By | Spotlight Media Observer
Lolab, April 16: Imtiyaz Khan, the individual behind the Facebook page Voice of Lolab and a self-styled pseudo reporter, is once again in the spotlight—this time for blatantly copying a news article from a reputed news agency and falsely attributing it to himself.
The original report, written by Umaisar Gull Ganie for the Kashmir News Observer (KNO), detailed the postponement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir for the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express on April 19. Khan, however, reproduced the story word-for-word, replaced the reporter’s name with his own, and attributed the report to his page Voice of Lolab.
It is worth noting that Imtiyaz Khan had previously drawn public criticism for forming a so-called Alfaz Lolab Media Association along with a few other unverified individuals who claim to be journalists. Khan resigned from the said group after facing widespread backlash.
The blatant replication of a professional journalist’s work has been seen as a new low in the already controversial trajectory of Khan’s pseudo-journalistic endeavors. Media professional from last day have appealed for accountability and requested administration for urgent need to regulate fake news portals and self-declared media associations that undermine the efforts of credible journalists.
