Abstract

This research study discusses the problems and prospects of the English-language newspapers that were either launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or are still being published in the province. The English-language press is a mirror to the international community because English is an international means of communication. However, the English press in KP has been on the decline for a host of reasons. The study concludes that local English newspapers of KP province are losing their readership, particularly print versions, and they also face a lack of advertisements from the government, a lack of business or corporate sector, and the emergence and use of online media, comparatively high prices of the newspapers, In the end, the study gives recommendations, which may guide the owners and media managers of the local English-language newspapers about how to improve the state of the press in the province.

Key Words

English Newspapers, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Online Media, Local Press

Introduction

This study looks at the English-language newspapers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the challenges they are facing, and future prospects. English-language newspapers, like their other contemporaries, have also played an important role in the development of society, particularly in the areas that remained under the influence of British imperialism. But despite the significant role of print media, newspaper reading has declined in recent years globally. Guest (2016) considers that newspaper readership has fallen and print dailies have lost paid subscribers by almost 20 percent since 2006. She adds that not only the readership of print newspapers has fallen, but advertisers are now also less willing to purchase newspaper ads. 

Rahimullah Yusufzai Rahimullah Yusufzai passed away in September 2021, a senior journalist and resident editor of The News International in Peshawar, considers the low literacy/education rate as one of the reasons behind the low readership of English-language newspapers, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He adds that the high cost of newspapers is also a reason behind low readership and circulation most people cannot afford to buy papers (Personal Communication, August 1, 2015). 

Another reason cited for the weaker state of newspapers is a scarce business in the province. Ismail Khan, the resident editor of the daily Dawn in Peshawar, says that the main reason behind the decline and weaker state of English-language newspapers in KP is the lack of corporate sector (personal communication, May 25, 2016). Also, some newspapers have launched their Peshawar editions while working from outside the Peshawar area. For example, due to the proximity of the federal capital Islamabad to Peshawar, daily Dawn management is not interested in starting printing their edition in Peshawar the paper prints its Peshawar edition in Islamabad and then delivers it to different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while it covers Rawalpindi and Islamabad in separate editions. Similarly, the Express Tribune has also launched its Peshawar edition but the edition is edited in its head offices at Karachi.

Though there are several English-language newspapers in Pakistan such as Daily Dawn, The News International, Express Tribune, etc, this study is focused on the English-language newspapers that are published and printed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

Like other forms of media, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had several English-language newspapers in the past. However several English-language newspapers appeared and closed down within a few years after their launching in the province. The newspapers that are published in the province nowadays are The Frontier Post, The Statesman, The Frontier Star, Daily Times, and Lead Pakistan. The Express Tribune, which is a national-level newspaper, has launched its Peshawar edition but the staff is working from the Karachi office. News International had also started printing its copies in Peshawar recently but it sealed its printing press in Peshawar due to a financial crisis and its pages are designed in the Lahore office and then shifted to Peshawar for onward circulation to different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. There were some newspapers that were launched but closed down later. 

Literature Review

Mass media have always played a vital role in the development of their respective countries because they carry out important functions, ie to inform, educate, and entertain people. Media have a number of effects on society. Locksley (2008) posits that media contribute to good governance as well as the functioning of markets, that they inspire positive changes in the behavior of individuals and groups, that they highlight areas for investment such as infrastructure, and that the media provide jobs to people, thus directly improving living standards in any social setup.

Before going into the details of why the English-language press is on the decline in KP, the researcher would like to delve into the history of the press. The Roman Empire had launched Acta Diurna (meaning Daily Acts), which was a government bulletin that came out around 59 BC, as per the order of Julius Caesar, a Roman army general and statesman. The bulletin, which was carved in metal or stone, used to be displayed at places that were frequented by the public.

Authorities in China used government-owned news bulletins, known as tipao, during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD when the region was under the rule of the Han dynasty (Brook, 1998). Those newssheets were commonly used in courts. In 1556, the Venice government first published Notizie Scritte (Written Notices), which was a monthly and sold for one gazetta, a Venetian coin in those times. However, none of those publications could get the status of proper newspapers because they were not meant for commoners and served the interests of authorities only: the newsletters had some information on topics like politics, economy, and army-related information but they were not considered newspapers.

