n o he wo ld
whe e adi ional p in and b oadcas media is eplaced by digi al and online media. In
he pas , Pakis ani jou nalism was dis inguished by he p in newspape s and adio
b oadcas ing which was supplemen ed by he sp ead o ele ision channels in he 1990s
and 2000s. These con en ional media we e con olled mainly h ough p ess laws such as
P ess and Publica ion O dinance ha p o ided a o m o con ol bu allowed
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compa a i ely wide eedom o speech. Along wi h he coming o he in e ne and digi al
echnologies, he wo ld o jou nalism in Pakis an has seen a comple e e olu ion, now
domina ed by online news po als, social media and ci izen jou nalism. Such ad ances
ha e opened he in o ma ion space, opened he in e es o people and p o ided oices o
he ma ginalized g oups.
The ques ion o digi al jou nalism, howe e , possesses special law and e hical p oblems.
Ano he ad an age o he online media is ha i can be published ins an ly, sp ead all
o e he wo ld and he con en s o ed pe manen ly unlike he p in o b oadcas media.
This is he speed and scale boos ing he impac s o misin o ma ion, ha e speech o
une hical epo ing. The p ocess o eedom o exp ession is gi en o he ci izens by he
legal se up o Pakis an pa icula ly h ough A icle 19 o he cons i u ion which
gua an ees eedom o exp ession o he ci izens. This igh , howe e , is subjec o
easonable es ic ions, which a e aimed a sa egua ding he o de o he people, he
na ional secu i y, decency and a he pe sonal epu a ions (Rizwan & Naz, 2025).
PECA 2016 is he P e en ion o Elec onic C imes Ac ha is he key ool used o
con ol online speech in Pakis an. I makes c iminal such c imes as online ha assmen ,
ha e speech, cybe s alking and alse in o ma ion dis ibu ion. Al hough PECA is
supposed o sa egua d people and ensu e he p ese a ion o poli ical o de , i s wide
wo ding and ague ph asing ha e aised some wo ies abou he possibili y o o e each
and a bi a y applica ion as well as a chilling e ec on jou nalis ic eedom (Khan e al.,
2019).
In addi ion o legal issues, he digi al jou nalis is aced wi h many e hical issues. They
ha e o s ike a balance be ween he need o educa e people and he need o epo he
ac s and no sensa ionalizing and p o ec ing he weak g oups like child en and hose
who a e ic imized. Acco ding o esea ch conduc ed by Bu , Hashmi and o he s (2025),
social ou comes o une hical epo ing a e emphasized and he esea che s ci e some o
he cases when sensa ionalized media epo ing inc eased ha ms o socie y, especially in
such sensi i e a eas as child abuse and gende -based iolence (Bu e al., 2025a).
Equally, pape s on p i acy in he e a o su eillance show ha su eillance o he s a e
and ma i ime co po a ions may cause impai men o independence among jou nalis s and
jeopa dize he p i acy o sou ces(Bu e al., 2024a).
Socio-poli ical ac o s make i mo e di icul o con ol in e ne speech in Pakis an. The
h ea o censo ship, ha assmen and poli ical p essu e ha e led jou nalis s o p ac ise
sel -censo ship and limi he public discussion, on he one hand. Mo eo e , he
echnological aspec s, including algo i hmic ampli ica ion o he con en and he
ansna ional cha ac e o he In e ne pla o ms, complica e en o cemen and i is
di icul o balance he local ules wi h he c oss-bo de cha ac e o he online media.
The pape will conside hese legal, e hical and social issues as in e ela ed by answe ing
h ee main esea ch ques ions:
Wha is he ole o he cu en legisla ion in speech egula ion on he In e ne in Pakis an
and wha a e he challenges o he en o cemen o he legisla ion and PECA 2016, in
pa icula ?
Which a e he majo e hical issues ha digi al jou nalis s con end wi h and wha is hei
impac on he epo ing?
Wha can be done o ensu e a balanced measu e be ween egula ion and eedom and
in ol e legal p o ec i e measu es, e hical s anda ds and ins i u ional appa a us?
