‘Fight fake narratives with facts’: Dr Farooq to party’s media wing

Srinagar, May 09: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and Member of Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday exhorted the newly-constituted media and social media teams to “fight the misinformation with facts” and guide the people, particularly the youth, about the party’s “historical role in salvaging the people of J&K from the strife of slavery, and feudalism”.
“In the present era, social media is very important due to its widespread use in the modern era and has emerged as the strongest platform. We have to guide our youth about the strides made by the party through its Naya Kashmir Manifesto. In the current era, when people’s woes aren’t heard, we can use the platforms to highlight the issues of public concern,” he said while presiding over an introductory meeting of the newly-constituted wings of the party’s media, social media and panelists.
Stating that the media and social media wings have a responsibility, Dr Farooq said public opinion is the currency of democracy and social media platforms across the world are increasingly becoming the primary ground for public discourse and mobilization of public opinion.
“There is no substitute for direct contact with the people, but keeping in view the requirements of the modern era, we cannot underestimate the usefulness of new media and social media platforms in engaging with geographically scattered and diverse audiences. These mediums can be utilized to keep people better informed about the golden past of our party and the historical and revolutionary initiatives taken by our leadership from time to time,” he said.
“New media have wide-ranging implications for political parties, it has radically altered the ways in which political parties operated and political leaders communicated. It is high time that we also make better use of these platforms to set an agenda and propagate the party ideology and viewpoint,” he added.
Dr Farooq Abdullah said the National Conference is “engaged in the struggle to restore the rights of the people” of Jammu and Kashmir and effective use of social media can make a proactive contribution in reaching out to the right-thinking people across the country.
Party’s Vice President Omar Abdullah joined the meeting virtually and also addressed the participants. He felicitated the newly-formed media and social media wing officials as well as party panelists and exhorted the functionaries to work in tandem with a sense of commitment and belongingness towards the party.
On the occasion, the participants presented their opinions regarding the media, social media and the requirements of the modern era and also offered their useful suggestions.