Disconnect between Army and media triggers confusion and hampers smooth dissemination of information especially in conflict areas. The experts say that the issue requires to be addressed professionally and both media and Army must understand intricacies of professional conduct. The issues were highlighted at Srinagar based XV Corps headquarters where Kashmiri journalists interacted with Army officers to exchange ideas. Prominent defence analyst and author Nitin K Gokhale highlighted diverse issues on the inflow of information and Army-media relationship.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Changing matrix of military-media relation, issues for future leaders and role of new media’, Gokhale said that emergence of social media has posed a greater challenge to the media persons and the military as news flow is no longer restricted to newspapers and television channels. “The Army sometimes holds back information or delays it for longer periods. This creates confusion and fiction makes way to the audience instead of facts,” Gokhale said. He asked the field officers and the media managers of the Army to understand the requirement of journalists in real time.
He said the social media is more vibrant than the traditional news broadcasting system despite the fact that the information on social media cannot be always accurate. Some journalists complained that Army in Kashmir was miserly disseminating information on crucial occasions leading to confusion. “The human relationship between the Army and media persons has not been revived though it was excellent in late 1990s,” a senior journalist remarked.