Reporter's Diary: As govt removes QR code from ID cards, journos fear forgery

Accreditation cards are given to journalists in the State every year to recognise those from trustworthy media organisations. Apart from weeding out the menace of fake personnel, the card also carries perks such as free bus travels, concession in train tickets apart from free pass at select toll plazas.

To prevent it from being duplicated, the cards usually carry a QR code on the reverse. By scanning them, the authorities can easily verify the identity of the journalists and also the authenticity of the cards. But this year, the government has done away with the QR code from the card. Now, the card simply has photo and details of the journalists. Many fear that this can be easily duplicated.

The card holds more importance when high profile meetings are held in the State, as only journalists with accreditation cards would be allowed entry to cover the event. But now, as the cards can be printed easily and do not have an option to authenticate them, there are chances of the cards being misused by fake journalists.

—Yazhiniyan, Chennai