LG Sinha orders strict action against fake journalists

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 03 (STC): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in a high-level meeting yesterday has directed officers to take strict action against fake journalists operating in Jammu and Kashmir and to ensure that only bona fide media professionals are recognised and engaged by government departments, discloses a report.
The move comes amid growing complaints that certain individuals posing as journalists were misusing media identification cards or social media platforms to intimidate officials and extract favours.
An official quoted by media said, “The LG was categorical that those misusing the name of journalism must face the law. He directed all Deputy Commissioners and SSPs to take concrete steps to identify such elements and weed them out from the system.”
According to the reports, the Lieutenant Governor is learned to have also instructed the officers to work jointly to prepare a verified database of accredited and active journalists in every district. Departments have also been told to entertain only those media representatives whose credentials are duly verified by the DIPR.
The Lieutenant Governor further directed that individuals or groups running Facebook pages, online news portals, or social media handles under the banner of journalism must be duly registered and verified by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR). He emphasized that such digital media platforms must be made accountable for the content they publish and should function strictly within the bounds of media ethics and lawful reporting.
Notably, several legislators in the recent Assembly session had also raised this concern and sought a mechanism to curb the menace.
(Straight Talk Communications)