A media advisory issued by the inspector-general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, asking mediapersons to stay away from encounter sites and law-and-order situations have caused anguish among the media fraternity in the Valley.
It is an attack on freedom of press, say journalist bodies
A media advisory issued by the inspector-general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, asking mediapersons to stay away from encounter sites and law-and-order situations have caused anguish among the media fraternity in the Valley.
바카라Journalists cover encounters for facts, information (vital in a democracy). It is a call to duty,바카라 tweeted senior journalist and editor of the Kashmir Times Anuradha Bhasin.
The IGP has issued directions to the police that media shouldn바카라t be allowed 바카라to interfere in the professional and bonafide duty of police and security forces at encounter sites and during law- and-order situations.바카라 The IGP has asked 바카라media persons not to come closer to the encounter site and law-and-order situation and do not carry any live coverage of any encounter and law-and-order situation.바카라
바카라The freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable restrictions that should not violate other people바카라s right to life guaranteed under Article 21 or putting the national security in jeopardy,바카라 Kumar has said.
바카라Do not interfere in the professional and bonafide duty of police and security forces at the encounter site. No operational content should be carried which is likely to incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promotes anti-national sentiment,바카라 the IGP said.
Different journalist bodies have sharply reacted to the IGP바카라s directive saying it is coercing journalists into not reporting facts on the ground.
바카라It also seems to be a part of the string of measures taken by the authorities to suppress freedom of the press in the region. Summoning journalists to police stations, filing FIRs and seeking informal explanations for their work has intensified in the past two years,바카라 a joint statement issued by various journalist bodies said.
The statement issued by the Journalist Federation of Kashmir (JFK), Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG), Kashmir Working Journalists Association (KWJA), Kashmir Press Photographers Association (KPPA), Kashmir News Television Journalist Association (KNTJA), Kashmir Video Journalists Association (KVJA), Kashmir Press Club (KPC), Kashmir Journalists Association (KJA), Anjuman Urdu Sahafat, Kashmir Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), Jammu and Kashmir Press Association (JKPA) and JK Editors Forum (JKEF) said, 바카라If this is a part of the official policy of police then it appears to be a tactic to coerce journalists into not reporting facts on the ground.바카라
바카라Journalists in Kashmir have worked under tremendous pressure for the past several decades and despite facing threats to life, liberty and property, they upheld the principles of journalism and reporting,바카라 the statement added.
바카라The media in Kashmir is aware of the journalistic guidelines and ethics or situations like encounters, law-and-order situations and has always upheld these principles. Covering and reporting law-and-order situations in the region is one of the basic requirements for most news organizations and hence an essential part of the professional role of media professionals. Barring them from covering such events would mean stopping them from delivering their professional duties,바카라 the statement reads.
바카라Press freedom is the cornerstone of democracy and any attack on it undermines the democratic setup of which media is the fourth pillar. Any such attack on press freedom and journalism is highly distressful,바카라 it added.