Journalistic professionalism is noticeably absent in Jammu Kashmir, causing declining reporting standards

Journalistic professionalism is noticeably absent in Jammu Kashmir, causing declining reporting standards

VoM News Desk | November 8, 2024 | 01:16 PM IST | Articles/Editorials, Featured by VoM, Featured Edition | Follow on Google News

Journalistic professionalism is noticeably absent in Jammu Kashmir, causing declining reporting standards

Journalistic professionalism is noticeably absent in Jammu Kashmir, causing declining reporting standards

SHAFQAT SHEIKH

In the current technological age, the private and government sectors find it more convenient to accomplish tasks efficiently, utilizing internet resources and minimizing time wastage. However, while seeking support from associates is acceptable, mimicking others’ approaches is a menace in society. Examining Western culture reveals that everyone aspires to follow the same trajectory. Similarly, in various professional spheres, copying has emerged as a dominant trend.

The fourth pillar of democracy, journalism, has lost its shine due to the prevalence of copy-and-paste journalists. The information technology era has simplified the process of copying and pasting, enabling individuals to claim others’ work as their own.

A significant number of social media users perpetuate the practice of copying and pasting content from others, presenting it as their own and undermining the fourth estate in democratic India. This phenomenon, referred to as ‘CRAP’ (Copy Rewrite And Post) journalism, constitutes a serious breach of journalistic ethics and warrants stringent action. This behavior discourages in-depth research and promotes intellectual complacency.

It is not unethical to access others’ social networking sites, but reproducing their content without permission and passing it off as one’s own on a blog is a serious breach of journalistic integrity. This phenomenon of ‘copy-and-paste journalism’ has become a blight on the profession, fostering corruption and eroding trust. Those who engage in this practice, often masquerading as Bureau Chiefs or Special Correspondents, bring disrepute to the field of journalism and raise questions about the legitimacy of the information department.

They seek credible information and updates from other journalists to bolster their reputation. Likewise, students often replicate answers from subject-specific forums, assuming their lecturers are unaware of the source. This creates a challenge where individuals with inadequate knowledge in their field are promoted. The true assessment comes when they fail to apply their knowledge. This phenomenon is prevalent across sectors, and the tendency to copy-paste has reached its zenith, compromising the fourth estate’s credibility.

Concerning their societal significance, true journalists bridge the gap between marginalized communities and the administration, championing their causes without discrimination or bias. However, journalists who rely on copy-paste reporting imperil democracy, undermining public safety and confidence and misappropriating the power of the Fourth Estate.

The expertise of our professionals is undermined when they focus on reproducing stories without proper research, hoping their audience is unaware of the original context. In conclusion, writing may not be your strength; unless your ambition is to be a second-rate journalist, in which case you are excellent.

Experts are penalized for duplicate content as they drive the promotion of high-caliber content. They aim for their primary search results to be feature-rich websites that deliver quality content to users. I praise their commitment to this endeavor. They have reached a significant milestone. Content creators are well aware of the frustration that comes with having their original content copied. I preserve a blog post as evidence and articles that showcase the value of innovative thinking and encourage readers who may be engaged in such practices to cease them.

               (The author is a Freelance Writer and Columnist and can be reached at freelancershafqat@gmail.com, 09419974577)

VoM News Desk

VoM News is an online web portal in jammu Kashmir offers regional, National & global news.