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"Credibility, The Hindu's greatest asset"

By C. Gouridasan Nair

Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

The Kerala Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, speaking at the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of The Hindu in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Others in the photograph (from left) are: K.N. Panikkar, Vice-Chancellor, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, V.S. Achuthanandan, Leader of the Opposition, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Murali, Joint Managing Director of The Hindu, and M.S. Valiathan, Executive Vice-President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Jan. 5. The Kerala Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, today called upon the media to maintain balance and restraint while reporting controversial issues and praised The Hindu for its constant vigil against sensationalism. He paid rich tributes to the newspaper for what he said is its greatest asset: credibility.

Mr. Antony, who was the Chief Guest at the Kerala State-level celebrations of the 125th Anniversary of The Hindu here, said there was a growing tendency among media organisations to rake up controversies. But in the process of playing up controversies, facts often became the casualty. "We have to once again go back to journalistic ethics and try to maintain balance and restraint when controversial and sensational issues are reported," the Chief Minister said.

The Hindu, he noted, had a great tradition as a staunch nationalist newspaper. It had served as "a tremendous source of inspiration and moral support" to thousands of freedom fighters who had single-mindedly pursued the goal of liberating the nation from the alien yoke. "In fact, The Hindu played a pivotal role in our national struggle for Independence as a powerful medium, effectively reflecting the aspirations of the entire people of the country. However, it is worth mentioning to the credit of The Hindu that even when it was charged with the emotional zeal of patriotism, as a newspaper it always maintained high standards of professionalism and journalistic ethos," Mr. Antony said.

The post-Independence period, the Chief Minister said, had seen a paradigm shift in the role of newspapers in the country, and that, along with the Constitution, the newspapers contributed significantly to the evolution of the parliamentary form of democracy. The Hindu also played a pioneering role in the evolution of the country as a mature democratic polity and gave vital support and encouragement to national reconstruction and development. "The country has made rapid strides in all walks of life and The Hindu has always been at the forefront giving wholehearted support and fillip to the country's overall development activities," he said.

Mr. Antony disclosed that in his reckoning, his newspaper reading for a given day was never complete unless he had readThe Hindu. In paying tributes to The Hindu for its credibility, the Chief Minister departed from the prepared, printed text of his speech and gave what he said was a ``piece of advice to Mr. N. Murali [the Joint Managing Director], Mr. N. Ram [the Editor-in-Chief] and other members of The Hindu family: "In 1878, you had just 88 copies. Now you are moving to one million copies. You must strive to retain your credibility even when you go past the one million mark."

Offering felicitations, the Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, said that in this "era of disinformation," a truly patriotic newspaper should be unwavering in its pursuit of truth. "The real truth in our country does not come from the corporate houses or the power centres in New Delhi. Journalists tend to mistake the din coming from these quarters as the real truth. When they do so, they too fall victims of the weapon of disinformation," he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that within India, the weapon of disinformation was being used at several levels. "It is being used from outside, with the help of obliging policy-makers to target the nation's economic sovereignty. At another level, it is being used for undermining the nation's secular credentials for political gains." The current times, he added, required a newspaper with social commitment to keep its fingers on the pulse of the voiceless masses. The real truth in the country was where the exploited and suffering people lived. "This is a time when journalists should show a great degree of discrimination in distinguishing truth from the untruth," he said.

M.S. Valiathan, executive vice-president, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, said the very fact that The Hinduhad survived for 125 years and is thriving was a tribute to its evolutionary ability to survive and excel. He suggested that The Hindu should set up schools of communication all over the Third World to hone the communication skills of the people there.

K.N. Panikkar, Vice-Chancellor, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, said the secular space in the media had shrunk considerably because the logic of the communal was increasingly becoming respectable in almost all newspaper establishments. This, he said, had considerably impaired the fundamental commitment of the media to truth. The Hindu, he noted, had consistently defended and supported the principles of democracy and secularism with a rare commitment.

Welcoming the gathering, which included Ministers, leading politicians, business leaders, civil servants and people from other walks of life, Mr. Ram, the Editor-in-Chief, said that some of the reasonable restrictions on the freedom of the press have become "unreasonable and illiberal in practice." The Hindu, he said, was of the view that statute changes have become necessary to eliminate the problem.

Proposing a vote of thanks, Mr. Murali, the Joint Managing Director, said the paper was rededicating itself to the core values of truthful, fair and balanced journalism. Mr. Murali also presented mementoes to the dignitaries on the dais.

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