‘Sabzi wala’ media: Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma’s concern over the rise of fake media and unprofessional media persons is a genuine one; Will the J&K Government act?

‘Sabzi wala’ media: Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma’s concern over the rise of fake media and unprofessional media persons is a genuine one; Will the J&K Government act?

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH/JAMMU: The other day in the J&K assembly, a huge debate was witnessed over the rise of fake media, and the issue was discussed from the front by a sitting cabinet minister, Satish Sharma, who raised this issue seriously and said that those who sell vegetables in the evening become senior journalists in the morning. Many legislators supported the issue raised by the cabinet minister Satish Sharma. He strongly criticised the rise of fake news and unprofessional people in the journalism field.

The cabinet minister called for a proper verification and accountability system in the media field. It’s a hardcore fact that people from other professions or without any diploma/degree in journalism have become self-styled journalists. Even doctors, lawyers, educationalists, NGO workers, political leaders, social workers, employees and less qualified people have become journalists and have demolished the credibility of this elite field of journalism. For every field, there is a definite qualification. A doctor, despite having higher qualifications, cannot practise as a lawyer. A degree-holder lawyer cannot become an engineer, and a degree-holder engineer cannot become a lawyer. A master’s degree or a PhD scholar in physics cannot teach English or any subject, but it is seen that people, despite their lower educational or higher non-journalism qualifications, unfortunately project themselves as journalists or media persons, which is really a big threat for this elite field. People who don’t know anything about journalism and lack journalism qualifications have become leading journalists in today’s age of social media as they say that little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In every nook and corner, there is a mushrooming growth of these non-professional sabzi-wala journalists. Those who dare to ask questions to others as journalists must ask a question to themselves: whether they are legally or morally eligible to become a journalist in the absence of a diploma or degree in journalism, no matter what other qualifications, lower or higher, they have in any field or subject. So, the concern raised by the cabinet minister Satish Sharma is highly genuine and needs to be given top priority by the government to clear the elite field of journalism from the garbage (unprofessional people). Although Satish Sharma has taunted the media field by saying that ‘sabzi walas have become journalists’, it’s a hard-core fact that people with no background of any type have become journalists on social media without fulfilling the required journalism qualifications. The credibility of print media and electronic media will remain on top, no matter the sudden rise of social media journalism and its unchecked and propagandistic content. Will the J&K government tackle this issue of the rise of fake media and unprofessional people in journalism by introducing strong laws? Only time will tell.