Hassan and Khurshid (2004) say that in the 7th or 8th century, the Tang Dynasty published the Peking Gazette. They also say that in the 15th century, John Gutenberg introduced printing with moveable type, independent of the Chinese invention. This led to the development of the printing press. 

Iqbal (2010a) says that before the emergence of Pakistan on the map of the globe, the press in the Subcontinent was inimical with regard to relations with the British rulers and that it made efforts for freedom. Iqbal refers to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who was an editor and owner of several newspapers, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan who owned the daily Zamindar and daily Comrade, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hasrat Mohani and others, and said that all of them used their news organizations in favor of the freedom movement launched by Muslims in the Subcontinent. 

James Augustus Hickey started the first formal newspaper in the Subcontinent, known as the Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser from Calcutta (Hickey, 1918). Hickey was an Irish national and had spent years in jail. He was opposed to the then Governor-General Lord Warren Hastings and wrote articles criticizing the activities of Lady Hastings, the wife of Lord Hastings. The paper, which was launched in 1780 and seized in 1782, is considered the first English-language and the first printed newspaper in the Indian Subcontinent.

According to International Media Support (2009), the Pakistani media cannot be considered a separate entity from the pre-partition period of British India when most newspapers were launched to support the agenda of partition or communalistic ideas. Muhammad Ali Jinnah founded Daily Dawn which started publishing in 1941. Dawn played its role in the independence movement and worked to achieve an independent Pakistan. 

The emergence of Pakistan on the map of the world also caused problems for various newspapers. Khan (2011) mentions that after the inception of Pakistan in 1947, several newspapers opted to shift to their "lands of belief", ie Pakistan and India, as did people on both sides of the border. Some newspapers ceased to publish when they were faced with a host of problems in the wake of the migration and problems related to emergencies in the two countries.  Many Muslim newspapers left India for Pakistan while several newspapers owned by Hindus were shifted to India. Surviving the new market conditions of newly born Pakistan was a difficult task for the press. 

Niazi (1987) says that about 32 English dailies and as many weeklies existed in the Subcontinent in 1937. Before the eve of partition (1947), he adds, the number of dailies swelled to 51 and that of weeklies to 258. Nawa-e-Waqt, another conservative newspaper that served as the mouthpiece of the Muslim elite, was set up in 1940. Hence, the print media of Pakistan emerged with an aim to promote the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims in the shape of Pakistan.

Khan (2011) says that Pakistan had less than 50 daily newspapers in the 1950s. The number of papers swelled to 121, including 13 English-language dailies, in 1985. The newspapers grew in numbers further in 1988 when the government relaxed rules for declarations of the print media.  In 1997, the number of newspapers and magazines reached 1,223. However, the government in 1999 irregular publications from its list, and 738 were left. In 2011, there were the number of dailies was 317, weeklies 217, fortnightlies 25, and monthlies 165, all published in English, Urdu, and other languages of the region. It is also a complicated task to ascertain the circulation of newspapers because it is viewed as a trade secret. Also, the papers usually exaggerate their circulation figures because they receive administrations from the government on the basis of their circulation. 




Declining Readership 

Despite the significant role of the press, the state of local English-language press in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is weak. Several newspapers were launched but later ceased to publish. 

Patel (2010) also considers the emergence of the Internet as a competitor to the newspaper industry. She says the Internet can distribute news content at little cost to readers as compared to the print media which need to spend money on printing and delivery of news to the audience. The Internet has altered the behavior of American readers regarding news consumption as there has been a drastic increase in the number of people who access news online. 

She adds that most of the US newspapers had circulation below 100,000, except leading papers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. She posits that the New York Times, which had a circulation figure above 1 million, has the figure reduced to about 950,000, ie a decline of 8.5 percent. 

There are a number of other reasons for the low circulation of newspapers. Ahrens (2009) says that some publishers of newspapers in the United States do not like to deliver newspapers to distant and far-off areas to save expenditures on fuel and production. Another reason, he cites, is the increasing prices of some newspapers.

