“Even if front page of newspaper in question was supposed to be a dummy then it was highly unethical and unprofessional to share it with employees of a target Dept as well as in watsapp group”
JAMMU: From Quack to Community Journalists and Toofani Patarkar, now there is another brand of Journos called magician added to the ever sprawling media profession in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
This class of scribes came to fore when a Daily English Newspaper published from Channi Himmat with title Golden Yug and claims to be 24 carat gold in ethical journalism unlike most blackmailing sheets has published newspaper on July 17 with two front page.
Surpisngly, both the front page carried different top leads news item. As per record, the Golden Yug in its edition 9 and volume 168 on Saturday, 17 July published it’s newspaper which carries top lead story on LG Manoj Sinha.
To our utter surprise, a dummy of front page with top lead story on JMC and with exact date line, edition and volume (Saturday 17, July) of GY newspaper was circulated on July 16 in its watsapp group (Golden Yug English Newspaper at 9:38 pm and all employees of the target department- Jammu Municipal Corporation.
However, the next day when the owner of GY share the e-copy of its newspaper in its watsapp group on Saturday, 17 July, the lead story on JMC was replaced with news item on LG. What was the purpose behind this juggleries, perhaps only the Editor knows better.
Sharing detail on this estrange development, a senior official of Department of Information and Public Relation, Union Territory of J&K said ” This is a grave issue and indicts something fishy” It’s a matter of probe, the officer added, on condition of anonymity. This is something like abracadabra and it seems only Golden Yug earns mastery in it, the official further said on condition of anonymity.
Nephew of the owner of GY newspaper is also posted in Anti Corruption Bureau and allegedly the officer is dealing with those issues which were highlighted by the said newspaper as news items.
Long ago, a shoddy newspaper which once used to published from Gandhinagar had also published two copies with two different top lead stories with same date, volume and edition.
Ten copies with top lead story against the then Chief Minister G.N.Azad were dropped at CM residence, Congress Spokesperson and Congress Hqr in Jammu whereas, the two copies of this newspaper without the news item on CM Azad was deposit in office of DIPR at Jammu for record sake.
This is a highly unethical practice which not only amounts to blackmailing but also a deliberate attempt of fraudulent practice in deviation of laid down norms prescribed by government and Press Council of India pertaining to publication of newspapers, said DIPR official.
It’s worth to mentioned here that DIPR have recently de-empanelled nearly 33 print newspapers for resorting to unethical practices. The Jammu region was top in this cleanliness drive launched by DIPR against newspapers with ghost circulations and staff.
It’s unbelievable, a newspaper is publishing two different page of same date with different top lead stories, said another official of DIPR. “This matter must be handed over to crime branch”
When contacted on mobile number which circulated two different copy of July 17 GY newspapers, the person who identified himself as Surinder Sharma said “I am unaware of it and might happened due to mistake”
On being asked as to why a front page carrying same dateline with top lead news item on JMC was shared by him only to employees of target department and under what circumstances the newspaper magically replaced the news item against JMC by another news item, Editor and Owner of Golden Yug said ” We can discuss the issue in office and bang the phone”