Gulmarg, September 03 (KNS): The Kashmir News Service (KNS) group of publications on Thursday held its annual media workshop at the Convention Centre, Gulmarg, with correspondents from Kashmir and Jammu divisions, Srinagar city, senior editors and other journalists associated with the organisation participating in the day-long programme.
‎
‎The workshop discussed the changing media environment and the challenges before professional journalists, particularly the spread of unverified information through social media.
‎
‎Speakers said the growing number of Facebook pages and anonymous news handles, many operating without any editorial mechanism, had made it difficult for readers to distinguish between verified news and unverified claims. They stressed that this had placed an added responsibility on professional news organisations to maintain accuracy and credibility.
‎
‎The participants emphasised that the rush to be first should not come at the cost of verification and that information circulating on social media should not be treated as news unless properly established.
‎
‎South Kashmir Bureau Head Tasaduq Rashid, while opening the session, spoke about the journey of KNS over the past three decades and the challenges faced by the organisation during this period. He said KNS had continued its work despite different pressures, financial difficulties and changes brought about by the digital media.
‎
‎Tasaduq said credibility remained the biggest strength of the organisation and had helped it sustain its position in the media landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.
‎
‎North Kashmir Bureau Head Mohammad Lateef Bhat spoke about KNS's contribution to journalism in J&K and the journalists who had started their careers with the organisation and were now working with different major media platforms.
‎
‎He suggested that similar workshops should be held at the district level so that reporters working in different parts of the region could benefit from regular interaction and training.
‎
‎Online Editor Sagar Firdous said traditional media needed to respond to the growing flow of unverified information by strengthening its own reporting and verification processes.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
‎
‎He said the answer to social media noise was not to compete with it on speed but to offer readers information that was checked and reliable.
‎
‎Executive Editor Rahim Rizwan, Correspondent Aqib Khan and senior correspondents also participated in the workshop and shared their experiences. They discussed various aspects of reporting, newsroom functioning and coordination between field reporters and the editorial desk.
‎
‎During the open session, correspondents raised issues related to training, field coordination and logistical support, particularly for those working in remote areas. They also suggested regular interaction between the editorial team and district correspondents to improve the flow and quality of news.
‎
‎The Editor-in-Chief assured the participants that the issues raised during the workshop would be looked into and necessary steps taken.
‎
‎Addressing the gathering, Editor-in-Chief Mohammad Aslam Bhat said a correspondent had a demanding job and that the quality of a news report depended largely on the accuracy of the information provided by the reporter.
‎
‎He said credibility had always remained a priority for KNS and that the organisation had maintained the practice of verifying facts before publishing news.
‎
‎Bhat asked reporters to first establish the facts of an incident on the ground and then approach the concerned authorities for their official version.
‎
‎He also stressed the need for better coordination between correspondents and the editorial desk, saying this was necessary to avoid factual errors and ensure that only verified information reached readers.
‎
‎The workshop concluded with discussions on strengthening reporting practices, improving coordination between the field and newsroom and maintaining the credibility of the organisation.(KNS)