There are several reasons behind the decline of local press. Dear (2006) considers that the high circulation of national and international newspapers has affected the local and regional press in various parts of the world. He says that across the world, the circulation of national as well as international press is almost 70% while the circulation of local newspapers is about 30%. The researcher argues that another problem faced by local newspapers is the non-availability of modern printing technology, compared to international newspapers.

Patel (2010) also considers the emergence of the Internet as a competitor to the newspaper industry. She says the Internet can distribute news content at little cost to readers as compared to the print media which need to spend money on printing and delivery of news to the audience. The Internet has altered the behavior of American readers regarding news consumption as there has been a drastic increase in the number of people who access news online. She adds that most of the US newspapers had circulation below 100,000, except leading papers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. She posits that the New York Times, which had a circulation figure above 1 million, has the figure reduced to about 950,000, ie a decline of 8.5 percent. 

Ahrens (2009) says that some publishers of newspapers in the United States do not like to deliver newspapers to distant and far-off areas to save expenditures on fuel and production. Another reason, he cites, is the increasing prices of some newspapers.

According to the Press Council of India (2005), sometimes journalists of the local press in any area resort to blackmailing and violating ethics since they lack professional skills, compared to workers of the international press. It stated that local newspapers have a big contribution to national issues and problems as well as to national and international journalism. But a major problem is that the journalists of local press usually lack proper training on how to cover events and use modern technology. The report also mentions that the council conducted research to find out the number of community newspapers and their problems. After a debate, the participants gave recommendations to encourage the small newspapers in the community. According to the recommendations, the government should back the local newspapers by giving them advertisements, low-cost newsprint, and equipment at concessional rates and ensure swift clearance of the advertisement bills. It also calls for organizing training workshops and seminars for the journalists of the local press. 

The Council report also considers that the launching of regional editions by big newspapers is also an impediment to the circulation of the local press. The local press also faces a problem in the form of technological advancements and non-availability of the qualified staff because of financial constraints. It also fails to compete with the big papers in terms of price.   

The Council mentions that co-operatives of small newspapers should be encouraged to run cost-effective modern printing presses, properly use the Internet, and hold training workshops for journalists and printers to boost the overall quality of local newspapers.  It also calls for assisting the small newspapers by giving them subsidized newsprint. It also stresses the need to study the role of small newspapers in a multi-language country and to find ways to improve the quality of small-scale press.

The newspaper reading is plummeted throughout the world in recent years. Sweney (2015) says that time spent reading newspapers plummeted by over 25 percent all over the world between 2010 and 2014. However, he says this decline is 3 percent in the UK where the newsprint is comparatively popular. 

He sheds light on the shift from paper-based media to mobile devices and says that about 20 million users of mobile phones in the UK browse news on their hand-held devices. He cites studies saying that the decline in newspaper readership is likely to reach 35 percent by the year 2017. The World Wide Web has revolutionized the distribution of news to people across the globe. Various websites constantly update their breaking news and some sites even offer alerts to readers through emails. Famous British weekly magazine, The Economist (2006), in an article about the downfall of newspapers, has stated that newspapers' circulation has been declining in America, Western Europe, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand for the last several decades. The magazine claims that the Internet has contributed greatly to this decline in recent years. The magazine says that Britons aged from 15 to 24 years spend about 30% less time reading newspapers when they begin surfing the net.

Also, one factor behind low readership is the low education rate in the country. Shah (2010) posits that English-language newspapers are read by almost 11 percent population of the country while Urdu newspapers have a huge audience. The researcher also says that Urdu newspapers mostly discuss domestic issues affecting people's lives like power outages, price hikes, etc while the English-language press highlights international affairs more, compared to others. 

Transportation facilities also play a key role in the circulation of newspapers. Khan (2011) posits that besides the low literacy rate and poverty, the poor communications setup is also a reason behind the low readership of the print media as the paper cannot reach every part of the country. 

