International Journal of Media & Development Communication

Analysing How Pakistani Journalists Navigate Threats Towards Their Press Freedom

Tarteel Rao — 2025-12-30

Pakistan remains one of the world’s most challenging environments for journalists. While national media have at times criticized governments and even helped unseat military rulers, individual reporters continue to face intimidation, censorship, and the constant risk of violence. This study investigates how journalists working in Pakistan sustain their professional practice under such pressure and what their strategies reveal about the realities of press freedom. Adopting an inductive qualitative design, the research draws on extensive, in-depth interviews with reporters from mainstream print and TV media channels across Pakistan. Participants represented a range of political orientations and career stages, allowing exploration of diverse experiences and coping mechanisms. Analysis shows that journalists often respond to political and military threats through pragmatic conformity: selectively avoiding certain topics, softening language, or framing stories to align with powerful interests while still attempting to inform the public. The findings demonstrate that Pakistani journalists are not merely passive victims but active navigators of a tightly constrained media landscape. Their strategies illustrate how professional integrity can coexist with calculated compliance, revealing a form of everyday journalistic courage shaped by necessity rather than overt defiance. The study concludes that understanding press freedom requires attention not only to external restrictions but also to the adaptive practices journalists adopt to survive. These insights contribute to global debates on media independence, inform policies aimed at safeguarding journalists, and highlight the complex relationship between power, risk, and professional ethics in politically repressive contexts.

Igorot Shared Ways of Ethnic Identity Self Identification in Facebook Groups

Stephanie Luanne R. Lagasca — 2025-12-30

This paper looks at how the Igorots of Northern Luzon, Philippines sustain their ethnic self-identification through shared ways of speaking in Facebook groups. The author conducted a case study to analyze the communicative acts of posting by the Igorots, using Trimble’s Ethnic Self-Identification Measurement Domains Model. Specific to this paper are cultural concepts that characterize the collective identity of the Igorots: ili - the hometown and gag-ay - sharing of stories during community gatherings. The author posits that the Facebook groups studied are the virtual ilis of the Igorots; interactions in these Facebook groups make for the online gag-ay. The results show that there are nine shared ways of speaking across the three Facebook groups. These are (1) the use of the word Igorot in the Facebook group names; (2) the use of Igorot artifacts in the Facebook group cover photos; (3) references to Igorot culture in the Facebook group descriptions; (4) the use of speech community’s language in their Facebook pages; (5) featuring Igorot towns and places in their Facebook pages; (6) focus on Igorot personalities/events; (7) focus on Igorot-related topics in articles posted; (8) sharing of Igorot music videos/self-made videos in the group page; and (9) memes in the local language. Through the shared ways of communicating ethnic identity, the Igorots engage in storytelling (pan-iistorya) and discussions of ideas, views, and feelings (pantatabtavel), thereby preserving gag-ay in the virtual ilis forms of social interaction that remain central to the Igorot culture.

Voice of The Voiceless People: Policy Practice for The Sustainability of Community Radio in Bangladesh

Md. Fukrul Karim — 2025-12-30

This is a qualitative and quantitative research on community radio stations in Bangladesh for their sustainability and identify the policy option for their operation. There are seventeen community radio is broadcasting the programs under the different NGO’s. Among the seventeen radio stations, this research intends to explore the empirical study from the selected eight radio station. This study is conducting on the facts and figures of community radio stations. It can find out the best policy option for their survival and also emphasis on financial health for its sustainability. It also evaluates the governance and policy in Bangladesh. The paper draws qualitative analysis from the theories of policy development like; stakeholder analysis, PESTLE, SWOT analysis, Multicriteria analysis. This study completed to focus on literature review and conducted interviews. Sometimes institutional data and records were used. Basically, it views sustainability issues which can emphasis on financial resources. How can CRS run smoothly and able to gain better opportunity for its sustainability. In this study, community radio gets a pictorial view to enhance their sustainability and meet up financial scarcity from different sources. Finally, the conclusion line can be drawn from the real data and figures of the eight community radio stations and it should be based on the financial sustainability which can based on their social, organizational and financial strength and weakness. Nevertheless, it should be focus on innovative idea and income generation activities like advertising can play vital role to minimize the existing challenges but there should have sound policy practice. In this case, sound organizational and management policy of community radio is vital for their operations at the grass-root levels. Absence of those, community radio faces challenges and could not operate soundly in the future. In the long run, all community radio station faces huge financial crisis. Consequently, poor performance of community radio and lack of people’s involvement in the radio station could not achieve the goals. The study intends to identify real facts and rationale of identifying the problem as a policy concern and also focus on policy gaps. On the other hand, the paper has analyzed the context of the policy and problem analysis with problem tree in considered different context of the problem. The research also presented the analysis of the problem and policy tools and instrument based on primary and secondary data. Finally, the study analyzing from the primary and secondary data and the questionnaire, it suggested specific policy opinion considering the causes and effects of the problem.

