Journalism has to be done for acting as a bridge between the people and the Government. Raising the issues that people are facing on day to day basis and seeking and making those issues reach the power corridors so that these issues are resolved without any delay. When performed on those lines, the value and the worth of the profession swell in itself. However, lately, we have been observing a different kind of journalism being performed by the people of the young generation.
They, somehow, appear to be lacking the knowledge of the basic tenants of the journalism because when a journalist stops being objective, the art dies there and then and with that dies the motive of the art which is to amplify the voice of the public so that daily life is made easier for the common masses with the resolution of their issues.
In Kashmir, off late, we have been witnessing mushrooming of Facebook Journalists who are operating a Facebook page or a web portal and are trying to do what they call journalism in the field. But in actuality, they are doing a disservice to this noble profession. With time, they started to indulge in matters of money and ended up doing activism instead of journalism.
There is a need for identifying such elements and the responsibility lies not only with the media bodies, but the public also has to act responsibly—be able to understand who is doing journalism and who is trying to make money under the garb of journalism. The elements that are defaming the noble profession of journalism need to be identified and side-lined at the same time.
