12 June, 2020: The Indian Journalists Union expresses grave profound concern over J&K administration’s new media policy announced early June as it gives it powers to decide what is ‘fake’, ‘unethical’ or ‘anti-national’ news, which could be subjective and a means to silence criticism. Worse, it gives the administration to take legal action against the journalist or media organisation concerned, including ‘stopping government advertisements,’ which could be used as a handle to make the media comply to its whims and fancies.

In a statement, the IJU President and former member of Press Council of India Geetartha Pathak and Secretary General and IFJ Vice President Sabina Inderjit said the policy is draconian and another big blow to Kashmir media, which is yet to come out of the morass created by the unprecedented communication lockdown and denial of 4G internet.

The 50-page document quotes the oft-heard defence that given that J&K has ‘significant law and order and security considerations,’ and ‘has been fighting a proxy war supported and abetted from across the border,” in such a situation, it is ‘extremely important that the efforts of anti-social and anti-national elements to disturb peace are thwarted.” The policy thus makes it mandatory to have a ground check of newspaper publishers, editors and key staff before empanelling them for government advertisements, apart from security clearance before a journalist is given accreditation.

The IJU said the media in the Kashmir Valley has been under grave stress and journalists have faced action for their news stories including some being booked under anti-terror law for even their social media posts. Under the guise of the new media policy, the administration is trying to give legitimacy to clamp down on independent press, said the IJU and demanded that it be rolled back.