Editorial . . . . . .
Press or newspapers are an important tool for shaping public opinion in a democratic country like India. They make observations about current events and criticize or praise government policy. They are the gateways via which the general public learns about the country’s challenges and potential solutions. As a result, they educate the public and enable them to form their own opinions on issues of public concern. They can play a critical role in a democracy in preventing fissiparous tendencies and promoting national integration.
The traditional media, especially the printed newspaper, has been gradually diminishing, as readership and advertising have shifted to the digital medium. For several years, there has been a downward tendency. When the Coronavirus pandemic reached the world, it wreaked havoc on the already suffering newspaper sector. The newspapers were caught by surprise when it came to switching to new platforms or channels, and the results have been bad.
The virus’s influence only aggravated the situation, as circulations were partially halted in many parts of Jammu and Kashmir, as they were everywhere else in the world. Fearing COVID-19 transmission, residents in Jammu and Srinagar, which had the biggest number of subscriptions, refused to allow local hawkers to bring newspaper copies even to the gate, let alone the doorstep. Few people cancelled their subscriptions to protect their mental health from the gloomy tales of infections, fatalities, and a collapsing healthcare system.
Fear and incorrect assumptions were not able to overcome the World Health Organization’s and all world governments’ awareness and emphasis that the Coronavirus cannot be transmitted through newspapers. “Do not be misled by rumours. Reading newspapers will not cause you to become infected”.
Delivery of newspapers to many regions of the UT and beyond was almost halted as a result of lockdowns followed by the stoppage of public transportation. Advertisers have become more choosy in order to save money, hastening the loss of revenue, particularly for small newspapers. The distribution of advertisements was already less, and it has widened significantly as a result of the worldwide economic recession. It has become much more difficult due to increased transportation, newsprint, and other raw materials costs.
The commercialization of the PDF copies of the newspaper could bring in a little amount of money. Despite several requests, some readers have been distributing the PDF files for free in WhatsApp groups on a regular basis, completely disregarding the hard labour that goes into producing the newspaper every day. Not able to bear the economic impact, fresh newspapers that have completed more than three years and have all the formalities completed as per the guidelines issued by the Jammu and Kashmir should conduct the meeting and be placed in the ad immediately.
As per sources, the editors and publishers had submitted a combined plea to the government for a stimulus package to assist the newspapers in recovering from the effects of the lockdown. Despite this, newspapers continued to publish, paying people and ensuring that news and information were spread via digital platforms. The publications are still waiting for a response, despite the fact that they are in the midst of a worsening economic crisis.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, newspaper offices all over the world were shut down, certain issues were cancelled, salary cuts were made, the number of pages was reduced, and hundreds of journalists and employees were laid off, compounding the job crisis, especially for journalists. Thankfully, there have been few such events in J&K. Despite the financial difficulties, journalists have not been given the notice to leave their jobs. However, there is an uneasy quiet because none of the journalist organizations, whether press clubs or associations have expressed alarm about the current state of the newspaper offices. Perhaps journalists are oblivious to the fact that the editors’ and publishers’ appeals and requests will be heard louder through the voices of journalists.
Due to a lack of improvement in revenue generation, newspaper offices in Jammu and Kashmir are collapsing. The reality is that revenue has hit rock bottom, and in the face of such a bottomless crisis, it’s unlikely that newspapers will regain their footing unless the current trend of silence and indifference is replaced by empathy and a collective effort to keep the existing newspapers in J&K UT afloat, particularly the fresh newspapers that have been waiting for their empanelment for a long time in order to survive through government advertisement.