Journalism or reporting is not just a profession but a form of worship in the sense that an experienced and righteous journalist fulfils their professional duty in the best possible way and earns a ‘halal’ living from their profession. It is also considered a pillar of democracy. In India, the credit for the beginning of Urdu journalism goes to Maulvi Mohammad Baqir Dehlavi, who was the first journalist to be martyred for the freedom movement. With the advent of the internet, online journalism or digital journalism has emerged rapidly as
another facet of the field of journalism. It is an area where institutional content is distributed over the internet through various platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. The benefit of this new medium of journalism is that dissemination, which was once considered an extremely expensive task, can now be easily spread far and wide at a very low cost. Information previously available only through newspapers, magazines, radio, and television can now be delivered quickly and more conveniently to people through digital journalism.
With the arrival of the internet in Jammu and Kashmir, digital journalism has also gradually become a part of journalism here. Online journalism has become a means of employment for many unemployed young boys and girls here. The advent of the internet in journalism was like a fast-paced rally. The internet has transformed the profession of journalism to an unbelievable degree, and it would not be wrong to say that the internet has grafted colourful branches onto the sturdy tree of journalism, resulting in an increase in its branches. This rally
gave birth to countless self-made journalists. These are journalists who have misused the internet, taking a microphone in their hands and a cameraman by their side, to start their journalistic careers. These self-made journalists have taken over online journalism, setting aside the importance and usefulness of the great profession of journalism. They possess the skill of blowing up an ordinary news item to an extraordinary level. It has also been observed at times that the news reported by these self-made journalists lacks any truth, but there is a lot of hype in its promotion. In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, many great journalists have even sacrificed their lives to promote journalism. They have nurtured the gardens of journalism with their blood. Unfortunately, today in our state, journalism holds no value or respect, thanks to these self- made journalists associated with online journalism who do not have much knowledge about
journalism. However, they are engaged in promoting their channels by shouting into a microphone, throwing private marital issues on Facebook, and even making videos of mentally ill people. Incorporating people’s sorrows and pains into their news or reports, making a fuss over the death of a cat, calling an ambush a snag, and calling a clash an uprising clearly demonstrates the ability of online journalists. They are only camouflaging the things. They do not refrain
from their antics even during a funeral, holding a microphone and shouting loudly where a father is shouldering his son’s body with tearful eyes, "Share this video as much as possible. Has a person’s conscience become so dead that they cannot even feel the pain of a helpless father?
“Our society is becoming increasingly affected by the rise of ground zero journalism here, which urgently needs to be stopped. If this chaotic online or baseless ground zero journalism is not stopped, the time is not far when every household will give birth to a self-made journalist who will wander on the streets with a microphone, crying and shouting, Share this video as much as possible, or else I can even sacrifice my life”
Here, ground zero journalism or reporting has become the most ridiculous spectacle. Although it is a well-known field in journalism, the job of these self-made journalists associated with this field is to rush towards any news with lightning speed as soon as they receive it. As soon as they get the news, these people are seen running as if termites have swarmed, and they are dispersing to strike. In fact, the main purpose of ground zero journalism is to get as many views as possible so that their channels on Facebook or YouTube can gain popularity quickly, and they can succeed in gaining more followers and earning money in a short period. Ground zero journalists do not care about anyone’s pain or sorrow; they have no sympathy for a helpless father or concern if someone loses their son. They are only bothered about getting views and can go to any extent to get as many viewers as possible. On Facebook and YouTube, there is a riot of ground zero journalists. The same words are heard repeatedly everywhere: "Comment, like, and share this video as much as possible. Whether the video is of someone's funeral, a helpless woman's cry, or someone’s private domestic issues, ground zero journalists are pushing society into a quagmire from which it is difficult to escape, without regard for such matters. Due to ground zero journalism, most people have lost their trust in journalism these days. However, there is still no shortage of people in our society who leave no stone unturned in promoting these ground zero journalists. By following them and spreading their videos like wildfire, many people like us are complicit. Our society is becoming increasingly affected by the rise of ground zero journalism here, which urgently needs to be stopped. If this chaotic online or baseless ground zero journalism is not stopped, the time is not far when every household will give birth to a self-made journalist who will wander on the streets with a microphone, crying and shouting, Share this video as much as possible, or else I can even sacrifice my life
(The author is a freelancer from Akingam Achabal, Anantnag District. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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