Recently, the police acted against so-called journalists in north Kashmir for alleged extortion and arrested them in connection with several instances that were reported by a section of media largely were published on the social media platforms. A journalist being an extortionist is a shame and is the moment of introspection for the entire fraternity as to review the criminal elements that have sneaked into the profession considered to be noble.
The job of a journalist is to raise the issues of the public and make sure that these issues are brought to the notice of the administration for redressal of the same. This is not a job for the dealers and the businessmen. There is a need for keeping such elements at bay and time and again elements that are bringing a bad name to the profession which is considered as the pillar of democracy.
Journalism has the power of shaping public opinion and at the same time, the people associated with the profession should strive hard for making the lives of the commoners better and not to make it difficult. At the same time, the people should also learn to make a distinction between real journalists and those who are fakers and pretend to be journalists. The public has to learn to differentiate between the real ones and those who are criminals. The police need to make sure that those arrested for the extortion and were posing as journalists shall be dealt with an iron fist so that it acts as a deterrent for those indenting to mint money from the public.
