Bengaluru, November 17, (Karnataka News) :
The contribution of the media sector in strengthening the country is very important. Similarly, the media should also act in a way that earns the trust of the people, said Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader Farid.
Speaking at a dialogue program on ‘Protecting the Credibility of Media Amidst Increasing Fake News’ organized by Karnataka Media Academy, Department of Information and Public Relations and Press Club of Bangalore as part of the “National Press Day” celebrations at the Bangalore Press Club premises today, the Honorable Speaker said that the media is functioning as the fourth pillar of democracy. He said that the media sector has played a significant role in upholding the culture and literature of the country.
The media should not work to disturb the well-being of the society, but to protect it. They should work to deliver real, truthful news to the people instead of spreading fake news. They should work to bring about social change. News should remain in the form of news. “News Should be in News not views should be the News”. Politics and the media are like the two eyes of the society. When these eyes are damaged, the society falls into darkness, he said.
From my student life to my political life, journalists have played an important role in solving my problems. The personality of life is shaped only with the cooperation of journalists. Today, with the advent of social media, it has had a very bad impact on the print and electronic media sectors. The media is going extinct. The work of saving the media needs to be done. Social media broadcasts instant news without knowing the material situation. They do not even pay attention to the reality of the news. Such things should not happen. Be it print media or electronic media or any media, the reality of the news should be known. News that disturbs the peace of the society should not be broadcast. Truthful news should be published and the trust of the people should be gained, he said.
Politicians should also accept criticism and comments made by the media with an even mind. When we receive criticism, we should be able to understand where we have gone wrong and work on it. We should accept all opinions positively, he said.
In the next session, it has been thought to provide an opportunity to 50 journalism students studying in universities in various districts of the state to observe the entire House. Similarly, it is proposed to organize a one-year training program for journalism students, in which 6 months of theory and 6 months of practical programs are planned. I freely accept everyone’s personal suggestions. The Honorable Speaker said that parliamentary values need to be upheld in a democratic system.
Speaking on the occasion, Ayesha Khanam, President of the Media Academy, said that the Press Council of India was established on November 16, 1966, with the aim of protecting and improving the quality of newspapers and news organizations in our country, which protects press freedom. Stating that National Press Day is celebrated on November 16 every year, she said that young journalists are the future of the media. They should work within their framework.
Today, the credibility of the media is being lost amidst fake news. It must be protected to gain everyone’s trust. It must work for truth and justice. It must not yield to anyone’s pressure. It must not hesitate to present real, truthful news to the people. While the term of the President is 4 years, the term of journalists is continuous. It is the job of a true journalist to protect the media from fake news, he said.
The Chief Minister has also expressed great concern about fake news. We should fight against those who spread fake news. No one should spread fake news. By providing true news, we should earn the trust of the people and bring about improvement in the society, he advised the young journalists.
R. Sridhar, President of the Press Club of Bangalore, said that we need to learn how to bring out the truth. In today’s era of digital media, we need to protect ourselves. The media is watching more news only in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. But why is this not the case in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of North India? The pressure of ownership of media organizations is putting on real journalists today. We need to come out of this. We need to say wrong is wrong and right is right. That is the job of real media. He said that the responsibility of building a better country lies with the media.
NDTV’s senior journalist and veteran journalist, Ms. Nupur Basu, spoke and said, “There is no democracy without media. Media is the eyes of society, and it is the media that delivers real, objective news to the people from time to time. People are educated through media. They try to be aware of every incident happening in the country and the world.”
He said that due to the onslaught of digital media today, most of the print media outlets have been closed down. Compared to other countries, the press freedom index of our country India is gradually declining.
In the last 3 months, more than 350 journalists have been attacked. Between 2012 and 2023, about 423 cases have been registered against 427 journalists. Looking at all this, the condition of journalists is deplorable. Today, we are losing press freedom, he said.
He said that today’s media is operating under the corporate system. It has been sold to the TRP system. This must stop. We should not be afraid to broadcast real news.
Senior journalist Dr. R. Purnima spoke and said that the establishment day of the Press Club of India is being celebrated as National Press Day. Every year, National Press Day is celebrated with a different slogan. Today’s slogan – “Protecting the credibility of the media amidst increasing fake news” This year, an alarming slogan has been given. Today, we are in a situation of panic. We need to think about the credibility of the media. This is not a matter of celebration and fuss. The entire media sector has to think about this. While the traveler called truth is in a state of putting on shoes and slippers, the traveler called lies has circled half the world. In today’s technological age, we are getting carried away by technology and failing to know the real and truthful news. Forgetting reality, we are quickly getting carried away by fake news without knowing what is true and what is false. Those who know technology are using fake news very well, she said.
Earlier, news and articles were written after knowing the truth. Supporting documents were also prepared for it. But today, without even knowing whether the news is true or false, people are aware of the news in a moment and exert their influence on the society. Today, there is a situation where fact checking is done to determine whether the news is false or true. By the time fact checking is done, many accidents have also occurred. Therefore, every journalist should also have more knowledge about this. One should try to convey only true news. He said that true news should be given importance and peace should be maintained in the society.
Shivajinagar Assembly constituency MLA Rizwan Arshad, who presided over the program, said, “India is a constitutional nation. The media sector has a special place in our constitution. There is no democracy without an independent media.”
Young people should read newspapers as much as possible. They should give more importance to true things. I have been reading only newspapers since I was young. Not the news that comes in any other digital or electronic media. News that is given in a few moments is not news. News is published only for TRP. No matter who it is, we should try to give real news. We should not spread false news and create discord in the society. Today, the media is trapped in the corporate system and should come out of it. Fake news should be curbed. As much true and genuine news as possible should be published. We should gain the trust of the public, he said.
The program was attended by Press Club of Bangalore General Secretary Shivakumar Bellithatte, Karnataka Working Journalists Association President and Karnataka Media Academy member Shivananda Tagadoor, Karnataka Media Academy former President Siddharaju, member Usharani, Karnataka Media Academy Secretary Sahana M, along with senior journalists and journalism students.
