Self-regulation for media is the best practice: Venkaiah Naidu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday attended a function organised by the Press Council of India on the occasion of National Press Day. The occasion also marked the Golden Jubilee of the Press Council of India.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister emphasised on the importance of freedom of press, and said that press should self-regulate, adding that any external interference or regulation on press is not called for.

Modi expressed concern over the recent killings of journalists in some parts of the country. He said that journalists losing their lives in the quest for telling the truth was an extremely serious development.

Speaking earlier, M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information & Broadcasting, said that self-regulation in the media space was the best practice which would uphold journalistic ethics and democratic ideals of the Nation. “The Government does not believe in imposing ban on any medium of communication, but necessary restraint has to be exercised keeping in mind the protection of sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the nation and law & order situation in the country,” he added.

Elaborating on the responsibility of media, Naidu mentioned that electronic media coverage of Mumbai terrorist attacks received backlash from the Supreme Court, which mentioned that “any attempt to justify the conduct of the TV channels by citing the right to freedom of speech and expression would be totally wrong and unacceptable in such a terrorist situation”. He also mentioned the recent case of Pathankot coverage also highlighted how electronic media coverage while reporting could put civilians, armed personnel lives to danger.

The Minister, while speaking about the role of Regional Media in a diverse country like India, said that the media assumes importance at the regional level due to its proximity with local communities and local language which enhances the participatory potential of citizens. Regional Media plays an important role in building participatory democracy by reaching out to all the sections of the society and also creates an informed citizenry. In a federal polity, regional media with its reach can help align the interests of States with that of the Nation there by enabling the Prime Minister’s vision of Cooperative Federalism.

Regarding the Government’s New Print Media Advertisement Policy, Naidu said that it promoted equity based regional outreach by providing relaxation in empanelment procedure to provide special encouragement for Regional language/ Dialects small and medium newspapers.

On the opportunities offered by social media, the Minister said that it was a new tool of communication which was spontaneous and interactive. Such a medium was both an opportunity and challenge. This mode of communication should be used judiciously for larger national and individual good.

On the future role to be played by the Media, Naidu said that Media had a larger role to play in developmental agenda of the nation by proactively projecting flagship programmes of the Government such as Swachh Bharat, Digital India, Jan Dhan Yojana, Skill India and Make in India as National Programmes which have the potential to bring change in the country. “Media needs to adorn the role of the stakeholder in the entire developmental process,” he affirmed.

Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, and Justice CK Prasad, Chairman Press Council of India, were also present on the occasion. Eminent journalists and photo-journalists – Surendra Nihal Singh, Mrinal Pande, Raghu Rai, Renjith John, Arvind Kumar Singh, and Xavier Selva Kumar were awarded for excellence in Journalism.