M'lore: Belgaonkar Exhorts Journalists to Give Voice to the Voiceless

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (MM/CN)
Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda

Mangalore, Jul 9: ‘Journalists have to become voice of the voiceless and this has to be achieved through consistent efforts. There are many power players in the city wherein a journalist has to work against them continuously’, said Govind Belgaonkar, city editor, ‘The Hindu’, on Tuesday, July 8.

Belgaonkar was speaking at the inaugural of the ‘Al Madhayama’ association of  the journalism department of St Aloysius College. He said that newspapers are owned by industries and they are vulnerable to all kinds of pressure. If an article is written, there are forces trying their best to withhold it from being published. Advertisements rule the roost and hence, the current journalist has greater challenges, he opined.

Quoting an incident, Belgaonkar said that ‘The Hindu’ had published a series of articles against an oil company in the district, following which the newspaper lost advertisement revenue worth Rs 1 crore. However, the management stood behind the reporters, he said.

The journalist also has to capture the attention of readers. Understanding what bothers or shocks the reader is the important issue a journalist should keep in mind, he remarked. ‘What interests you, interests your reader. Keep your minds open. Try to figure out what is interesting,’ was his advice to young journalists.

Fr Swebert D’Silva, principal of the college, presided over the function. Fr Dr Richard Rego, head, department of journalism, was present on the dais.