 "PM cautions media industry, says it should not lose sight of primary objective")
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday cautioned the Media Industry in India, saying that the media organizations in the country should not lose sight of their primary objective, while maintaining their obligation to shareholders and investors.
“The tussle between bottom-lines and headlines is a fact of life. But this should not result in a situation where media organizations lose sight of their primary directive, which is to hold up a mirror to society and help provide a corrective”, the Prime Minister said, after inaugurating the swanky National Media centre Building in the heart of New Delhi.
The National Media Centre, spread across 2 acres of land on Raisina Road in New Delhi, will be primarily used to disseminate government’s information and will also house the office of Press Information Bureau. Ministries including the Prime Minister’s office will use the centre to address the nation as it can accommodate more than 300 journalists and is equipped with state of the art technology.
The media centre was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance on Saturday.
“Those of you who are the practitioners of the media industry have a very special responsibility to assess, tackle and overcome the challenges that two decades of socio-economic change have brought about in India. A spirit of inquiry must not morph into a campaign of calumny. A witch-hunt is no substitute for investigative journalism. And personal prejudices must not replace the public good”, the Prime Minister said in his speech.
The inauguration was attended by senior cabinet members including foreign minister Salman Khurshid, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajiv Shukla, Girija Vyas and the Press Council of India Chairman Markanday Katju.
“At the end of the day, credibility is the media’s currency and is integral to its contract with the reader or viewer. There is also the question of a certain responsibility for social harmony and public order. I emphasize this particularly in the light of the social media revolution, which is rendering irrelevant the lines between a connected citizen and professional journalist”, the Prime Minister added.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that there is a need to highlight shortcomings in government policies and media often takes up that mantle. "While media makes the political establishment uncomfortable, we welcome the watchdog role of the media. It strengthens democracy" Sonia Gandhi said.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Manish Tiwari also said that his ministry is currently awaiting recommendations from various panels regarding changing archaic laws in the Media industry including the Cinematograph act of 1952.
“A panel under Sam Pitroda is studying the restructuring of Prasar Bharati and another panel is studying the cinematograph of 1952. The UPA government has always been walking the extra mile”, Manish Tiwari said.
“The tussle between bottom-lines and headlines is a fact of life. But this should not result in a situation where media organizations lose sight of their primary directive, which is to hold up a mirror to society and help provide a corrective”, the Prime Minister said, after inaugurating the swanky National Media centre Building in the heart of New Delhi.
The National Media Centre, spread across 2 acres of land on Raisina Road in New Delhi, will be primarily used to disseminate government’s information and will also house the office of Press Information Bureau. Ministries including the Prime Minister’s office will use the centre to address the nation as it can accommodate more than 300 journalists and is equipped with state of the art technology.
The media centre was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance on Saturday.
“Those of you who are the practitioners of the media industry have a very special responsibility to assess, tackle and overcome the challenges that two decades of socio-economic change have brought about in India. A spirit of inquiry must not morph into a campaign of calumny. A witch-hunt is no substitute for investigative journalism. And personal prejudices must not replace the public good”, the Prime Minister said in his speech.
The inauguration was attended by senior cabinet members including foreign minister Salman Khurshid, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajiv Shukla, Girija Vyas and the Press Council of India Chairman Markanday Katju.
“At the end of the day, credibility is the media’s currency and is integral to its contract with the reader or viewer. There is also the question of a certain responsibility for social harmony and public order. I emphasize this particularly in the light of the social media revolution, which is rendering irrelevant the lines between a connected citizen and professional journalist”, the Prime Minister added.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that there is a need to highlight shortcomings in government policies and media often takes up that mantle. "While media makes the political establishment uncomfortable, we welcome the watchdog role of the media. It strengthens democracy" Sonia Gandhi said.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Manish Tiwari also said that his ministry is currently awaiting recommendations from various panels regarding changing archaic laws in the Media industry including the Cinematograph act of 1952.
“A panel under Sam Pitroda is studying the restructuring of Prasar Bharati and another panel is studying the cinematograph of 1952. The UPA government has always been walking the extra mile”, Manish Tiwari said.