A double-edged sword? The role of mobile media in press freedom in Pakistan

“You are literally sometimes not allowed to say the names of the leaders of political parties on television. You cannot broadcast their pictures; that alone tells the whole story” (Participant J). Pakistani journalists, particularly political journalists, are going through unprecedented censorship and suppression. They are frequently abducted, harassed, and even killed for reporting on issues that challenge the country's powerful quarters. Pakistan also shares a place on Reporters Without Borders’ list of most censored nations with countries such as Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam, where governments use repressive tactics such as digital censorship and surveillance to threaten journalists and engineer draconian laws to punish them for doing their jobs. This study analyzes Pakistani political journalists’ perceptions and views of the roles of mobile media and mobile social media in negotiating state censorship and control. Drawing on the conceptual framework of communities of practice , on-ground interviews were conducted with Pakistani political journalists and reporters during the 2024 Pakistani general election. It is argued that mobile media such as smartphones and mobile social media, particularly X, have provided an alternative “free speech zone” to independent political journalists in Pakistan. However, it has also led to a surge in fake news, misinformation, and politically motivated propaganda across online and digital platforms due to the lack of effective regulation and oversight.