Digital Shift Leaves Newspaper Hawkers Struggling For Survival

Tayyab Zarif

Islamabad:For decades, the arrival of a newspaper at the doorstep was part of the morning routine for millions of Pakistanis. Today, however, smartphones and instant digital news have transformed that routine, leaving the country’s traditional newspaper hawkers struggling to survive.

The rapid expansion of digital journalism has made news available around the clock, reducing reliance on printed newspapers. While the shift has changed how people consume information, it has also weakened the livelihoods of thousands of hawkers who once formed an essential link between newspapers and their readers.

In major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, declining newspaper circulation has translated into falling sales and shrinking incomes for vendors. Many have already left the profession, while others have tried to supplement their earnings by selling other products.

A changing media landscape

The growing availability of mobile internet has accelerated the shift towards digital news.

According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for March 2025, Pakistan had around 197 million mobile cellular subscribers, with a teledensity of 80.3%. The country also had about 143 million mobile broadband subscribers, while total broadband subscriptions stood at around 147 million.

The widespread availability of internet-enabled devices has made it easier for people to access news through websites, social media platforms and mobile applications, often before printed newspapers reach their homes.

For newspaper hawkers, the consequences have been significant.

Some vendors have abandoned the profession altogether and moved into other forms of work. Those who continue to operate newspaper stalls are increasingly relying on additional sources of income, including the sale of mobile packages and everyday consumer items.

Thirty years behind the newspaper stall

Waqas Abbasi has spent around three decades selling newspapers. His stall on the main avenue in G-9 near Peshawar More is now much more than a newspaper outlet.

Surrounded by student hostels, particularly those housing young people preparing for competitive examinations, his stall attracts customers who still buy newspapers for academic and examination purposes.

Abbasi says newspaper sales, including home deliveries, are significantly lower than they once were. However, students living nearby continue to provide some demand for printed newspapers.

For vendors like him, adapting has become necessary simply to remain in business.

‘I used to sell more than 500 newspapers’

Ayaz Abbasi, who has been distributing newspapers in Islamabad’s I-10 sector for decades, has witnessed an even sharper decline.

“There was a time I sold more than 500 papers daily, but now it’s barely 100,” he said.

The fall in demand has also reduced the number of people working in the profession. According to Abbasi, only three or four hawkers now operate in the I-10 area, compared with 10 to 15 in the past when even that number struggled to meet demand.

He said the decline in newspaper sales has put considerable pressure on families dependent on hawker incomes.

“It’s been over 36 years since I started delivering newspapers,” Abbasi said. His family now wants him to find another source of income because of the declining earnings, but he says changing professions at his age is difficult.

A profession disappearing with print

The decline of newspaper hawkers is part of a wider transformation in the global media industry. Younger audiences in particular increasingly rely on social media, news applications and digital platforms for immediate access to information.

The transition has created new opportunities in digital journalism but has also left workers whose livelihoods depended on the print ecosystem facing an uncertain future.

Newspaper hawkers generally lack the technical skills, financial resources and opportunities needed to easily transition into the digital economy. For many, the issue is therefore not simply the decline of newspapers but the disappearance of a profession that supported families for generations.

Who will be left behind?

Pakistan’s digital transformation is likely to continue reshaping the media industry. But as printed newspapers lose readers, the people who once delivered them every morning are being left with fewer options.

Without measures such as digital skills training, alternative employment opportunities or targeted financial support, thousands of newspaper hawkers could find themselves excluded from the benefits of the country’s digital transition.

The fading newspaper hawker is therefore more than a symbol of declining print media. His story also raises a broader question: as technology transforms the way Pakistan receives information, who will help those whose livelihoods are being transformed along with it?

The feature story was released by APP on June 28, 2025.

All facts and information presented are the sole responsibility of the reporter and their organization.