Role of YouTube in Promotion of Educational Activities among University Students

Muhammad Mustafa Anwara — 2025-12-30

This study explores the role of YouTube in promoting educational activities among university students in Pakistan. Data was collected from 300 students through a structured questionnaire by applying quantitative descriptive research design. The findings reveal that a majority of students frequently use YouTube to understand complex academic concepts, prepare for examinations, and supplement classroom learning. Statistical analysis indicates a moderate positive correlation between YouTube usage and academic performance. The study concludes that YouTube serves as an effective complementary learning tool, enhancing student motivation, comprehension, and engagement. Recommendations include the integration of curated YouTube content into academic curricula and training students in digital literacy for more effective learning outcomes. These findings contribute to the increasing discourse on the usage of social media in higher education.

Self-Medication Practices Among University Students: A Case of Gilgit-Baltistan

Faiza Muneeb — 2025-12-30

Self-medication the consumption of drugs without a doctor-prescription is now a serious interna-tional health-related issue. It is specifically worrying within the low-resource environments, where economic deprivation, lack of medical services, and social values promote informal care. This paper aims to explore how common, why, and why self-medication is among the students at Ka-rakoram International University (KIU) located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The cross-sectional quantitative survey was carried out with 181 students in different faculties. The SPSS v.23 was used to analyze the data through descriptive and Chi-square tests. The findings showed that most respondents engaged in self-medication (74.6 percent) and it was mainly due to colds and flu and headaches. The most common drugs were Panadol (34.3 percent), Paracetamol (27.1 percent), and Ponistan (13.3 percent). Preceding experience (42 percent), inaccessibility to healthcare (28.2 per-cent) and financial limitations (21 percent) were major motivations. Interestingly, 47 percent felt that antibiotics could heal viral infections and over half of them recommended self-medication. The results show that there exist deeply seated behavioral, cultural, and structural determinants of self-medication. The exclusive health-literacy programs and advocacy measures at the university, health communication related projects, and regulations of the medical policy, are in vital requisite to lessen perilous drug usage in Gilgit-Baltistan and other underserved districts.

Effects Of Digital Food Advertising and Its Influence on Children's Dietary Choices in Lahore, Pakistan

Nazneen Noor — 2025-12-30

The media plays a very crucial role in shaping minds and altering the behavioral effects on individuals. Advertising is the most persuasive medium in influencing people of any age. Digital media is now performing the role of strategized marketing techniques with innovative advertising content. It is most commonly used among children to watch different entertaining contentincluding advertisements of their interests. Digitalized food commercials are targeting children who have the strength to develop behavioral changes and health issues. Children prefer unhealthy food, which may cause many diseases. The researcher had studied the effects of digital food advertising and its influence on children's dietary choices in Lahore, Pakistan. Researcher finds out marketing strategy of commercials and their effects on children, and has examined the influence of digitalized food advertisement on children’s health. This research tends to study parents’ role and their interest in their child’s food preferences. Here, the researcher had applied two theories, cultivation and social learning theory. Methodology used by the researcher in this article is quantitative and involved conducting a survey method in which a questionnaire is used as a tool, and had applied convenient sampling technique was applied. The results show that the children’s eating behavior is affected. So, it’s having a greater impact on children’s behavior, and after watching, children’s eating patterns and their behavior are altered. Food commercials are making children stubborn and engaging them to buy certain products, which can, in turn, alter their behavior after watching food advertisements.