PM warns against media witch-hunt

Says it is no substitute for investigative journalism, while inaugurating the national media centre in Delhi

Located in the heart of Lutyens Delhi on a two-acre plot, the National Media Centre, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, will serve as the official press briefing centre of the government.

The five-storeyed building, located adjacent to the Le Meridian hotel, will also serve as the office of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

The project, envisaged in 1989 and completed nearly 24 years later, was built on a budget of Rs 60 crore and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including optic fibre internet and a mini-data centre for hosting live webcasts.

The tussle between bottom lines and headlines is a fact of life. But this should not result in a situation where media organisations lose sight of their primary directive, which is to hold up a mirror to society, the Prime Minister said at the inauguration.

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, he said in his speech.

At a time when a number of junior ministers of the Union Cabinet have been actively pursuing the new media including web casts to speak to the public, the office will certainly be an ideal location, a senior official in the information and broadcasting ministry said.

In addition, the media centre also boasts of a press conference hall which can accommodate more than 280 media persons and a briefing room for 60 persons. The centre is Wi-Fi-enabled and currently has 24 work stations to quickly deliver news in todays fast-paced digital era. PIB is also planning to move all its archives into the new facility.

Located in close proximity to the parliament and all other central government offices in New Delhi, this facility is also expected to serve as the official media briefing centre for visiting dignitaries too.