Omar Abdullah set to loosen media iron fist in new policy | India News
SRINAGAR: J&K’s Omar Abdullah-led govt has drafted a new media policy promising greater autonomy and space for digital ads, moving away from a set of 2020 norms introduced after the abrogation of Article 370 with stringent, security-driven clauses focused on curbing “anti-national narratives and reinforcing control”.The draft Media Policy 2025, set to be unveiled soon for feedback, formally recognises digital platforms and social media channels for govt advertisement empanelment. The blueprint is a first of its kind after the Omar-led National Conference (NC) govt took office in Oct last year.Officials insisted the policy aims to redefine how govt communicates with the public, especially youths, who get most of their news online. The policy has a separate chapter on this titled “Jammu and Kashmir Digital Media Advertisement Policy, 2025”.For govt ads, digital platforms must have been in operation at least three years and maintain verified and active accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or YouTube. Applicants must submit analytics reports, proof of office in Jammu and Kashmir, and two years of income tax returns.Private FM radio stations seeking empanelment must have been broadcasting commercially for at least six months, with 16 hours of daily programming. Community radio stations must show three months of operation with at least two hours of daily broadcast.Print media outlets must meet minimum circulation thresholds, starting from 3,000 copies for dailies to 5,000 for monthly publications. It also opens opportunities for university students, college students to participate in content creation through a competitive selection process in video production.To broaden the state’s engagement, the policy also seeks to promote and support traditional and performing arts. Financial and institutional assistance will be provided to art forms like drama, puppetry, folk music, street plays, operas, and regional dance festivals. These performances will serve as mediums to spread awareness about govt schemes and public service messages.The policy says “govt is committed to upholding the freedom of the media as a fundamental pillar of democratic governance, acknowledging its critical role in promoting transparency, accountability, and enlightened public discourse”. “By safeguarding the media’s autonomy, the govt ensures the public’s access to accurate, timely, and reliable information, which is vital for robust civic participation and the preservation of democratic principles,” the policy states.The 2020 policy had come under strong criticism from political parties and journalists’ associations as it called for background checks of newspaper editors, publishers and reporters before empanelment of newspapers and media organisations and outlets for govt ads.The 2020 policy also gave power to govt to examine the content of the print, electronic and other media for “fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities” and proceed against them. The policy started with describing “J&K” a region “having significant law and order and security considerations”. “It has been fighting a proxy war supported and abetted from across the border. In such a situation, it is extremely important that the efforts of anti-social and anti-national elements to disturb the peace are thwarted,” the policy stated.
