Abstract
Apparently, Pakistani media is considered as one of the vocalists in the South Asia. This
study surveyed 242 Pakistani journalists from across the country to investigate their
journalistic autonomy. The findings reveal that military and state security, editorial
policy, advertising considerations, media owners, media laws and regulations, editorial
supervisors are the detrimental factors for journalistic autonomy in Pakistan. The study
further shows that journalists at higher positions enjoy greater autonomy as compared
to journalists in lower positions. Besides, Journalists’ low salary, meeting deadline,
taking lead on other media outlets for breaking news, the power of media owners are
also causing unprofessional-ism and low journalistic autonomy in Pakistan.