Th ough hese ques ions, he esea ch seeks o ha e a ull pic u e o egula o y and
e hical en i onmen o Pakis an based digi al jou nalism. I elies on he ecen books,
a icles on he opic o media ep esen a ion, p i acy igh s and digi al e hics and ea u es
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he illus a i e examples ha will e lec he implica ions o egula ion o online speech
in hei p ac ical aspec s. Finally, he pape aims a p oposing a mul idimensional
app oach o esponsible digi al jou nalism ha is bo h legally unde s andable, e hically
accoun able, echnologically p o ec i e and pa icipa es in o de o c ea e a sa e,
in o ma i e and pa icipa o y online media en i onmen .
Concep ual and Legal F amewo k
Online speech egula ion in Pakis an is d i en a he su ace o cons i u ional gua an ees,
s a u o y p o isions and e hical no ms as a complex and de eloping concep ual
amewo k. The p inciple o cons i u ional eedom o speech in he Cons i u ion o
Pakis an in A icle 19 ensu es ha he ci izens ha e eedom o exp ession wi h
easonable limi a ions in he name o na ional secu i y, socie al o de , decency and
epu a ion p o ec ion (Ahmed, 2021). This clause o he cons i u ion indica es a la ge
con lic wi hin he a ea o go e nance o he digi al media: he s uggle be ween
indi idual libe ies and secu i y o he socie y in a as -changing echnological wo ld.
The Legal F amewo k
The g ea es s a u o y ool ha egula es he speech o online se ices in Pakis an is he
P e en ion o Elec onic C imes Ac (PECA) 2016. PECA penalizes c imes such as
cybe s alking, online ha assmen , ha e speech and dis ibu ion o alse o o ensi e
in o ma ion (Abbasi e al., 2021). Al hough PECA was in ended o sol e he inc ease o
digi al c ime and unheal hy online beha io , i s ague and gene al wo ding, especially
he ones such as o ensi e in o ma ion o ha m ul ma e ial, ha e been widely c i icized
as c ea ing an ai o unce ain y in he eyes o jou nalis s and con en c ea o s (Syed e
al., 2023). he a ie y o disc e iona y powe s gi en o he en o cemen agencies by
PECA will add o he isk o a bi a y applica ion, possibly leading o sel -censo ship and
discou aging in es iga i e jou nalism.
PECA is no he only legal ins umen ha is used o egula e speech online. A s a i ied
egula ion is composed o he Pakis an Telecommunica ion (Re-o ganiza ion) Ac 1996
and Pakis an Penal Code (PPC) egula ions o laws on de ama ion and inci emen . E en
hough hese laws a e la gely designed wi h e e ence o adi ional media o
elecommunica ions, hei e ms a e being applied o digi al pla o ms and his is
no mally causing wide sp eading ju isdic ional issues and legal unce ain y (Mezze a &
Sial, 2010a).
E hical F amewo ks in Digi al Jou nalism
Responsible online jou nalism canno be gua an eed by any legal egula ion. E hical
esponsibili y is a key issue in media p ac ices. Digi al jou nalis s a e o ced o deal wi h
he demands o immediacy, misin o ma ion and inc eased isibili y o in o ma ion on he
in e ne . E hical guidelines ocus on p ecision, jus ice, openness and admi a ion o
p i acy (Iqbal & Khan, 2022). As an illus a ion, he wo k on ulne able popula ions,
e.g. child en o ha assmen ic ims, should be epo ed acco ding o he speci ic ules o
e hics o a oid seconda y ic imiza ion and ha m o socie y. A s udy by Bu , Hashmi
and o he s (2025) p o ides an example o how i esponsible co e age o une hical
p oblems, including he issue o child abuse, may inc ease social ha ms, which p o es
he e hical implica ions o digi al jou nalism (Bu e al., 2025b).
Guidelines on esponsible jou nalism a e pu up by p o essional codes o conduc ha a e
se by he Pakis an P ess Founda ion and Council o Pakis an Newspape Edi o s. These
codes also ocus on sou ce e i ica ion, sensa ionalism, p o ec ing mino s and
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anspa ency in epo ing. Bu he e is e y li le en o cemen and compliance is based on
he o ganiza ional cul u e and he in eg i y o he indi idual jou nalis s. Wi hou any
binding e hical s anda ds, he digi al news landscape is p one o sensa ionalism and ake
news (Bu e al., 2024b).
