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REGIONAL

‘Journalist’ receives show cause notice for alleged campaigning disguised as news reporting

By News Desk

September 05, 2024

The Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) in Bandipora, Jammu Kashmir, issued a show cause notice to Asrar ul Haq, a correspondent for TV100 News, on Thursday, addressing concerns of media ethics violations.

The notice, accessed by The Kashmiriyat, states that Haq, who was authorized to work as a media reporter for TV100 News in Bandipora, was observed affecting the “level playing field of Candidates for the General Election to Legislative Assembly -2024” by urging the public to vote for and support a particular candidate.

“This,” the committee noted, “is in contravention of the principles and conventions of journalism.”

The MCMC emphasized that “Media persons are supposed to remain apolitical and desist from generating narrative and campaigning for a particular candidate of any political party.

It was observed that Haq was “continuously involved in propagating and campaigning for a single candidate namely ‘Naseer Ah Mir’, thereby affecting public opinion and people’s choice.”

Haq has been directed to explain his actions by 4 PM today, as the notice demands a justification for why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for violating media ethics and the principles of free and fair journalism.