'Vernacular newspapers form public opinion'

Vernacular newspapers have a major role to play in building public opinion particularly in South Asian countries, Union information and broadcasting minister S Jaipal Reddy said here today.

'Journalism should focus on highlighting people's needs rather than forming opinion about governments. You can bring a change in the system by highlighting the issues concerning governance and eradicating the poverty which is a common problem in this region," he said while inaugurating the sixth conference of South Asian Editors Forum (SAEF).

People of South Asian countries have many similarities from culture to poverty, he said, and stressed the need for economic and mutual cooperation among the nations.

Welcoming the Pakistani delegation for the two-day conference, Reddy called for long-lasting peace between the two countries and development of economic and mutual ties between the people of the two countries.

The conference, hosted by the Andhra Pradesh government, is being attended by a high-profile contingent of Pakistani editors led by former Pakistan information minister Javed Jabbar.