Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 5: 'Journalist Fusion-2015', a convention of journalists was organized at Besant Women's College here on Saturday July 4 by Karnataka Journalists' Union in association with the journalism department of Besant College.

The programme was inaugurated by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and other dignitaries.

Addressing the gathering, Nalin Kumar expessed concerns regarding today's media and said, "Journalists should strive for the development of society and maintain transparency in their work. In today's fast-paced world of technology, news has become instant and there is much competition in media, which is affecting credibility.

"Media is the watchdog of the society and has succeeded in exposing various scams and brought about a positive change. It corrects politicians and leaders whenever they go wrong, but the question is who will correct the media when it goes wrong? Hence transperancy is important. Journalists should work hard to maintain the respect they enjoy in society, and ensure that they do not cause harm to anyone," he added.

Drawing comparisons between journalism in the past and in the present, he said, "Technology has advanced a lot. Earlier journalists had to toil hard to gather news and take it to the readers, but today news is instantaneous and spreads very quickly. Due to intense competition and growth of media, it has also become commercialized," he said.

Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim said that due to mushrooming of online media, people in Dakshina Kannada read newspapers less, which is affecting the print media. He also called for integrity in reporting and lamented that these days, corporates which spend heavily on advertisements have begun influencing the media.

Photojournalist Ahmed Anwar, S Jayaram of Doordarshan, Gangadhar Matty, and distributors Taranath Shetty and Anantraya Bhat were felicitated for their contribution to the field of journalism.

S Jayaram presented a talk on the evolution of visual media.

Karnataka Journalists' Union president Kishan Bal Pandith, Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists' Union president Jagannath Shetty Bala and others were present.