Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday called upon the journalists entering the fourth estate or the fourth pillar of democracy to combine their journalistic pursuits with service to the nation, society and people.
Addressing the 10th convocation of National Institute of Mass Communication and Journalism (NIMCJ) here, he said that it is the responsibility of mass media to present true facts in a logical way before the public, and it is the responsibility of the media schools to produce superb sentinels of the society.
He said that ballot is more powerful than bullet and it is the ultimate responsibility of this powerful medium to create awareness and keep the public abreast about the developments.
With the proliferation of new newspapers and electronic channels in this age of print, electronic and digital media, he said, it is important for journalists to adopt scientific approach to validate truth.
Quoting Winston Churchill, Rupani said, “Democracy is bad but alternatives are no better.”
The Chief Minister remembered days of emergency saying that freedom of Newspapers was snatched away and every news item was screened by the government official those days.
He handed over medals and certificates to the students and administered the oath of commitment towards the journalistic profession. NIMCJ Director Shirish Kashikar gave details about the institutes.