On the basis of general observation and research, the condition of the English-language newspapers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is weak because several English newspapers were launched and then they ceased to publish within a few years of beginning. The English-language newspapers that were launched and then ceased to publish in the province are The Khyber Mail, the Khyber News, and the Khyber Mail International. Similarly, the Frontier Post, the Frontier Star, The Statesman, Lead Pakistan, and Daily Times are the newspapers that are still running but they are also faced with problems like financial issues and others and are having low circulation due to a lack of readership, scarcity of business/advertisements and a host of other issues. 




The rationale of the Study

The English-language press is just like the face of the region to the international community. English language is our language of communication at the international level. There are instances in which an issue is reported in the Urdu-language media but the policymakers of international organizations like the United Nations and others do not come to know about it and they only know about it when the issue is highlighted and covered by the English-language newspapers. Hence, it is important to improve and develop the English-language press in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which has become a hotbed for news due to Talibanisation, military operations, and turbulent law and order situation. Also, the mainstream media do not give enough coverage to local issues sometimes, this is why the local press can play a key role in such circumstances.

Research Methodology

The researcher applied a qualitative method for this study, whereas, intensive interviews were held with senior journalists and owners of the local English press of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for data collection. This study is mainly focused on achieving the following objectives:

1. To compare local English-language newspapers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with other areas of Pakistan.

2. To find out the challenges being faced by the English-language press in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

3. To draft recommendations for the growth of the local English newspapers of KP. 




Research Question

? Why is the English Press on the decline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan?

To answer the research question, the following hypotheses have been developed on the basis of general observations and literature review: 




Hypotheses 

1. The English press is on the decline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of the lesser readership. 

2. The English press lacks support from the government in terms of advertisements.

3. The revenue/business is also scarce for the KP English-language press.

4. The online media has also led to a decline in the readership of English press in KP.

The researcher used an unstructured questionnaire as a tool for data collection. Thematic analysis was later applied through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to ensure objectivity in the outcomes. 

Data Analysis

Data was analyzed in descriptive statistics to explore the views of respondents regarding the issue. The statistical analysis is based on a thematic examination of the responses. 




 

Table. 1

Respondent Demographics

	Variables	F	%
Age	20-30	1	8.33
	31-40	4	33.33
	Above	7	58.33
	Total	12	100
Experience	5-10	2	16.66
	11-15	1	8.33
	16-20	4	33.33
	Above	5	41.66
	Total	12	100

 




Table 1 shows the demographics of the respondents 8.3% of them were between 20 and 30 years old, 33% were between 31 and 40 years old and 58.33% were above 40 years old. Similarly, 16.66% of respondents had 5-10 years of experience, 8.33% had 11-15 years, 33.33% had 10-20 years of experience and 41.66% had more than 20 years of experience in journalism.   

Figure 1

Historical background of English-language press in KP

Figure 1 shows that 91% of respondents said the English-language press was a successful exercise when launched as several papers became popular soon after being launched. 

Figure 2

Status of English-language press in KP



According to Figure 2, 75% of respondents said the beginning of English newspapers led to considerable growth in the initial days, 17% said they were not sure about it and 8% said the English-language press was on decline even in the beginning.




 

Table. 2

Reasons behind the success of Islamabad's English press

	Islamabad		Lahore		Quetta		Karachi
Variables	F	%	F	%	F	%	F	%
High literacy rate of readers in Islamabad
The high purchasing power of Islamabad readers
More advertisement revenue from govt to the press in Islamabad
Ad revenues from the private sector to the English press in Islamabad
Availability of professional English-language journalists in Islamabad	1	8.33	1	8.33	1	8.33	1	8.33
Low cost of production in Islamabad	0		0		0		0
Geographical proximity to target areas (where paper is distributed)	0		0		0		0
Easy access to information sources in the federal capital
i, ii, iii	2	16.66	5	41.66	8	66.6	4	33.33
i – iv	5	41.66	3	25	3	25	4	33.33
i, viii	4	33.33	3	25			3	25
Total	12	100	12	100	12	100	12	100

 




Table 6 points out that 8.33% of respondents said the English press of Islamabad is stronger because of the availability of professional English-language journalists in the federal capital, 16.66% selected three options that due to the high literacy rate of readers, high purchasing power, and more advertisement revenue from the government to press,  41.66% think that high the literacy rate of readers, high purchasing power, more advertisement revenue from government to press, and Advertisement revenue from private sector are the reasons of behind Islamabad press., while 33.33% of the respondents selected all the 8 options which are important for the success of Islamabad press.

