Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Importance of social responsibility of Press stressed

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: Speakers at a two-day training programme on human rights for media professionals held under the aegis of the Institute of Human Rights Foundation of the People's Watch and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, New Delhi, underscored the importance of social accountability for the Press, especially in guarding the interests of the nation and depicting sufferings of the masses.

Though journalism in India underwent several transformations from voicing people's feelings against the British rule to not being aggressive against liberalisation policies such as foreign direct investment at present, the last decade had witnessed several changes. The entry of the electronic media had changed the dimensions of news coverage. As a result, the coverage ran the risk of getting either sensationalised or commercialised. Hence media professionals should draw lines and function with a commitment to social responsibility.

Source of information

"The media should function as a source of information and sustain democracy by constant struggle," said V. Krishna Ananth, faculty of Asian College of Journalism.

Inaugurating the training programme here recently, Mr. Krishna Ananth said journalists should not aim at seeking immunity from social obligations because they should realise that they too were citizens of the country.

He said the coverage on the Gurgaon incident in the media was laudable as it fairly depicted the struggles of workers.

I. Devasahayam, Joint Director, and Dr. Gnanaprakasham, Director (training) of the Institute of Human Rights Foundation, spoke.

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