P i acy, Su eillance and Digi al Righ s
The egula ion o online speech especially in ela ion o he in es iga i e jou nalism and
whis leblowing is ocused on p i acy issues. Righ o P i acy in Pakis an ha e de eloped
o e he decades as a esul o ju isp udence and schola ly delibe a ions, which ocuses
on ensu ing ha pe sonal in o ma ion and communica ions a e no accessed by
unau ho ized pa ies S a e and p i a e digi al spying on a mass scale is dange ous o he
jou nalis s who could be p osecu ed legally o ex alegally because o sou ce p o ec ion
o sensi i e in o ma ion disclosu e. The p o ec ion o s ong p i acy is no only a ma e
o igh s o he indi idual, bu also an issue o he mo ali y and p ope ope a ion o he
p ess.
The in e na ional no ms p o ide he ounda ional p inciples o he digi al igh s, which
a e la gely based on p oposi ions by he UN Human Righ s Council o eedom o speech
in he digi al age bu hese p oposi ions include p opo ionali y, necessi y and
accoun abili y in he es ain o online speech. The applica ion o hese p inciples o he
egula o y amewo k in Pakis an can assis in educing he excessi e go e nmen al o
ins i u ional con ol o he digi al con en , so ha legal in e en ions a e di ec ed,
jus i ied and anspa en .
Concep ual Tensions in Online Speech Regula ion
Concep ually, con olling he speech online in Pakis an equi es a comp omise be ween a
numbe o compe ing goals:
P o ec ion o public o de and social ha mony: The s a e aims a p e en ing ha m ul,
ha e ul o des abilizing con en in he in e ne .
Sa egua ding indi idual igh s and epu a ions: Jou nalis s and ci izens should be
sa egua ded agains ha assmen , de ama ion and in asion o hei p i acy.
P omo ion o jou nalis ic eedom and e hical esponsibili y: F eedom o exp ession
and e hical p inciples acili a e an ac i e and knowledgeable ci il li e.
Acco ding o schola s, hese goals need o be achie ed concu en ly and no
independen ly. The o me can be oo legalis ic and he la e oo e hical sel - egula ing,
since he lack o possession o he law can lead o he loss o eedom o exp ession and
ice- e sa, he lack o e hical es ain s can gi e ise o he ha m ul beha io .
Towa ds a Robus Regula o y F amewo k
The all- ound manne o comba ing he online speech in Pakis an should also include
legal accu acy, mo al esponsibili y, echnological sa egua ds and social in ol emen o
communi y:
Legal p ecision: The laws need o a icula e laws as o wha is no allowed, p ocedu al
p o ec ions and es ain disc e iona y au ho i y.
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E hical esponsibili y: Media houses ough o en o ce codes o e hics, aining and
edi o ial supe ision in an e o o main ain jou nalism.
Technological sa egua ds: Human supe ision should be supplemen ed wi h au oma ed
mode a ion, con en il e ing algo i hms as well as epo ing mechanisms o con ol he
ha m ul con en .
Public engagemen : Media li e acy campaigns enable ci izens o hink c i ically abou
in o ma ion and cu b he dissemina ion o alse in o ma ion and inc ease he esiliency o
socie y.
This pu s egula ion in e ms o hese mul idimensional issues, hus enabling
policymake s, epo e s and pa icipan s in he ci il socie y o c ea e oge he a digi al
media ecosys em ha espec s he eedom o exp ession, no men ioning p o ec ion o
he socie y.
Challenges in Regula ing Online Speech
Regula ion o online speech in Pakis an is challenged wi h di e en legal, e hical,
echnological and socio-poli ical p oblems. Since online pla o ms ep esen he ield o
ci ic pa icipa ion, anspa ency and plu alis ic discou se, hey also c ea e pla o ms o
ake news, cybe bullying and o he e il con en s. The dilemma aced by he
policymake s, media houses and ci il socie ies is wha should be done o p e en hese
abuses wi hou in inging he igh o exp ession.
