Addressing a symposium hosted by National Union of Journalists Uttarakhand chapter in Haridwar on Thursday, Padma Shri Jawahar lal Kaul said the sanctity of facts is presently being compromised with consumerism being in the ascendancy.
He invoked the legendary Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi and said there are fortunately still a few persons who are able to retain their passion for investigative journalism despite the pulls of consumerism in the sprit embodied by Vidyarthi.
“Vidyarthi used his mighty pen to expose oppression and exploitation of man by man in a relentless pursuit of the truth, the courage of conviction he epitomised still guiding us amidst the all-pervading darkness,” he said.
Presiding over the function as the chief guest, the state urban development minister Madan Kaushik said that the media has an important role in a participatory democracy to awaken the society to the reality and beyond the reality.
“The journalists must thoroughly investigate every matter before they bring it to the people,” he said, adding that those working in the media must do justice to the well-accepted notion of media being the fourth pillar of democracy after administration, legislature and judiciary.
Dwelling on the threats to the media, Kaul said that the teaching they imbibed while studying journalism that facts are sacred while opinions are free remains still relevant.
“It is a sin to fiddle with the facts. Many of the electronic media houses rush to show things with eyes on TRP without thinking how they would impact the people, a desperation which poses the greatest threat to media these days.
Besides, the notion of media being industrial houses selling stuffs in accordance with the demands of the markets is the second most formidable challenge. The onus rests on the journalists who must stick to their professional ethics under all circumstances without coming under influence of anyone and anything.”
Dubbing the present phase of the media as a daunting challenge, Kaul said that truth is now playing second fiddle to self-aggrandisement.
“We have to prove somehow our superiority to our peers while caring a damn for what we are presenting to the people. A journalist must be true to himself and his profession,” said Kaul.
Eight eminent persons of the district were felicitated for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields by NUJ on the occasion.
Those who were felicitated were Madhavi Bhattacharya ( kathak) , Arna Singh (painting), Prachi Agarwal ( NSS), Sandeep Sharma and Kishore Rawat (journalism), Jagpal Singh Saini (education), Jitendra Chandela (homoeopathy)and
Prateek Mishrapuri ( astrology).