J-K govt framing new policy to factor in social media, news websites

In its reply to a cut motion from Pulwama MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para Tuesday, the government said: “The formulation of New Media Policy aims to align with the evolving media landscape and adhere to the standards set by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Government of India”.

Addressing media concerns about the Srinagar Press Club, the government said that it “was operating from a building provided by the Estates Department in Press Enclave, Srinagar. However, due to a dispute among its members, the building has been vacated and is now temporarily occupied by Jammu & Kashmir Police”.

During the first session of the Assembly in Srinagar in November last year, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that his government’s agenda would not be dictated by the social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.

“Thank God, I write a lot of Twitter, but do not read anything,” he had said, adding that he wanted to assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that agenda of his government will be set by them and not by the social media users.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had in 2020 approved a Media Policy-2020, saying it “aims to put in place a Standard Operating Procedure for reaching out to the people in situations of crisis like health issues and natural disasters”.

The policy, according to officials, was aimed at creating a sustained narrative on the functioning of the government in the media and promote the highest standard of journalism in the Union Territory, pointing out that “finally the policy attempts to thwart misinformation, fake news and develop a mechanism that will raise alarm against any attempt to use media to vitiate public peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country”.

But the media and many political parties in Jammu and Kashmir opposed the policy on the ground that it was draconian and impinged on free speech.