People’s Conference hits out at JK admin over new media policy

Srinagar: The People’s Conference on Wednesday hit out at the Jammu and Kashmir administration over its new media policy, terming it the “lowest of the low”. Earlier this month, the UT administration had approved the media policy-2020 for creating a sustained narrative on the functioning of the government in the media.
According to a government spokesman, the policy attempts to thwart misinformation, fake news and tries to develop a mechanism that will raise alarm against any attempt to use the media to vitiate public peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country. People’s Conference spokesman Adnan Ashraf claimed that with the new media policy, India now joins the notorious club of the most repressive regimes of the world, in terms of freedom of expression.
“The new media policy is plain censorship where the government defines the ethics of journalism. (The) Government wants to see reality not as it exists but as it wants to see it exist. The policy gives them the power to decide what is fake and unethical. And no prizes for guessing, anything remotely true or critical of the government will be categorised as fake or anti-national news,” Ashraf said in a statement.
“The new media policy is a new low – a lowest of the low- which will herald the darkest era of curbing press freedom wherein the government will script custom made versions of reality,” he said. Ashraf said it is a “sad day for democracy and freedom of expression”.
“In Kashmir, this law will be at its coercive best and will be utilised to further mute the muted. They are formally recognising what they have been doing informally. Who defines fake news, who is the faker, the publisher or the enforcer. Fake news per se is evil but faking a law to fake enforcement will go down as the cruelest fetter on press freedom and will be perpetually held in odium,” he added.