Table 6 shows that 8.33% of respondents viewed the availability of professional English-language journalists as a factor behind the success of Lahore's English press. Similarly, 41.66% of respondents selected options high literacy rate, high purchasing power, and ad revenue from government, 25% selected high purchasing power and ad revenue from government and ad revenue from the private sector, 25% said that high literacy rate and easy access to information sources are factors that make Lahore's English press stronger than KP.

Table 6 shows that 8.33% of respondents selected the availability of professional English-language journalists, 66.6% selected five options including high literacy rate, high purchasing power, ad revenue from government and private sector as well as the availability of professional  English-language journalists to be factors behind the success of KP's English-language press.

According to Table 6 8.33% of respondents selected the option availability of professional English-language journalists, 33.33% selected three options including high literacy rate, high purchasing power and ad revenue from government, 33.33% selected high literacy rate, high purchasing power, ad revenue from government and private sector and availability professional English-language journalists in Karachi and 25% viewed geographical proximity to target areas (where paper is distributed) and easy access to information sources in Karachi as being the factors behind progress of the port city’s English language newspapers.

Figure 3

Causes of the weakness of KP's English press



Figure 3. shows reasons behind the decline of English-language press in the province; 16.66% pointed out a low literacy rate, 33.33% said there is a lack of revenue, 16.66% said people are not interested in investing in media, 25% said there is lack of professionalism and 8.33% said KP's English language press is weaker due to monopoly of other big organizations from other parts of the country. 

By professionalism, the researcher means a professional environment for journalists like good salary, job security, etc, and also the competence and ability of journalists to do their duties in a professional way. 

Summary and Conclusion

Like other forms of media, the English-language press in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has played a key role in informing, educating, and entertaining people. Because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been a hotbed for news due to militancy, military operations and Talibanization, the role of English-language newspapers has become more important in the region. 

The English language is the region's face towards the international community as there have been instances that the local Urdu or Pashto newspapers have reported an issue, but that issue could not be brought to the notice international community till it was highlighted by the English-language media.  

It is concluded that Urdu-language press is more successful in KP as compared to English, Pashto, and Hindko press. It is also concluded that in the beginning, English-language newspapers were a successful exercise in the province. The results also summarised that in the beginning of the English press, had become popular in those times because there was British rule in the region. 

It is also concluded that Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, and Karachi-based English press is stronger than KP because of the high literacy rate of readers, high purchasing power, more advertisement revenue from the government and private sector, availability of professional English-language journalists, low cost of production, geographical proximity to target areas where paper is distributed, easy access to information sources. 

Overall, the study disclosed that lack of advertisements, professionalism of both the journalists and newspaper owners, low literacy rate, lack of corporate, monopoly of big organizations (mainstream newspapers launched from other parts of the country, outside KP), and loose rules of government for giving declarations to owners to launch newspapers, shortage of investors, little purchasing capability of readers in KP, difficulty in accessing information sources, unavailability of professional English-language journalists and little revenue from government and private sectors are the reasons and factors for weaker state of English-language press in KP. 

Recommendations

? In the light of results of the study, it is recommended that the government release advertisements to provide financial assistance that will give a boost to local English-language press in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

? It is also recommended that the professionalism of both the journalists and newspaper owners can improve the state of English newspapers in KP.

? It is also recommended that the journalists and owners use simple and easy-to-understand language for readers to improve the state of the English press in KP.

? It is also suggested that the big companies give advertisements to the English press in KP to improve its state. 

? It is also recommended to the investors to start local English newspapers in the province to beat the monopoly of mainstream English newspapers in the country.

? It is also suggested that the government make strict rules for issuing declarations to owners to launch newspapers and to ensure that the owners have adequate resources to meet expenditures for the newspapers.

? It is also recommended to both the government and owners of English newspapers to reduce the prices of newspapers to enable more readers to purchase newspapers in KP. 

? It is also suggested to hire professional English-language journalists and establish proper offices in the province to improve the state of the English press.

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