Ulyanovsk, Aug 6 (IANS): The theme for the ongoing third International BRICS Youth Camp in Russia's Ulyanovsk region is ‘media’, and on Saturday, one of the major topics of discussion was the "use of media by Western countries to form opinions against BRICS countries". 

As many as 60 delegates from five BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- are participating in the camp. Of them, 10 are from India.

South African delegate Abbey Makoe said: "Western governments enlisted the media as a vehicle for use in the battle of ideas in domestic and global affairs... (media) switched from being the ears and eyes of society to being a lame duck, a poodle. Practising journalists have become shameless propagandists. Journalists are acutely aware about the inherent dangers to their employment if they challenge the status quo."

Another speaker Viktoria Polikarpova, deputy news director of Sputnik International News Agency and Radio Broadcaster, spoke on the increasing fake news in media. She said: “News platforms like BBC, Guardian or the New York Times run a narrative that suits their politics. They never highlight the true story of Russia or India. We need to tell our story in our own manner and therefore, we are working on removing the middleman and connecting directly with our representatives from different countries for fact-checking.”

Some of the other speakers were Ji Deqiang, Professor from University of China; Jacqueline Maphala, producer at South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and others.

For this summit, Gujarat’s Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi also sent a message to the organisers, in which he wrote: "The theme of the programme is very special in today’s time and I hope all participants will receive a very enriching experience... BRICS is evolving as one of the most influential global platforms that pave the way for a better future."