Media and Human Rights: Journalist Covering Kashmir - A Conflict Zone.

Press has never been free in a conflict zone like Kashmir nor have journalists ever worked in a safe environment. Whenever protests or anything of the sort takes place in Kashmir, journalists are the first victims to face the wrath of forces. There are so many instances when journalists have been beaten up ruthlessly while delivering their professional duties. In 2011, four journalists were roughed up very badly by the paramilitary forces. All of them sustained severe injuries; their equipments seized and were later detained as well. The four journalists, working for Al-Jazeera, Getty Images, Dainik Bhaskar and AP Television, were covering Friday protests in old town of Srinagar city when troopers thrashed them. They were beaten with rifle butts and batons. In another incident a foreign journalist was also beaten while covering a street protest. Narciso Contreras, who works for California based Zuma Press Agency, was beaten up badly along with other local journalist. The two were dragged to the police station, beaten there and detained for several hours. The purpose of this paper is to learn what problems journalists face in a conflict zone and also how they carry out their professional duties by noting down their anecdotes through interview method and a questionnaire. The incidents of violations against journalists from the period of 2008 to 2011 will also be researched through content analysis method of some newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]