JK Govt Drafting Media Policy to Rein in Social Media ‘Journalists’

Suhail Khan

Srinagar, Sep 30: The Jammu and Kashmir government is preparing a new media policy to regulate the unregulated proliferation of social media journalists, the Legislative Assembly was told on Wednesday.

The Minister Sakina Itoo concerned acknowledged the problem but insisting that legislators and political parties were equally complicit in the online mud-slinging that has prompted calls for curbs.

Replying to a question by National Conference (NC) MLA Bashir Veeri, Minister Itoo said the House Committee set up to examine the issue has given the Information Department four months to frame fresh guidelines. The committee, headed by senior MLA and former minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, met on July 13, 2026, she said.

The reply came amid persistent demands from members for strict norms governing social media journalists.

Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said he had already asked the government during the Budget Session to carry out a comprehensive study of media functioning and draft guidelines to act against those violating the law.

NC MLA Nazir Gurezi said anyone with a phone can now claim to be a journalist. “Then social media is being misused. There should be some regulation,” he said.

MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat said existing laws were sufficient to deal with many of the concerns being raised, while acknowledging that the digital environment posed new challenges.

“There are enough laws to regulate things. No doubt there are challenges, but they can be addressed,” Bhat said.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para opposed the demand. “We are living in the 21st century, and demanding censorship is not the right thing,” he said.

MLA Pulwama said that democracy dies in darkness. We oppose censorship of the press and social media. We know its cost firsthand. On 5 August, when communication was shut down, social media became a lifeline that kept our voices alive and connected to the outside world.

He said that we need more transparency, more media and more freedom of expression not more censorship.

“Don’t gag the press. Don’t silence social media. Democracy is strengthened by scrutiny and free voices, not censorship, We are already fighting for a free press. We must defend that freedom everywhere” he added.

Minister Itoo said the matter concerns the House as a whole. “A half-hour discussion was held in the Budget Session, and the government gave its reply at that time. Without the media — whether print or electronic — we are incomplete; there is no two ways about it. But, Sir, there are certain shortcomings now; there is no doubt about that either,” she said.

The Minister said legislators, too, must own responsibility in the age of the mobile phone. “We keep our close associates around to photograph everything here so that the pictures can be published outside later. We cannot place the entire blame on media personnel alone,” she said.

She then cited an unnamed member who, she said, runs a page in the name of his wife’s domestic help.

“There are some honourable members — I will not take names — an honourable member has created a page under the name of his wife’s maid. If you were to look at that page, truly, I believe even the devil would feel ashamed. The things written on that page, the nature of the criticism, the foul language directed at ministers… and if all of that is deemed acceptable, then how can we stand here and put the entire blame solely on the media?” she said.

The Jammu and Kashmir health and education minister Sakina Itoo said social media was being used for mud-slinging and that political parties bore the greatest share of the blame. “Those who have turned into mobile and Facebook media stoop to slandering anyone’s character whenever they wish, taking less than two minutes to demean someone’s dignity. And in this, if anyone is most responsible, it is the political parties,” she said.

Referring to pages run by political parties, she said: “You will see how an individual’s dignity is shredded to pieces. There is zero regulation over it. And yet you say our brothers in the media are in the wrong. They may be wrong as well I do not deny that, because nowadays genuine, accredited media persons are few, while the number of self-styled Facebook media pages is huge.”

‎Drawing a comparison with Doordarshan, minister Itoo recalled a time when people would wait to see their news being broadcast on the public broadcaster.
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‎“Everyone used to be excited to get our news run,” she said, referring to the earlier importance attached to television news.
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‎She said the situation had changed with the growth of social media and expressed concern over what she described as the misuse of the dignity of public representatives.

The Minister suggested that members and journalists should not be allowed to carry mobile phones inside the House. She assured the Assembly that the Information Department would come out with a comprehensive policy providing for rules, regulations and proper scrutiny. “Following that, if anyone is found guilty of malpractice, strict action must be taken against them,” she said.