Accreditation, income source, following: Government mulls parameters to distinguish bona fide journalists from influencers

The Indian government is contemplating establishing criteria to differentiate between genuine digital journalists and influencers who claim journalist status, following the backlash from numerous reels produced during the recent Gen Z protests. The Indian Express has learned that the government's concerns were sparked by the protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against the NEET-UG paper leak in July.

During the demonstrations, influencers filmed and broadcast videos from protest sites, coined slogans, and captured footage of the police's actions, often accompanied by a fabricated ID card. This situation could potentially make it difficult for genuine journalists to work, as they might be perceived as facing restrictions due to the influx of influencers posing as journalists.

One proposal under consideration is to evaluate digital space accreditation applications based on parameters that distinguish journalists from influencers. The reasoning behind this idea is that not everyone using a camera and a mobile phone is a legitimate journalist, and certain privileges enjoyed by journalists should not be automatically granted to this category.

The government's concerns stem from the explosion of social media reels during recent protests, which gave the impression of widespread anger against the government and may have created a distorted image of the police's actions. The videos posted by student protesters and influencers also affected the global perception of the government's handling of the protests and rendered TV media less effective.