The Hindu : National : ``News media can help build agendas''

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 27, 2005

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National

``News media can help build agendas''

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, FEB. 26. The different facets of the media in the Internet age and the need for asserting editorial independence over the pulls of marketing needs were the subjects for a lively interaction at the Young Indians 2005 Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Saturday. The theme was "Media: Shaping Minds for a Better India."

"The news media's role is not to make readers feel good, but they can do many positive things by taking up real issues," said the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , N. Ram. ``The news media can play an important agenda-building role.'' It can make a real difference by campaigning for compulsory and free school education. Unless India ensured that all children of school-going age went to school and did not become part of the labour force, then President Kalam's `Vision 2020' cannot materialise, Mr. Ram said. In response to a question, he welcomed the CII Young Indians being involved in such a campaign.

Certain values such as truth telling, freedom, justice and humaneness are an integral part of good journalism. While there could not be walls between the editorial and marketing functions of the news media¸ a clear line should be drawn and the primacy of editorial functions asserted, Mr. Ram said.

Tarun J. Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Tehelka, went a step further to ask readers to be willing to pay Rs. 5 or Rs. 10 to buy their daily newspaper so that the influence of advertising could be reduced. "We do not intrude into the private lives of people unless it affects their public life or the spending of public money," he said.

Independent journalism

"The importance of independent journalism was realised only during and after the Emergency. The supremacy of the Constitution has to be upheld if the ``fault lines'' of religion and caste are not to divide the country. When we fear too much as journalists, power becomes draconian in the hands of the wrong people," Mr. Tejpal said.

Theatre personality and Director of Mumbai's Prithvi Theatre, Sanjana Kapoor, said that she felt bad about theatre becoming a brand rather than being a social movement, reaching out to people. Sponsorship should not overshadow good theatre.

Ashish Bhasin, Director, Lintas, made out a case for socially relevant advertising and gave examples of campaigns for the girl child and empowerment of women, with which his agency was involved. "The impact of advertising on young minds can be both positive and negative," he remarked.

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