Srinagar, Jul 6: There were times when accessing information from law enforcing agencies and police was easy to break any story but since new dictates came to them, a reporter is forces to do fact check a dozen times before breaking any news item.
In a conflict region, no news is as tough as the breaking news: say Umar Rashid from Shopian who covers south Kashmir since a decade.
“It is akin to walk on the edge of a sword. Any party can sue us even for a minor mistake or a misunderstanding over the context of the particular news story,” said Umar Rashid.
He is currently working for Srinagar based News gathering service Global News Service (GNS) and has formerly been with Kashmir Despatch and many news organisations since a decade.
Umar Rashid is among the few journalists in south Kashmir who cover the violence incidents, be it encounters, law and order situations, civilian and forces killings.
“I wouldn’t negate the efforts of investigative reporters but this form of news in conflicted can leave a reporter in jail. Threats, abuses and intermediation never stopped me and I do all this to inform people on right time,” he said.
Rashid said that he choose journalism as a passion, not as job.” My father used to tell us news stories which were airing on BBC, Voice of America and veteran Yousuf Jameel was reporting from Kashmir and that very thing inspired me towards the field,” he added.
