By Our Special Correspondent
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday urged media houses to 'work hard' to maintain professionalism and ethics without compromising on values due to fear of competition.
Referring to the debates in news channels, which in some cases turn into heated debates, Thakur said the biggest challenge for media houses is to deliver truthful, accurate and reliable news at speed while maintaining media ethics and values.
“Real journalism is about facing the facts, presenting the truth and allowing all sides a platform to present their views. If you decide to invite guests who are polarizing, spread false stories and scream at the top of their lungs - your channel's credibility will decrease.
Your decisions regarding guest, tone and visuals – define your credibility in the eyes of the audience,” the minister said.
He was speaking at the 20th conference of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in the national capital. AIBD was established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO. It is a regional intergovernmental organization serving United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) countries in the field of electronic media development.
A viewer may stop by for a minute to watch your show, but will never trust your anchor, your channel or your brand as a reliable and transparent source of news, says Thakur.
“Rather than compromising our values in this fierce competition, we must work hard to maintain professionalism.”I strongly believe that it is the responsibility of journalists to report news without fabrications and not succumb to the temptation to compete with those who spread fake news," said Thakur.
Comments