Our community correspondent from Kashmir, Basharat Amin interviewed Anuradha Bhasin, the Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, the oldest newspaper from the valley. In the interview, Bhasin talks about the press and its freedom during the nineties, when militancy began in the valley, to the current situation where Article 370 has been scrapped and the government lifted a communications blockade only after nearly 18 months.
"Local newspapers have stopped publishing anything that is critical of the government," said Bhasin while talking about surveillance and harrassment of journalists at the hands of the administration. She reminded journalists of their role of being the voice of the people, particularly of those being oppressed and marginalised.
The interview also focussed on the new media policy formulated in Kashmir, apparently to counter the spread of misinformation or fake news. "When TV channels start disseminating fake information, no action is taken against them because some of those things go in favour of the ruling government," said Bhasin.
Watch the whole interview to know the latest from Kashmir on press freedom.
Fighting for Change: The Story of Bihar-Based Journalist Amir Abbas
Inspiration can come from many sources, but one of the most powerful is seeing someone walk the path before you. Our Community Correspondent, Syed Amir Abbas found his inspiration in Stalin K., the founding director of Video Volunteers. “I met Stalin at VV’s national meet in 2017 and I...
“Video Volunteers gave me a platform to go the extra mile for people”
Avijit Adhikary is a journalist with nearly 8000 days of field experience till date. In the past two decades, he has witnessed the ebb and flow of the media industry in India, with ripples felt in his region too. This includes the rise of digital media, the decline of print...