Internews is implementing a major project to train journalists to cover critical human rights, rule of law, and election issues facing Pakistan through practical training, support for innovative TV and radio programming, and a legal resource center to provide expert advice and small grants.

The $1.3 million project, funded by the Democracy, Human Rights and Labor bureau of US State Department, aims to expand the capacity of independent media in Pakistan through expert advice and advocacy in media law and regulation, and monitoring of freedom of expression issues by Internews and its local broadcast and university partners.

Support efforts to defend freedom of expression and rule of law reporting with expertise and small grants; and provide expertise on media rights and media development.

The project, to be implemented between October 2005 and March 2007 by Internews Pakistan , supports the following DRL goals in Pakistan :

1. Build capacity of independent media through a focus on investigative journalism

2. Promote rule of law through support for human rights and legal aid activities and clinics with civil society organizations, including media, political parties, and rights organizations

3. Strengthen freedom of expression by monitoring media freedoms and their violations

Internews has helped improve the broadcast journalism and media law environment in Pakistan by creating new university curricula; raising professional standards by training more than 150 working journalists/producers, including the first generation of female radio reporters; and working with regulatory agencies to create rational media regulatory policies in the industry. Improvements in the output of the new nongovernmental broadcasters can already be seen in the increase in the amount of news, information, and issue-oriented programming. Women have become a visible presence in the media. The media community understands the evolving media policies that affect their very survival.

Internews projects will address the nexus of media, legal and democratic reform by training journalists to cover human rights issues, to cover legal, electoral and political processes that are catalysts for discussion of political and civil rights, and to conduct investigative reporting.

Capitalizing on the recent liberalization of electronic media, Internews will focus primarily on television and radio. TV in Pakistan is presently producing some of the most advanced, daring news and information programming in the country, and achieves a reach and effect private radio cannot yet manage.

TV stations such as Geo TV are introducing Pakistani audiences to unprecedented themes, covering subjects formerly considered taboo, including India-Pakistan relations, Israel-Pakistan relations, domestic violence, incest, individual rights, and freedom of information.

Television in Pakistan has begun to reflect the country’s diverse society and offer an independent source of news. At the same time, radio continues to play an important role, filling critical information needs that television cannot address.