Kashmir journos protest against new media policy

A group of Kashmiri journalists and other media persons on Monday staged a protest here against the new media policy devised by the Jammu and Kashmir government recently. “Cops or babus can’t sit judge and decide what is fake, unethical or anti-national news,” said a senior journalist.

Holding banners which read ‘Don’t gag media’, ‘Down with Media Policy 2020’ and ‘We’re an equally important pillar of democracy’ in their hands, the protesters said new media policy is against all newspapers, news channels and other news platforms as it seeks to impose curbs on free functioning of media persons.

The new media policy announced on June 2 authorizes the government to decide what is “fake”, “unethical” or “anti-national” news, and initiate legal action against the journalist or media organization concerned, including stopping government advertisements and sharing information with security agencies.

Justifying what the local media organizations perceive as onslaught on the freedom of press, the 50page policy document reads “Jammu and Kashmir has significant law and order and security considerations, it has been fighting a proxy war supported and abetted from across the border and in such a situation, it is extremely important that the efforts of anti-social and anti-national elements to disturb peace are thwarted.”

Monday’s protest was organised jointly by J&K Media Guild, Editors Federation JK, JK Media Association and Editors Association JK and the participants in once voice demanded immediate rollback of the policy. “The new media policy is aimed at gagging the journalists in Jammu and Kashmir. The government and the framers of the policy must understand that we are a pillar of democracy and importantly as equally as three other pillars,” said one of the participants Imtiyaz Bazaz. He alleged that the policy has been framed at the behest of “corrupt and incompetent bureaucrats” who want to “conceal” their “wrongdoings”.

However, some other journalists said that the government does not want them to report the truth about Kashmir and the events and incidents unfolding on their beat “objectively” and “candidly.”

◗ MEDIA PERSONS staged a protest here against the new media policy devised by the Jammu and Kashmir government recently. ‘Cops or babus can’t sit judge and decide what is fake, unethical or anti-national news,’ said a journalist.