Legal Ambigui ies and O e each
The absence o a clea de ini ion o PECA 2016 is one o he bigges issues. A icles ha
p ohibi he sha ing o in o ma ion ha is o ensi e o he dis ibu ion o con en ha is
likely o de ame o cause ha m a e no de ined wi h speci ics and hus, he e is a lo o
oom o in e p e (Saleem e al., 2025). Bo h ha e p ac ical implica ions: he agueness
p o ides a chance o encou age sel -censo ship in news epo e s and online con en
c ea o s o a oid likely legal penal ies e en when i comes o co e age o a opic o
social in e es (Wajaha e al., 2025).
To make he si ua ion e en mo e challenging, PECA en o cemen is con used wi h he
measu es o he Pakis an Penal Code and he Pakis an Telecommunica ion (Re-
o ganiza ion) Ac 1996, which esul s in a disjoin ed egula o y landscape (Zahid e al.,
2024). The ou come o such o e lapping ju isdic ions can be he inconsis ency in
en o cemen , he delay in he iola ion ea men and he unce ain y o digi al media
p o essionals. Fu he mo e, he absence o anspa ency in he p ocedu e o appealing o
he sys em o con ol is an agg a a ing ac o a ec ing he chilling e ec on he eedom
o exp ession (Mezze a & Sial, 2010b).
E hical Challenges in Digi al Jou nalism
Digi al jou nalis s a e acing new e hical challenges ha a e in o med by he na u e o
immediacy, i ali y and me ics o audience engagemen . The eloci y o digi al
epo ing usually ocuses on ime mo e han on p ecision, which exposes he chances o
misin o ma ion o unp o en asse ions (Bu e al., 2024c). As o he esea che s no e,
sensa ionalism in sensi i e ma e s, including child en abuse o gende iolence, may
inc ease social damages, unde mining media make s and he us ha people place in
hem (Bu e al., 2025c).
Besides, a mo al dilemma is posed in he in e play o he gene al good and po en ial
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damage. To use only he example o epo ing ha assmen cases, hei p i acy o he
ic ims mus be conside ed ca e ully, whe eas in he case o poli ical epo ing, a
jou nalis may ind hemsel es in he con lic be ween being anspa en and keeping
sa e. E hical ules, despi e being accessible ia p o essional en i ies, a e qui e olun a y,
which is why i is di icul o implemen hem s eadily (Yousa e al., 2024).
Technological and Ope a ional Cons ain s
The e y na u e o digi al pla o ms c ea es echnological complexi ies, which make i
impossible o e ec i ely egula e i . The ma e ial pos ed on social media pla o ms is
sp ead wo ldwide and i usually es s ou side he ju isdic ion o local legisla ion and
makes implemen a ion di icul (Kasakowskij e al., 2020). Adap able con en
mode a ion de ices, such as algo i hms and a i icial in elligence, a e inc easingly ca ied
ou o isola e damaging speech, bu hey usually a e missing he delicacy o di e en ia e
be ween abusi e da a and alid c i ique, sa i e o poli ical commen a y. W ong ul
akedowns may occu due o misclassi ica ions and will lowe he con idence in he
sys em.
Jou nalis s a e also a ec ed by he limi a ions in hei ope a ions. Poo esou ces, apid
epo ing and absence o echnical aining complica e he p ocess o isking legal and
e hical s anda ds. Fu he mo e, he alse o malicious in o ma ion ha is acciden ally
dissemina ed by he algo i hmic ampli ica ion p ocess could c ea e he isk o
epu a ional and social ha m be o e i becomes ixed (Sau wein & Spence -Smi h, 2021).
Socio-Poli ical P essu es
Pakis ani jou nalis s a e o en epo ed o be poli ically in e e ed wi h, ha assed and
censo ed, which se s a s ess ul a mosphe e ha p e en s hem om doing independen
co e age(Jamil, 2018). Fea o legal consequences, s a e and non-s a e a acks and he
ea o being c ushed by o he s a es a e he main con ibu o s o sel -censo ship,
especially in some sensi i e opics like poli ical c i icism, mino i y igh s o co up ion
epo ing. Such socio-poli ical policies unde mine edi o ial au onomy and es ic he
mul iplici y o opinions ha people ha e access o.
