Defaming Press

Fake Journalists Violate Traffic Rules, With Bogus I-Cards

Defaming Press

Yash Khajuria
JAMMU, Nov 07: Excuse me… I am a media person!!! Just cram these words and vomit if any security officials or traffic police curbs your way is the key to have a press official card in their pouch for many now a days.

Keeping in view the popularity and craze of the media in the present day society, many persons are using the logo “media/press” on their vehicles and even many are using holograms of different media houses in state particularly in the winter capital of the state. 

Even there are examples that these persons are doing other businesses and jobs not remotely related with the media. The purpose of the use of these logos and words of media/press is only to get certain privileges people feel being enjoyed by the media men. 

In Jammu city one can see hallmark of reputed news channels, different newspapers being pasted on the private vehicles of peoples which doesn't have any connection with the media line. It directly/indirectly affects the image of genuine media persons professionally working in the city. 

There were also incidents when such persons were found involved in unscrupulous and illegal activities. Recent incident of unearthing of a brothel in Trikuta Nagar area in Jammu is testimony to this fact. 

Reacting to this fast growing trend, General Secretary of Press Club Jammu, Sohail Qazmi said that indeed some news channels and newspapers were not behaving responsibly. They issued the press cards and stickers to relatives and friends, which did not have any remote link with the media line. This trend is needed to be checked because no one knows how such persons would use these press cards, added Qazmi. He also said that any wrong use of the cards hampers the image of the whole media fraternity. 

When talked to the eminent Journalist Principal Correspondent Dainik Bhaskar (Amritsar) Devender Padha said that whenever intercepted with such persons, the police authorities should take stringent action against those peoples which did not have any connection with the media line. 

Tarun Upadhyay, Principal Correspondent for national daily “Hindustan Times” says “It's amounts to demeaning the sanctity of the Press. Any one by printing press card from a computer can't become a journalist. The police must not only take serious action against such people but law should also be amended to make it a highly cognizable crime”, the authority should also check whether cards are genuine or not, he adds. 

Mohit mehra eminent Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of a Local daily said that there are also many instances in the past where such fake media persons are found involved in smuggling activities. This conduct of these fake journalists has squeezed the space for genuine journalists. 

He also said that initiative of State Information Department to issue official media cards to the media persons. The department after consulting with the media organizations should issue media cards. After completion of the process, all other cards should be cancelled and considered null and void, any person found using these cards should be strictly punished, he added.

Eminent Columnist for national Dailies and a freelance writer Vikram Sharma in this context has said that Misuse of media is a commonplace phenomenon in Jammu and Kashmir. Be it regarding a tag of a press sported on a vehicle or otherwise also, the issue has not been brought under clinical scanner of any administrative department.
The information department has kept its eyes closed and cops do not even bother to get the actual information from the vehicle owner. This is a serious challenge for the state as all are left unchecked that can lead to serious repercussions as the volatility of the state on the terrorists’ and other militant’s activities front is not hidden by the government itself.

Dr. Varun Suthra, eminent columnist and a medical officer in this context has said that there must be some mechanism in authorizing such Identity cards there should be strong coordination in between the media agencies and the Information department. Now organizations have also changed their policies and has opted a very strict approach in this connection, he added.  

However when contacted to the officials of traffic police regarding the frequent distribution and misuse of the press cards he applauded the efforts of TNI for taking concern over this serious issue as the traffic police have face a lot of problem on daily related to the issue said above. He said that the Traffic Department has also demanded a list of the genuine media personnel’s in Jammu by the state Information Department and now we are not allowing any exemption to those who are not in the list.   

Moreover, for the official quote over the increased trend any of the authorized officials including SSP Jammu police could not be contacted despite several attempts.