Mangalore: Speakers at Seminar Lament Commercialization of Media
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Dec 14: A two-day seminar on ‘Media Ethics and Practices’ is being organized by Besant Women’s College, Department of Journalism at the college auditorium.
Speaking during the inauguration on Thursday December 13, Shreekumar Varma, creative writer and teacher of journalism and English from Chennai, said, "These days politicians decide the policy of newspapers and merely 3 % of its revenue to the media organization comes from circulation and 97 % revenue accrued through advertisement."
Lamenting that today, newspapers and media are dependant on corporate bodies who are profusely influencing journalism, he said that earlier journalism was a profession with vibrancy, but now its stature has weakened due to its incline towards commercialization.
"Business entered media houses very early. The death of Mahathma Gandhi was carried in an inside page in one of the newspapers in those days, as the front page was occupied by advertisement," he said.
He said that earlier, newspapers influenced policy and created public opinion which could not have been done by common people or even politicians. But after the Emergency, newspapers declined and could not rise up again purely because of financial constraints.
Varma said that during the 90s investigative journalism was carried out by well-known journalists like Arun Shourie when he was with the Indian Express, and he believed that a reporter should ‘go beyond news’ and he inspired all reporters working with him. A few investigative reports like uncovering of the plight of undertrail prisoners in Bhagatpur Jail, sting operation of women trafficking in Madhya Pradesh by a reporter who went to ‘buy’ a woman to study their agony went beyond headlines, Varma said.
He called upon the budding journalists and journalism students to work and learn as class room lessons were only the theoritical part of journalism.
Kudpi Jagadish Shenoy, president of Women’s National Education Society, Mangalore, the guest of honor said that ethical standards of media has come down due to competition and suggested self-regulation. He added that in a democratic nation people need to be informed and media plays a crucial role in this.
G P Shivaram, department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Mangalore University another guest on the occasion said that press is a private industry with a public function and objectivity and creditability should be the core values of media houses. He asserted the need for provision to Press Council of India to punish erring newspapers.
P P Gomathi, secretary, Women’s National Education Society, Mangalore delivering her presidential address said that sensationalism in media reports, readers were at the receiving end whenever truth was compromised. She asserted that the healing process must start now for media as advertisements were a big menace.
Various technical sessions and panel discussion were held.