Prez confident of media's ability to deal with modern day challenges

Saluting the media for not compromising on the freedom of speech and expression, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said the media in India has always supported the freedom of individuals to speak out as per his or her conviction.

President Mukherjee expressed confidence that the media in India has always fought authoritarian tendencies, and was confident it would be able to succeed in meeting all modern day challenges, including those posed by technology.

Stating that the history of Indian journalism is intertwined with that of the freedom movement, he said from the time of Hickey's Gazette, which came out during the days of the East India Company. The media has highlighted problems faced by the common people, he added.

He underlined that many national leaders founded newspapers or were closely associated with it during the freedom struggle.

Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in October 1937 in The Modern Review of Calcutta under a pseudonym, and criticised himself for having dictatorial tendencies, said the President, adding that People wondered who had dared criticise Nehru, and it was only much later that people realised Nehru himself had written the article in order to encourage criticism.

President Mukherjee was speaking on the occasion of the release of a book 'The Eighth Ring, English version of the autobiography of K.M. Mathew, former editor and publisher of Malayala Manorama. He also received the first copy of the book.

The book was released by Mammen Mathew, chief editor, Malayala Manorama, while eminent jurist and former Member of Parliament Fali S Nariman and NDTV Chairman Dr. Prannoy Roy also spoke on the occasion.

He complimented the Manorama Group for treating journalism as a mission and commitment to society. He said the Manorama group has demonstrated exemplary leadership in upholding and expanding the high values set by K.M. Mathew.