SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir government is working on a Media Policy to regulate social media platforms and frame fresh guidelines for journalists, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, amid a debate among legislators over the regulation of digital platforms and the role of the media.
Itoo said the Information Department would soon launch the policy for regulating social media. She said a committee had already been constituted to frame the policy and had sought four months to complete the exercise, working in coordination with the Information Department.
She assured the House that the policy would be framed within that four-month period and would provide fresh guidelines for journalists and the media sector.
Minister’s remarks on media’s role
“We are incomplete without media,” Itoo said, stressing the role of the press in the functioning of the government and democratic institutions.
She said, however, that politicians could not hold the media solely responsible for the problems arising from social media. “We too are responsible for the social media mess. We cannot blame the media for everything. We too have set social media reel makers,” she said.
Drawing a comparison with Doordarshan, Itoo recalled a time when people would wait to see their news broadcast on the public broadcaster. “Everyone used to be excited to get our news run,” she said, adding that the situation had changed with the growth of social media.
She expressed concern over what she described as the misuse of the dignity of public representatives, saying, “We politicians are more responsible for the mess.”
Reference to MLA’s alleged social media page
Itoo also referred to what she described as an instance involving an MLA, saying the legislator was allegedly running a social media page in the name of a domestic worker. She said some of the content being uploaded on the page was “quite uncomfortable,” making the point that public representatives also needed to examine their own conduct on social media.
She also appealed to Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to consider restricting the use of mobile phones inside the Assembly, saying allowing phones inside the House could contribute to the recording and circulation of proceedings and content on social media.
Broader debate in the House
The minister backed calls from other legislators for action against what they described as unregulated social media platforms. MLA Altaf Ahmad also appealed to the Speaker to consider measures against the circulation of videos and other content from the Assembly without authorisation.
Speaker Rather said the press had an important role in a democratic system but warned that the government could intervene if media organisations failed to fulfil their responsibilities.
“Press has an important role. If they fail to fulfil their responsibility, the government will act,” he said, calling for a comprehensive legal framework to regulate the sector so that journalists working professionally and according to established norms could perform their role, while action could be taken against elements operating outside the media framework.
NC legislator Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said the media was essential for the functioning of the government and legislature but stressed the need for professional standards. “Press plays an important role and we cannot work without them. But there should be a proper law so that every journalist can work professionally with proper ethics,” Gurezi said.
MLA Pulwama, Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, however, cautioned against attempts to control social media, saying the digital space could not be completely regulated. “We are living in a digital era. Nobody can control social media, and we cannot blame media for everything. It is our responsibility too,” Para 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.
The discussion saw legislators differ on the extent to which social media should be regulated, with some calling for stronger legal provisions and others stressing professional responsibility and the limitations of controlling digital platforms.
The government’s proposed Media Policy is expected to provide a framework for dealing with social media and other digital media-related issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
