by Mudasir Rashid
Truth does not seek attention. It does not require virality to assert its value. It is often subdued, frequently difficult, and always essential. Falsehood, no matter how rapidly it spreads, is ultimately undone by the pressure of reality.
In a time shaped by instant sharing and the rapid spread of digital content, the role of the media has grown simultaneously more influential and more precarious. Once revered as the fourth pillar of democracy, journalism now finds itself at a delicate juncture. The core responsibility of providing the public with verified facts and balanced reportage is being eclipsed by a fixation on visibility, interaction, and engagement metrics.
This crisis is particularly stark in Kashmir, where every narrative carries emotional, political, and social weight. In such a context, truth demands rigour and care. Yet, what is increasingly visible is the rise of self-styled media figures with little or no professional grounding. Their tools are not newsroom ethics or editorial oversight, but mobile phones and internet access. With these, they disseminate videos that lack context, verification, and multiple perspectives. The aim is not public understanding, but provocation. Their stories are crafted to trigger reaction, not reflection, and their primary concern is reach, not reliability.
Such individuals function without the safeguards that define journalism. They operate outside the frameworks of accountability and accuracy. Their work is not informed by the principles of investigation or editorial scrutiny. Instead, it is tailored to chase algorithms and exploit public sentiment. In doing so, they flood public space with fragments of truth that mislead, misrepresent, and confuse. The damage is immediate and far-reaching: reputations are stained, public discourse is diluted, and the line between fact and fiction blurs.
There must be clarity on this point: possessing a camera does not confer the title of journalist. Journalism is not a race to publish the first clip. It is a disciplined process that demands patience, integrity, and discernment. The role of the journalist is not simply to record, but to interrogate, verify, and contextualise. Journalism, at its best, serves the public by offering clarity, not chaos, insight, not incitement.
This trend of shallow, reaction-driven reporting undermines the work of trained journalists who remain committed to accuracy, balance, and fairness. It also has a corrosive effect on the young, whose media diets are increasingly shaped by dramatic, unchecked content. When social media videos begin to displace verified reports, the consequences extend beyond journalism. What is at stake is the very idea of an informed citizenry. As truth becomes harder to locate amid noise and distortion, public trust in credible media institutions erodes, and with it, the foundations of democratic dialogue.
The proliferation of viral, one-dimensional reports has stripped journalism of its capacity to invite reflection or cultivate dialogue. These reports leave no space for creative storytelling or layered analysis. News, in its truest form, must not merely react. It must investigate, interpret, and anticipate. Its role is to uncover not only the “what” but also the “why” and the “how.” That standard is fading. In its place is a cycle where creativity and substance are often abandoned for dramatic headlines and hastily filmed, uncontextualised videos.
If this trajectory remains unchallenged, the consequences will be profound. Misinformation will begin to pass itself off as fact, and emotion will dominate where evidence once prevailed. A society raised on unverified claims becomes vulnerable. It becomes easy to divide, easier still to deceive. The distinction between reality and distortion grows harder to locate.
The question remains: What must be done?
Media institutions must meet this moment. They must recommit to rigour, investing in fact-checking, editorial scrutiny, and ethical safeguards. A clear boundary must be maintained between journalism and digital performance. Regulatory authorities must also intervene. They must uphold the credibility of journalism, preventing it from being co-opted by individuals who lack either training or standards.
The public, too, has a part to play. It must abandon the habit of elevating every trending clip. Before sharing or trusting a video, viewers must ask whether it has been verified, whether it offers more than one perspective, and whether it enlightens or merely inflames. The responsibility of discernment rests not only with producers of content but with those who consume it.
Truth does not seek attention. It does not require virality to assert its value. It is often subdued, frequently difficult, and always essential. Falsehood, no matter how rapidly it spreads, is ultimately undone by the pressure of reality.
To preserve democratic integrity, journalism must rediscover its creative, investigative, and ethical core. It must inform and uplift, not agitate or mislead. It must shed the pursuit of traffic and instead return to its fundamental role as the voice of clarity, reason, and responsibility.
Only by doing so can trust in the media be repaired. Only then can society proceed on the strength of fact rather than the noise of fiction.
(The writer is from Manigam, Ganderbal. Views are personal.)
