Pakistan Press Foundation

The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) was established in 1967 by the news agency Pakistan Press International and operated until 1974, when it had to suspend operations due to the political environment then prevailing in the country. It was reactivated in 1992 and has since been involved in assisting the development of independent media in Pakistan by conducting training programmes for journalists, carrying out projects in research and documentation, and campaigning to defend and promote freedom of the press.

PPF regularly organizes training programmes and seminars on issues facing the Pakistani media. The organization has worked for the improvement of professional skills, and in helping to raise journalists’ awareness of professional, social, political and human-rights issues.

The PPF collaborates with many local and international organizations, including the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS), Asia Foundation, Panos South Asia, IFEX, Free Voice, UNESCO, Commonwealth Press Union (CPU), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Thomson Foundation, the British Council, Knight International Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, European Union, Freedom Forum, World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Council of Asian-Pacific Press Institutes (CAPPI) and the Asia-Pacific Communication Network.

In addition to capacity building, the PPF is committed to the promotion of freedom of the press in Pakistan. PPF organizes training programmes on press freedom, the rights of journalists and on journalistic ethics. PPF has played a leading role in promoting the use of recently introduced access to information laws and in lobbying for improvement of these laws. PPF also works to make the harassment of journalists and news organizations politically and socially unacceptable. The foundation produces PPF Newsflash, a service designed to highlight threats to press freedom in the country. PPF also coordinates financial support for victimized journalists.

In 1999, the PPF established the PPF-Vicky Zeitlin Media Library and Training Centre, which houses an extensive collection of publications on the media and issues of interest to the Pakistani media. Training workshops and seminars are regularly held at the training centre.

The PPF is involved in research and documentation on mass communication in Pakistan. The weekly PPF Media Review, in English and Urdu, compiles important news about the media. PPF is also involved in producing manuals and handbooks on journalism in Urdu and Sindhi.