Page 9 - 31MAR2019E

JAMMU & kAshMir

n March 10, Kashmir media slams prevailing situation in the
the front state. This makes the order
pages of J&K’s to ban advertisements all
Kashmir-based ‘negative’ govt intervention the more puzzling”.
O newspapers Meanwhile KEG has
were blank. The one-line sought the attention of the
message in the middle of Why has J&K Govt stopped advertisements to Press Council of India and
the page bounded by two the Editors Guild of India “to
horizontal lines with image two Kashmir dailies? wonders riyaz wani exercise their legal, ethical
of nib at the top read as: “In and professional mandate
protest against attempts at to intervene in the issue and
subverting the institution of ensure that the media in one
Kashmir media” of the most sensitive states
The protest followed a is not strangulated”.
fortnight after the state gov- The government decision
ernment stopped advertise- has also attracted criticism
ments to Greater Kashmir, from the political parties in
the Kashmir Valley’s largest the state. National Confer-
circulated newspaper and ence, the PDP and the Peo-
Kashmir Reader without ple’s Conference, the two
giving any reason as to why major regional parties in the
this was being done. The
step followed immediately The government
after the Pulwama attack
which killed over 40 CRPF so far has shown
personnel and led to a brief little inclination
military confrontation with
Pakistan. However, there is to explain the
no formal order from the mir Press Club against the you really don’t know who move, let alone
government stating reasons government move. A group to approach. This govern-
for the denial of advertise- of the editors of the various ment can act on a whim and revoke the order.
ments. The newspapers dailies and the journalists get away with it”.
were informed by the Direc- met at the club to display Among the two papers, No govt official
torate of Information and the blank first pages of the Greater Kashmir is the largest is ready to come
Publicity in Srinagar that newspapers. circulated newspaper and
they had orders to hold back However, the govern- has been publishing since on record on this
advertisements to them. ment so far has shown 1988, a year before the onset
Kashmir Editors Guild little inclination to explain of separatist struggle. And
has termed the decision to the move, let alone revoke ever since it has acted as state have sought restora-
stop the advertisements to the order. No government a chronicler of Kashmir’s tion of the advertisements
two newspapers as a “nega- official is ready to come on troubled three decades. to the two papers.
tive” intervention on part record on this. J&K being Apparently, there is little in “Greater Kashmir is one
of the government “clearly under the President’s rule the coverage of the paper of the most popular local
aimed at slaying the institu- has made things only more that could have raised the dailies of J&K. Centre’s deci-
tions of media”. complicated. hackles of the government. sion to stop ads to it should
“Hitting the two institu- “There is little public “Kashmir being a be viewed in context of their
tions will impact the state accountability for whatever conflict-ridden place, we attitude towards press &
and status of both, the jour- this government chooses have to be extra-cautious to electronic media in general.
nalists and the journalism in to do or not to do. It can ensure our content meets Kowtow to their warped
Kashmir,” the KEG statement afford to be arbitrary and the strictest journalist agenda & sing praises. Or
said adding it will “fight the willful and act on prejudice, standards and is factually else suffer,” former J&K chief
deliberate strangulation and sometimes with ideologi- correct,” said a senior editor minister Mehbooba Mufti
subversion of the institution cal motives ,” said a senior working with the paper. tweeted about the govern-
of media in the state”. editor with a local newspa- “State Government and its ment decision.
On March 10 also, the per who didn’t want to be activities too get a substan-
KEG held a protest at Kash- identified. “In this situation, tial coverage, so does the letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 31 march 2019 9 www.Tehelka.com