Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said that journalists are the conscience keepers of the society and it is their responsibility to keep the vision and intellectual consciousness of the society friendly to the nation. Virtually addressing the students of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication today, Mr Birla exhorted them to stand with the truth with a sense of fearlessness and impartiality to perform their duty diligently.
Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts about journalism, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, it is the duty of a journalist to understand the public mood and express it without any fear or favour. He said, being the carrier of the socio-political consciousness of the country, the aim of Journalists should be only social service. Mr Birla said, Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts are the ‘moolmantra’ for journalism and students of journalism should imbibe it. He also referred to Dr B R Ambedkar’s view that the success of democracy is dependent on how free and effective the media is in a country.
The Lok Sabha Speaker observed that with the unprecedented proliferation of electronic, social and print media, the scope of journalism has transformed drastically. He noted that not only does this increase the reach and power of the media, but it also increases its responsibility manifold. Mr Birla called upon the future journalists to educate the public with their stories, create authentic information and try to spread a constructive and positive message in the country. He emphasized that media should be Responsible, Responsive and Reachable to serve the nation effectively.
Mr Birla said, the media facilitates bilateral dialogue between the administration and the people and acts as a bridge between the two. He further said that the role of media has become more important during the pandemic. He noted that digital media, especially social media, has led to mass communication revolution across the world. It has connected the masses with great ease. He, however, emphasized that the accountability of social media should be fixed, like print media. He cautioned that spreading of wrong information impacts the society negatively which should be checked.
