Govt, media should neither be friends nor foes: Viveck Goenka

The Indian Express group chairman Viveck Goenka Friday said the government and media should neither be friends nor enemies.

They should work with mutual respect, where the journalist plays the role of a watchdog, and the imperatives of the government are also taken on board, he said.

"We at the Indian Express believe that the government and the Press do not need to be friends, but they do not need to be enemies either," Goenka said, at an event organised by the Vidarbha Daily Newspapers Association here.

Newspaper proprietors felicitated Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the event.

Journalists and the government play their part in this "wonderful, chaotic and participative dance of democracy", Goenka said. Attributes of fearlessness and having no political colour "nurture a healthy relationship" between the two, Goenka said.

He acknowledged that the relationship between the Press and the government is a complicated one and may also become combative at times, and underlined the importance of mutual respect on both sides.

This relationship can also shift depending on personality and policy position of each leader, he said.

Goenka praised Fadnavis for being accessible to media.

"At a time when social media is not just hyper- partisan but also enables leaders to one-sided conversations, this gentleman (Fadnavis) is not only accessible to Press, he is ever ready to take questions and above all, he listens very carefully," Goenka said.

He recalled Fadnavis saying that good journalism is fearless and does not have any political colour.

Goenka also requested the chief minister to remove the disparities in rates for newspaper advertising between the government and commercial enterprises.