The Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) has brought it to the notice of chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant, the Department of Information and Publicity (DIP) and the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer that several unregistered and self-proclaimed social media page/channel handlers have applied for media authority cards to cover the fast-approaching Lok Sabha election, scheduled for May 7, 2024, in Goa.
GUJ has asked the concerned parties not to provide the media authority cards to these self-proclaimed journalists who have created their own YouTube channels and Facebook pages. Some of these persons include activists, political party workers and some with questionable credentials.
“These platforms don’t hold any formal standing and registration of a recognized media house running a full-fledged print media (newspaper, magazines, tabloids etc) or any electronic media channel having a desired percentage of staff covering the entire spectrum of news. These self-proclaimed journalists don’t come under the Working Journalists Act 1955 and are not part of the mainstream media,” GUJ president Rajtilak Naik wrote in a letter to the director, Department of Information and Publicity.
A copy of the letter was handed over to Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer.
GUJ said issuing of media authority cards to non-journalists may cause serious security concerns, particularly with several VVIPs expected in Goa during the Lok Sabha poll campaign and thereafter.
“The Goa Union of Journalists request you not to issue any media authority cards to any unregistered media and social media page/ channel handlers claiming to be journalists to cover the forthcoming Lok Sabha election in the state of Goa or any other official event, organised by the Government of Goa,” GUJ said in the letter.
