Practicing journalism has never been a cakewalk in war-torn Kashmir. Journalism once stood, to a great extent, as a guardian of truth and reflection of ground realities. Not so long ago, we used to read pro-resistance, critical and engaging opinion pieces written by Kashmir’s renowned and revered academicians, journalists, doctors and political and religious heads. We used to wait for a specific day every week to read our favourite authors’ write-ups. Besides this, Kashmir’s daily and weekly newspapers somehow managed to shed light on all kinds of violations perpetrated by Indian military and paramilitary forces in the region. The press was not completely free but was not completely compromised either. 

Since 5th August 2019, the once vibrant space of this journalism has fallen apart. Censorship, coercion, and compromised integrity loom large over the profession. As the winds of political change swept through the valley, journalism in Kashmir too has changed. Repressive media policies have destroyed Kashmiri journalism and intimidated media outlets into serving as government mouthpieces and created an information vacuum in the region. Journalists are surveilled, jailed, threatened with dire consequences and strong-arm tactics used against media outlets to ensure favorable coverage. The DIPR, an apparatus of the occupation, has been bestowed the power to deem any news fake, anti-national and even unethical! Ironically enough, they stated that it was done to promote the highest standard of journalism! Independent media outlets who dared to speak truth to power were shut and those running them were put behind bars. We all know how Asif Sultan, Sajad Gul, Fahad Shah, Irfan Mehraj, and many others were jailed under false charges. The plight of journalists in Kashmir is a tale of courage marred by injustice, of voices silenced by the heavy hand of occupational authorities. Those who dare to report the truth are often met with punitive measures, branded as enemies of the state, and subjected to the tyranny of incarceration under draconian terrorism charges.  

Since media has been termed as a major tool that influences public opinion, the Indian occupation in Kashmir has now left no stone unturned to use it as per its convenience or vested interests. The occupational apparatus has now been blacking out any news they want. When Qaid-e-Inqilaab Syed Ali Shah Geelani left this world, the news was either blacked out in the region or mentioned only briefly. Currently, numerous anti-Kashmir projects are going on in the region like the project of Settler Colonialism. When India began to bulldoze thousands of homes in the name of “anti-encroachment drive”, the news was partly blacked out and partly shown as a victory against influential and illegal land grabbers. Greater Kashmir, an English daily, tried to pass it off as war against influential people who had grabbed land illegally over the years. There was no mention of poor Kashmiris becoming homeless or people showing valid documents of the lands, let alone highlighting it in the context of India’s settler colonialism project. Pro-occupation news dominates the front pages of Kashmir dailies. Indian politicians especially from the ruling BJP are shown as saviours and Kashmir’s occupation is being ornamented on a daily basis.  

Many journalists have self-censored themselves or have quit. Some well known journalists have fled into exile and some have been put on the no-fly list to prevent them from leaving the region and speaking out against the excesses of the Indian occupation. Today, there is barely any news outlet that dares to question the official policies that are overly anti-Kashmir and anti-Islam. 

However, amidst the clamor of compromise and capitulation, we should always remember that journalistic integrity is not a commodity to be bartered or compromised. For every journalist who succumbs to the pressures of oppression, there are countless others who refuse to bow to the dictates of tyranny, and who remain steadfast in their commitment to truth and justice. If Asif Sultan, Fahad Shah, Sajad Gul can prefer jail than becoming journo-pimps, everybody else can do it. Becoming a stooge is a choice. Someone ask this Fayaz Kulloo what happened to your plans of upholding journalistic ethics and showing the reality of the region in the name of which you used to collect lakhs from different organizations?

Indeed, there are those who argue that in the face of insurmountable odds, For those who find themselves trapped in the web of censorship and coercion, there is a simple yet powerful solution: to walk away. To refuse to lend legitimacy to oppressive regimes by serving as their mouthpieces.