{"id":63825,"date":"2026-06-14T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T10:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/?p=63825"},"modified":"2026-06-14T10:16:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T10:16:00","slug":"why-is-the-fourth-pillar-of-the-state-ignored-in-the-budget-an-analytical-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/2026\/06\/14\/why-is-the-fourth-pillar-of-the-state-ignored-in-the-budget-an-analytical-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is the Fourth Pillar of the State Ignored in the Budget? An Analytical Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Pakistan, journalism is often referred to as the fourth pillar of the state. However, in the context of Budget 2026\u201327, a pressing question arises: does this pillar truly receive the attention and financial protection it deserves?<\/div>\n
The Budget 2026\u201327 does not include any major direct financial relief or special subsidy for newspapers or journalists. However, some development funds have been allocated under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, aimed at government media institutions, digitalization, and infrastructure improvement. These funds are not intended to address the salaries or day-to-day financial difficulties of newspapers or working journalists. Similarly, no significant relief package has been announced for the print media in terms of newsprint support, tax reductions, or subsidies, which means financial pressure on the sector is likely to persist. Overall, while the budget contains some institutional-level measures for the media sector, it does not provide any clear or direct financial support package for journalists or newspapers.<\/div>\n
Within the current financial structure, large and national newspapers do have a steady source of income in the form of government advertising. However, the benefit of this system largely remains confined to institutional owners, while the economic conditions of working journalists, those who actually produce the news show no significant improvement.<\/div>\n
The distribution of government advertising has been debated for decades. Major and well-established newspapers, due to their wide circulation and institutional influence, receive the majority of advertisements. This strengthens their owners and corporate structures, but the system does not translate into financial relief for lower-level journalists, reporters, and field workers. On the other hand, regional and smaller newspapers receive only a very limited share of advertising quotas, pushing them into financial crisis and threatening their institutional survival. As a result, a few powerful media organizations dominate advertising revenues, while a large segment of journalism remains economically insecure.<\/div>\n
Furthermore, most working journalists are employed on non-permanent contracts. They receive neither adequate salaries nor basic rights such as social security, insurance, or retirement benefits. While the current government advertising model provides institutional stability, it fails to ensure economic well-being for journalists at the human level. This contradiction exposes a gap between the theoretical recognition of journalism as the \u201cfourth pillar\u201d and its practical reality.<\/div>\n
Another major issue in budget formulation is the absence of a comprehensive and transparent database regarding newspaper circulation and the journalists working across different organizations. Due to the lack of reliable data, fair distribution of advertisements is not possible, nor can genuinely deserving journalists be properly identified. This gap is often exploited by large media houses and influential institutions, while regional journalism continues to weaken. Reports from international institutions such as the World Bank (worldbank.org<\/a>) and the International Monetary Fund (imf.org<\/a>) emphasize that transparent financial systems and accurate data are essential for fairness and efficiency in any sector. The Food and Agriculture Organization (fao.org<\/a>) also supports the principle that information transparency is crucial not only for economic stability but also for institutional sustainability. These principles apply equally to the media industry.<\/div>\n
The media industry, especially newspapers and print journalism, is heavily dependent on imported newsprint, printing materials, fuel, and electricity. When government financial facilitation, such as tax exemptions, subsidies, or reduced import duties is withdrawn or limited, the overall cost burden on media houses increases significantly. According to global economic principles, when institutions face rising production costs, they often pass these costs on to consumers or advertisers. Institutions such as the World Bank (worldbank.org<\/a>) and IMF (imf.org<\/a>) also note that cost shocks in production can spread across sectors and contribute to overall inflation.<\/div>\n
In conclusion, while the media is formally recognized as the fourth pillar of the state, it does not receive the structural protection necessary in practice for a strong democratic society. The unfair distribution of government advertising, the marginalization of regional newspapers, and the financial vulnerability of working journalists all highlight the urgent need for reform. If the federal government truly considers journalism the fourth pillar of the state and wishes to strengthen it, it must first establish a comprehensive database that includes accurate circulation figures, institutional structures, and journalist records. Alongside this, transparent and fair distribution of advertisements, quotas for regional media, and financial and social security systems for working journalists are essential. Otherwise, the \u201cfourth pillar of the state\u201d will remain merely a symbolic concept, benefiting only a few institutional centers, while the real foundation of journalism, the journalists themselves continues to face economic insecurity.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Pakistan, journalism is often referred to as the fourth pillar of the state. However, in the context of Budget 2026\u201327, a pressing question arises: does this pillar truly receive the attention and financial protection it deserves? The Budget 2026\u201327 does not include any major direct financial relief or special subsidy for newspapers or journalists. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[1123,75],"class_list":["post-63825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-editorial-articles","tag-why-is-the-fourth-pillar-of-the-state-ignored-in-the-budget-an-analytical-review","tag-zain-ul-abideen-abid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63825"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63827,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63825\/revisions\/63827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}