GUWAHATI, July 25 � National president of All India Small and Medium Newspapers Federation, Gurinder Singh stressed responsible and balanced journalism by the mediapersons in order to serve the society in a better way, while speaking at a seminar on �Media and its responsibilities� organised today. The seminar was organised by the Assam State branch of the federation.
�Being in media, we should learn to accept public scrutiny and constructive criticism,� he mentioned. �The freedom of media comes with certain undeclared ethics and responsibilities that must be honoured for free and fair journalism.�
Speaking on the role of small and medium newspapers in the society, he said that small and medium newspapers play a pivotal role in promoting social awareness among all sections of the society by addressing various issues at the grassroots level.
Pandit Sanjib Narayan Dass, president of the Assam State branch of the federation, said nowadays, most of the major newspapers are bent on increasing their market share and business by focusing on the ills that plague the society. �The media has become so powerful a weapon that it can influence government policies in such a manner as to suit industrial houses or to suit its own income generating activities like advertisements. Serving the cause of the masses often takes a backseat,� he said.
Mentioning the financial and other problems faced by the small and medium newspapers Dass said since these newspapers get few or no government advertisement and they are forced to rely on private advertisements, it is often hard for them to run for a very long time with the meagre revenue generated by subscription.
The federation urged the government to distribute advertisements judiciously among the big and small newspapers, and also demanded that representatives of the small and medium newspapers should find place in the journalists� accreditation committee.
Anurag Goel, Commissioner of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation while speaking as the chief guest said that since media controls public opinion, journalists have a great responsibility to present the truth before the society and educate the masses with constructive reporting.
