The Hindu : INS chief calls for talks on FDI in print media

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 21, 2003

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INS chief calls for talks on FDI in print media

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE SEPT. 20. The newly-elected president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), M.P. Veerendra Kumar, today called for collective efforts by journalists and newspaper managements to address issues affecting the future of the industry.

Addressing mediapersons at the Kozhikode Press Club, he said foreign direct investment (FDI) in newspapers was one of the issues that needed to be discussed by the INS and journalist unions.

"There have been no agitations on this issue. It appears the gravity of this issue has not been fully understood," he said.

Mr. Veerendra Kumar said journalists should not get carried away by promises of high salaries in newspaper establishments that had received FDI.

In his view, in such institutions job security, professional ethics and national values were likely to be given the go by.

Since the reading habit was growing in countries such as India and China in spite of the mushroom growth of TV channels, the need of the hour was to facilitate the growth of newspapers.

There was enough space in the market for all newspapers. Which was why managements, journalists and non-journalists should stand together in spite of their differences on some issues, he said.

Mr. Veerendra Kumar, who has also been elected president of the Press Trust of India (PTI), said he planned to equip the agency to meet the challenges in the fast-changing media scene.

PTI, which had posted a profit of approximately Rs. 8 crores, would launch a video news service.

He planned to do it in collaboration with other companies so that no major investment was needed.

The news agency would have to give analytical news and photographs to newspapers as these would be needed to compete successfully and effectively with TV channels, which were able to break news earlier.

PTI would also have to be equipped with a digital photo archive to meet the demands of both visual and print media.

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