Media is changing from facts to opinions: Javed Jabbar

E-Paper | July 29, 2026

Former federal information minister Javed Jabbar on Wednesday said that the print media is changing from being a source of facts to opinions.

He said while addressing the ceremony of “Excellence in Journalism Awards 2017” that the media is doing a good job and playing its vital part in the society but it will have to walk without commercialisation.

The awards ceremony was organised by the Centre for Communication Programmes Pakistan (CCPP) and the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ-IBA) in partnership with Palladium Pakistan at Institute of Business Administration (IBA) to promote and recognise specialised reporting in Pakistan.

Twelve reporters from across Pakistan were acknowledged at the ceremony for their work on rights-based stories.

Earlier, CEJ-IBA Director Kamal Siddiqi, IBA Dean and Director Dr Farrukh Iqbal and others also addressed the award ceremony.

Those who won the awards include Amina Shaheen (Geo TV), Shayan Saleem (Samaa TV), Shumaila Jaffery (BBC), Yousaf Ajab Baloch (Balochistan Point), Bilal Karim Mughal and Saher Baloch (Dawn.com), Atika Rehman, Fahad Naveed and Munnazzah Raza (Dawn.com), Mohammad Atif Sheikh (Freelance), Syed Sajjad Kazmi (Daily Dunya), Fariha Fatima (ARY News), Nisar Ahmed Khan (DawnNews), Islam Gul Afridi (Daily Akhbar E Khyber), and Amjad Ali (Daily Islab).

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Observer - Canada

Dec 21, 2017 02:58am

Congratulations to all those who received awards at this ceremony. They are sane voices in journalism. Mr Javed Jabbar is absolutely right regarding commercialization of media. We need to bear in mind the fact that media be it print or electronic cannot survive without commercialization but the important point is the balancing act so that it is not over-commercialized and starts hurting the interests of the society. I remember having listened to JJ long ago at IBA and found him very reasonable and knowledgeable professional in advertising industry.

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Jared lee

Dec 21, 2017 03:16am

JJ is so right about it. If you see various shows on media, it is very easy to notice that only a small percentage of people in media (hosts and guests) refer to facts, the rest talk only about opinions and views that don't serve any purpose. Even media hosts (men and women) seem to be restless, anxious, loud, aggressive, and at times, disrespectful. So, forget about being calm, relaxed, and humble, qualities which actually help people think before they speak.

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Dec 21, 2017 05:45am

This is the most subtle expression of something that is ruining the country last few years...

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Music to My Ears

Dec 21, 2017 06:19am

Is he kidding? Journalists and the Media always have opinions. It is the social media outlets that do not check sources or verify facts. There is The Media and then there is social media. Not the same. There are journalists in the media, particularly the print and network television media. Very few journalists exist on social media because the social media wants only "likes" and internet ratings. Javad Jabbar needs to be more careful who he allows to interview him.

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