Actions evoke reactions from people of all hues more so after the advent of social media across the world and same holds good for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. This week the chief admin of “Kashmir Crown”facebook page Shahid Imran was arrested on charges of extortion and what matters the most is the use of a U-tube channel for news bulletins and debates on current political events on this FB page. Like this many FB pages are used as social media channels not only in Jammu & Kashmir but also in other states and union territories of the country. In fact the unprecedented rise in the no of U-tube channels for news and views on politics and governance on FB pages has set a bad trend as most of such U-tube channels are run without formal recognition of the authorities designated for grant of registration to newspapers, news magazines and satellite news channels. Had guidelines been prescribed and authorities designated for use of social media channels on Face book pages and other social media accounts of individuals or groups of individuals, the reports about allegations of extortion against chief admin of FB page “ Kashmir Crown” won’t have surfaced and brought the entire media fraternity into disrepute. Though police has arrested chief admin of Kashmir Crown FB page Shahid Imran and one of his associates on different charges but the use of FB page for Kashmir Crown social media channel has not been barred by the concerned law enforcing authorities even after the arrest of the chief admin of Kashmir Crown FB page and one of his associates. People within and outside J&K know all that what people in media think about use of U tube channels for news and views on politics and governance on FB pages but they are in a state of helplessness in the absence of a prompt regulatory mechanism for U tube channels used for news bulletins and debates on politics and governance on FB pages.
Morality demands that code of ethics applied to professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies should be also applied also to social media channels for the purpose of public accountability.
As admins of FB pages use U-tube channels without registration and recognition of the authorities designated for registration of newspapers, news magazines and satellite news channels on their own whims and wishes and enjoy much impunity , the questions raised by people about registration and regulations for use of U-tube channels for news bulletins and debates on politics and governance on FB pages go unnoticed not only in Jammu & Kashmir but in entire country .Interestingly the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhak has in a recent directive to J&K Government asked it to inform the court if online news portals and agencies on social media are required to be registered and whether permission under law has been granted to them. The PIL has also in one of it’s contentions said that “ real professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies follow a strict code of ethics”. By all standards of understandabilities the issue of is of code of ethics for social media channels. Morality demands that code of ethics applied to professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies should be also applied also to social media channels for the purpose of public accountability.
