The Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu urged all the stakeholders involved in journalism to introspect and take steps to prevent erosion of journalistic values and standards.
He referred to the importance of providing undiluted and authentic news at a time when fake news, half-truths and misinformation were becoming increasingly commonplace on social media platforms. The Vice President made the remarks while presenting ‘ Keraleeyam-V K Madhavan Kutty Puraskaram-2020’ in different categories to four journalists at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in Delhi.
Emphasizing on the importance of objectivity, he said that news must not be coloured or slanted with views. Presenting news through the prism of biased opinion casts a shadow on the dispassionate and neutral nature of journalism, he said.
“Unfortunately, there has been a decline in journalistic standards over the years and today it is difficult to get a truly objective picture by reading a single newspaper or viewing a single news channel”, he bemoaned.
If robbed of authenticity, reliability and credibility, the media will be doing a disservice to democracy and to the cause of enlightening and empowering the public, he added.
Pointing out that there is a greater onus on journalists to be unbiased in a democracy, he said the media plays a critical role in maintaining the social fabric and political system of a country. “It should engage more proactively in advocacy, protection of rights of the downtrodden and powerless, and in uncovering illegal and corrupt practices. Ultimately, it should function without fear or favour”, he added.
Observing that journalism becomes the third eye of the citizens, the Vice President said it should constructively criticize the actions of the government with evidence, facts, and insightful research. “Only when investigative journalism is free of bias and partisanship can the media live up to its reputation as Fourth Estate”, he opined.
Naidu said that in the past, news was considered sacrosanct and treated as news not tempered by opinion. He said, sadly, commercial interests seem to be the main consideration for quite a few media houses today. “I am not saying that media organizations employing hundreds of employees should not be run on commercial lines. However, commercial interests alone should not become the overriding factor in the selection and presentation of news and articles”, he stressed.
