People’s Conference President and Handwara MLA Sajjad Lone has made a demand from the administration on Tuesday (March 3). He said that the Facebook and Instagram handles of many well-known media outlets of Kashmir, including the major media organizations of Kashmir, Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Life and Rising Kashmir, should be immediately unblocked. He said that suppressing the voice of media is not a good sign for democracy and it is important to maintain transparency.
In a statement, Sajjad Lone described these institutions as ‘responsible’ and ‘mature’ and emphasized their long-standing credibility and their contribution to informed public discourse. He warned that their sudden disappearance from particular social media platforms risked creating a vacuum in the digital information space.
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‘Absence will do more harm’
Sajjad Lone insisted that his absence would cause more harm. He said that when trusted and accountable platforms are sidelined, the space left by them is often taken over by unknown and unverified entities. Due to which perhaps the purpose of an independent and responsible media gets weakened.
Terming this move as counterproductive, Lone appealed to the administration to review the decision without any delay and reactivate the blocked handle. Also stressed that a strong democracy depends on the presence of reliable, balanced and easily accessible media institutions.
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FIR against many people for spreading fake news
Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered an FIR against several news outlets, portals and people for spreading ‘fake news’ about the protests following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran by US bombing. Many people have been called for questioning at the cyber cell of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Srinagar, while the social media pages of major newspapers and other news portals have been blocked.