Avinash Azad
Nearly a year after Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha ordered authorities to weed out fake journalists from Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu Newspaper Editors Guild (JNEG) has alleged that little has changed on the ground, with blackmailers continuing to misuse journalism, Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups to harass citizens and public servants.
The Guild held a press conference at the Press Club here on Tuesday, demanding strict action against self-styled editors and social-media “journalists” allegedly involved in extortion, false allegations and coordinated harassment.
JNEG General Secretary, Iqbal Qazmi said that although a policy was prepared after the Lieutenant Governor’s directions, it has remained pending for nearly a year.
“After LG’s directions, the then Director DIPR, Nitish Rajora, framed a policy, which has not been implemented, for around one year,” Qazmi said.
He said the profession had been “hijacked” by people with no understanding of journalism or media ethics. “You will find them sitting in Tehsildar’s office, BDO office, roaming around contractors. It is very shameful,” he added. Qazmi said the Guild’s representatives attended at least three meetings convened by the Director Information for framing the policy, yet the exercise failed to translate into action. “Meanwhile, blackmailers continued to mint money and drag the noble profession of journalism into disrepute,” he said.
In November last year, LG Manoj Sinha had directed all Deputy Commissioners and SSPs to take decisive steps to identify fake journalists, ensure that only bona fide media professionals are recognised by government departments, and remove such elements from the system.
Following this, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) had asked District Information Officers to maintain strict vigilance and monitor misuse of media identity and impersonation across the Union Territory.
However, JNEG says the absence of visible enforcement has emboldened blackmailers, who continue to operate through social-media pages, WhatsApp groups and unregistered news handles.
The development comes days after J&K Minister Sakeena Itoo said on October 10 that the government would formulate a new media policy within four months to bring greater accountability and discipline to the media landscape.
The Minister expressed concern over the growing influence of unprofessional individuals operating through social-media platforms and said the proposed framework should address unsubstantiated allegations and reputational damage, while protecting professional journalism and legitimate criticism of the government. Earlier, while responding in the Legislative Assembly, Itoo had said the proposed New Media Policy, 2026 would include registration and regulation of online news platforms along with print media. It is expected to provide mechanisms against fake news, misleading content and plagiarism, while enabling action under existing legal provisions.