The poli ical ac o s ha some imes in luence egula o y au ho i ies cha ged wi h he
esponsibili y o en o cing PECA and o he laws o do wi h i would cause conce n
ega ding selec i e en o cemen and misuse o powe s. These di icul ies highligh he
necessi y o clea , esponsible and objec i e con ol measu es ha would be able o
econcile he sa e y o he gene al o de and he igh s o he p ess (RAI & KUMAR,
n.d.).
3.5 P i acy and Su eillance Conce ns
The issue o p i acy is he main poin o egula ion o online speech, pa icula ly, he
in es iga ion jou nalism and sou ce p o ec ion. The lack o p i acy, mass su eillance
and da a collec ion by bo h he s a e and non-s a e o ganiza ions h ea en jou nalis s and
he es o he popula ion. The eedom o exp ession can be indi ec ly cu ailed h ough
such su eillance, as i will in imida e whis leblowe s and in es iga i e epo e s. Poo
secu i y o online communica ions and pe sonal in o ma ion can also be used o
pe pe a e ha assmen , de ama ion o a ge ed a acks, which adds o he egula o y
si ua ion.
E hical and legal aspec s o p i acy o e lap wi h mo e gene al discussion o digi al
igh s. I has been s a ed by schola s ha online speech should be egula ed
p opo iona ely, necessi a ing and being accoun able. Regula o y amewo ks ha do no
include hese p inciples a e likely o unde mine he le el o us in people, supp ess
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legi ima e discou se and de e io a e he democ a ic sys em o go e nance (A oyehun,
2024).
Misin o ma ion and Public Li e acy Challenges
One o he ope a ional issues is he misin o ma ion ca ied by way o social media and
online news po als. False news, umo s and ake news may easily shape he opinion o
he people, uel social con lic s and e en cause iolence. Resea ch indica es ha he
media li e acy o he masses is low, which heigh ens hese dange s so ha iewe s a e
unable o de e mine c edible and misleading in o ma ion (Obasi, 2025). Digi al
jou nalis s should he e o e ho oughly s ike be ween quick co e age and ac -checking,
con ex ualiza ion and educa ing he audience.
Misin o ma ion is no a p oblem ha needs o be sol ed by he law only, bu a he i is
c ucial o ocus on media li e acy and mass awa eness campaigns, c oss-pla o m
ne wo king o jou nalis s, ech s andpoin s and ci il socie y. In he absence o hese
mul idimensional app oaches, egula ions can be conside ed un inished and esponsi e
ins ead o p oac i e.
Case S udies / Illus a i e Examples
The analysis o eal-li e examples o speech con ol on he In e ne in Pakis an can help
o unde s and he in ica e ela ionship be ween laws, e hical s anda ds and social alues.
These case s udies ou line he achie emen s and di icul ies ela ed o he implemen a ion
o egula o y policies and p ese a ion o he jou nalis ic eedom and e hics.
Misin o ma ion and Social Media Ampli ica ion
The p oblem o as ansmission o misin o ma ion ia social media is he e o s ay. As
an illus a ion, in he COVID-19 pandemic, many ake ideas ega ding accines, he apy
and na ional policies we e sha ed on Facebook, Twi e and Wha sApp (Ali & Iqbal,
2024). This misin o ma ion p omp ed mass panic among he gene al popula ion, accine
hesi ancy and un es among he popula ion in some egions. Those who co e ed heal h
p oblems had wo possible asks o pe o m: o e u e he inaccu a e epo s and no o
enhance he uncon i med ones.
As acco ding o esea ch by Bu , Hashmi and o he au ho s (2025), misin o ma ion may
ha e a p ac ical social impac , such as he s igma iza ion o a pa icula communi y and
he loss o us in bo h he media and ins i u ions as a whole (Bu e al., 2025d). Such
egula o y sys ems as PECA 2016 a e designed o punish he sp ead o alse in o ma ion,
al hough he dilemma is how o s ike a balance be ween he implemen a ion and
eedom o speech. Excessi e cons i u ional in e p e a ion o he law may lead o
silencing o legi ima e social discussion o heal h and policy issues.
