The Hindu : Karnataka News : U.R. Rao for panel to check sensationalism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 27, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

U.R. Rao for panel to check sensationalism

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MAY 26. The former Chairman of Prasar Bharati, U.R. Rao, has said that there is a dire need for a regulatory body to prevent the increasing sensationalism and bias in the print and electronic media.

Prof. Rao was speaking at the third convocation of Sri Sri Centre for Media Studies here on Tuesday.

"Everybody has a right not just to information but also to the right information ... The social effects of reckless commercialisation of the mass media have become a major concern in policy formulation and decision making," he said.

The sacred obligation of mediapersons should be to refrain from calumny, reckless accusation, slander and violation of privacy, and uphold integrity and independence, he said.

Citing some sensational news stories, he said some media organisations conducted exit poll surveys without knowledge of "elementary statistics".

Criticising the electronic media, he said they were glorifying aggression and violence. The Fourth Estate would lose its credibility and freedom if a regulatory body was not constituted, he warned.

Acharya Ratnananda of Ved Vignan Mahavidya Peeth said the media were expected to be truthful, kind and precise. But they were indulging in sensationalism and projecting views instead of news.

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