The Mokokchung Press Club (MPC) has raised concerns over the growing public confusion between professional journalism and unregulated media content.
In a letter to the state Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), the MPC called for addressing this growing trend by initiating media literacy campaigns and programmes promoting ethical journalism practices.
Citing unregulated media content including material circulated by social media users, YouTubers, content creators, informal WhatsApp and Facebook groups, and even well-meaning collectives that associate with the term “media”, MPC pointed out there is a wide range of actors in today’s digital environment producing news-like content, often without attribution, editorial standards, or accountability.
“While these voices contribute to public discourse, the tendency to equate all content with credible journalism undermines the profession’s integrity and misleads or misinforms the public,” MPC said.
It maintained that there is a collapse of public distinction between journalism that upholds fact-checking, accountability, and editorial standards, and content aimed solely at engagement, reaction, or virality, often with little regard for truth or ethics.
The press club expressed concern that if left unaddressed, “we may soon find ourselves in a situation where nobody knows who to trust, and everyone with a smartphone becomes a “journalist”, regardless of ethics, accuracy, or accountability”.
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While digital platforms have democratized access to information, they have also blurred the lines, the letter said, adding that many people now struggle to differentiate between the work of professional journalists and unverified or informal reports circulating on social media.
Towards this, the MPC urged upon the DIPR to step in and launch a state-wide media literacy campaign in collaboration with schools, colleges, churches, and civil society organizations to help the public distinguish between factual reporting and opinion, propaganda, or misinformation. It also asked the department to support training, fellowships, and workshops for district-level journalists and local media workers, with a focus on digital verification, ethics, and public trust in journalism.
“We stress that this is not a call for censorship, but a call for clarity, education, and the protection of the integrity of the press. Journalism must evolve with the times but not at the cost of its principles. The Mokokchung Press Club stands ready to collaborate on any initiative that promotes truth, credibility, and ethical journalism,” MPC added.