E hical Dilemmas in Repo ing Sensi i e Social Issues
Sensi i e opics like child abuse o gende -based iolence a e equen ly co e ed wi h
e hical con lic s aised. Seconda y ic imiza ion can be caused by g aphic epo ing,
sensa ional headlines o gi ing names o ic ims (Ruhl Iba a e al., 2024). In a case in
poin , news po als which epo ed on ins ances o child abuse in Punjab and Sindh we e
condemned ac oss he boa d due o he ac ha hey pos ed pic u es and de ails o he
abuses ha did no mee he e hical s anda ds, leading o a backlash and a oci y on he
amilies o he ic ims.
P o essional bodies ha e published e hical codes in which hey sugges ha he ic im be
anonymized, ha sensa ionalism should be a oided and ha he s o y should be pu in o
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con ex o a oid ha ming. The compliance is howe e no ha high especially in smalle
online ou le s ha pu p io i y on a ic a he han esponsible epo ing. These
ins ances show ha laws a e no enough o sol e he ills ha he socie y aces; mo al
sel -con ol and p o essional esponsibili y a e also ins umen al.
P i acy and Digi al Su eillance Conce ns
In usion in o p i acy o indi iduals h ough s a e su eillance and hacking in o digi al
communica ions has also posed a hind ance o in es iga i e jou nalism. In 2022,
jou nalis s who co e ed go e nmen p ocu emen and co up ion cases also said ha hey
we e ying o moni o hei emails and social media accoun s, which weakened hei
capaci y o p o ec hei sou ces (AlAsh y, 2024). These examples show why p o ec ion
o p i acy, bo h in laws and in echnology, is e y c ucial in ensu ing ha jou nalis s a e
able o ca y ou in es iga i e asks wi hou he ea o in imida ion.
The au ho highligh s ha he p i acy o jou nalis s in he digi al con ex is no jus he
issue o pe sonal igh s, bu he key o keeping he democ a ic media sys em unning, in
which whis leblowe s and in o man s will be ee o sha e hei in o ma ion (Iqbal,
2024). In he absence o sound p i acy laws, epo e s will censo hemsel es o e ade
co e ing issues o in e es o he audience.
Sel -Censo ship and Edi o ial Cons ain s
Sel -censo ship in p ess is usually caused by ambiguous s a u o y laws and he
possibili y o being punished. As an illus a ion, in he case o poli ical c ises and
demons a ions in 20212023, he jou nalis s who epo ed on he opposi ion mo emen s
in he la ges ci ies do no publish c i ical analysis because o he h ea o p osecu ion on
he basis o PECA 2016 (KHAN, 2024). This sel -censo ship comp omises he
accoun abili y o he people and es ic s he a ie y o dialogue wi hin he each o he
ci izen y, which b ings ou he ension be ween egula ion and he eedom o exp ession.
The concep o sel -censo ship is also a mani es a ion o wide socio-poli ical p essu es,
such as being ha assed by poli ical o ces o he online olling campaigns. In coping
wi h hese p essu es, jou nalis s ha e o manage p o essional du y e sus pe sonal and
o ganiza ional pe il and he con lic be ween legal, e hical and poli ical aspec s o
p ac ice.
Media Li e acy and Public Engagemen
The e is a lack o media li e acy in he gene al popula ion, also con ibu ing o
di icul ies in egula ing speech on he In e ne . The ailu e o unde s and con en , he
sensa ional and i al news and he ailu e o dis inguish be ween c edible sou ces and
misin o ma ion leads o a cycle o sp eading misin o ma ion. In Pakis an, esea ch has
shown ha use s end o pos un e i ied in o ma ion on Wha sApp and Facebook and do
no c oss- e i y he in o ma ion, which inc eases he socie al e ec o un e i ied con en
(Im an & Maqsood, 2025).
