The mushrooming of self-styled social-media news portals in Jammu and Kashmir has become a serious challenge to the credibility of journalism itself.
A mobile phone, a Facebook page, a YouTube channel and a few sensational headlines are increasingly being presented as a substitute for a newsroom. The result is a digital environment in which the distinction between a trained journalist, a legitimate news organisation and an anonymous social-media operator is becoming dangerously blurred.
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has now taken note of this growing problem, with members raising concerns over unregulated digital platforms. The government has announced that a new Media Policy is being prepared, with fresh guidelines for journalists and digital media expected within four months.
This reform is overdue. The issue is not the existence of social media. Nor is it the entry of young people into digital journalism. Technology has unquestionably expanded access to information and created new opportunities for genuine journalists.
