I tried to start out as a free-lance journalist and found out that the owners of newspapers (and publications) are prepared to publish, but they are not willing pay anything for any article. The situation is just as bad if one is working in newspapers - the employees of newspapers are underpaid and their effort is never appreciated. The fact that someone who can write is never paid explains why there no Pakistani novelists. Creativity is being killed. First the cinema was destroyed and now the publication industry will disappear. In local advertising agencies, copywriters are considered the most worthless of all the employees.
The publication industry is resorting outright plagiarism and with the Internet it has become easier to copy entire articles and columns. So the value of someone who wants to make a living out of writing simply does not exist, because nearly all the publishing houses would print things for free - so they do not need people who want to be paid for their articles and columns. The local TV channels are also doing the same, they are showing reruns of old Indian plays and shows for which they do not have to pay anything, in this way they do not need any local production organisations which can provide entertaining shows.
As long as this trend continues, local talent will continue to suffer. As it is the local cinema industry has collapsed the same fate may well lie with newspapers..
There was a very dismaying news that the office bearers of al union of journalists are being bribed heavily, so that they should not demand the 7th Wage Award. Even the Sheikh Rashid a Federal Cabinet is being bribed heavily on this matter.
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