I is hus he esponsibili y o jou nalis s o be esponsible in epo ing ac i i ies and
educa ing he publics on media li e acy. Wo kshops, campaigns o public awa eness,
collabo a ion be ween media o ganiza ions and ci il socie y could help empowe he
audience o be able o c i ically assess con en . The combina ion o a s a egy o public
engagemen wi h legal p o ec ion and e hics epo ing is a comp ehensi e app oach o
educing online ha ms.
These a e desc ip i e examples ha emphasize he wo-dimensional issues o con olling
online speech in Pakis an. Misin o ma ion, e hical issues, b each o p i acy, sel -
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censo ship and low le els o media li e acy o he popula ion a e all examples ha show
ha e en such legal measu es as PECA 2016, hough essen ial, a e no enough alone.
The only way o achie e p ope egula ion is o inco po a e law, e hics, echnology and
communi y pa icipa ion in a way ha digi al jou nalism becomes use ul o he socie y
and a he same ime p ese ing he democ a ic igh s and he wel a e o he socie y.
Balancing Regula ion and F eedom
The p ocess o egula ing and being ee in digi al jou nalism is a complica ing and
u gen dilemma in Pakis an. P ope online speech egula ion should no igno e he need
o balance he igh s o he socie y o anquili y, indi idual igh s and he in e es s o he
socie y wi h he need o espec he eedom o speech, e hical esponsibili y and
democ a ic anspa ency. This necessi a es a mul idimensional app oach in which legal
p o ec ion, codes o e hics, echnological applica ions, p i acy igh s and engagemen o
he people a e in eg a ed.
Legal Sa egua ds and Cla i y
One o he key mo es in es ablishing he balance is he imp o emen o he cu en laws
o make hem mo e ambiguous and less p one o abuse. Al hough essen ial in comba ing
cybe c ime, The P e en ion o Elec onic C imes Ac (PECA) 2016 su e s he
agueness o de ini ion namely wi h ega ds o wha cons i u es as o ensi e o alse
in o ma ion (Niazi e al., 2025). Necessa y is p ecise and unambiguous legal language o
assis in es ablishing he bounda y be ween ma e ial ha is ac ually ha m ul and wha is
law ul exp ession and educe he needless imposi ion and sel -censo ship.
Possible solu ions o imp o e accoun abili y and ai ness could be p ocedu al
p o ec ions, including ime ame o be adhe ed o when ca ying ou in es iga ions,
independen sys em and explici appeal mechanisms (Akh a e al., 2024). These
mechanisms ensu e ha he en o cemen mechanisms a e no oo es ic i e o he
legi ima e jou nalis ic ope a ion and he ci izens ha e con idence in he egula o y
mechanism. In addi ion o his, PECA ough o be coo dina ed wi h o he s ipula ions in
he Pakis an Penal Code and Telecommunica ion Ac , which can educe he
disin eg a ion o he egula ion o ensu e ha jou nalis s do no wo k unde he
agmen ed legal sys em (Salman, 2023).
E hical Accoun abili y and P o essional Codes
Legal ac ion should ollow, bu no only ha o ensu e he esponsible online jou nalism.
Sel - egula ion is an e hical pilla , which is co e in de eloping he balance be ween
eedom and p o ec ion o he socie y. Codes o conduc o he p o essionals such as he
ones p oposed by he Council o Pakis an Newspape Edi o s (CPNE) and he Pakis an
P ess Founda ion a e aimed a e i ica ion, a oidance o sensa ionalism and sa e y o
ulne able g oups (Sa wa e al., 2023).
The media ou le s a e equi ed o ins i u ionalize he e hical aining p og ams, edi o ial
con ols commi ees and accoun abili y mechanisms o s eng hen he compliance wi h
such s anda ds. As an illus a ion, edi o ial guidelines equi ing ha he ic ims o
sensi i e s o ies be anonymized, ac -checking guidelines and in e nal e iew o he
con en accu acy can help ha m wi hou necessa ily eso ing o ex e nal means, such as
he legal igh hand. E hical esponsibili y enables jou nalis s o make sound judgmen s
ha a e in no only legal limi s bu also in he in e es o he socie y.
