Presenting authentic information is the prime responsibility of media, says Anurag Thakur

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said that presenting authentic information is the prime responsibility of media and that facts should be properly checked before they are put in the public domain.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union General Assembly 2022, the Minister said, “While the speed with which the information is transmitted is important, accuracy is even more important and should be primary in the minds of communicators”.

With the spread of social media, fake news has also proliferated, the Minister added.

He informed the audience of broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region that the government promptly established the Fact Check Unit in the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India to counter unverified claims and present the truth to the people.

The minister highlighted that for responsible media organisations maintaining public trust should be the highest guiding principle. He credited public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio for having always stood by the truth and won people’s trust for their truthful reporting. He underlined that the media’s role during the time of crisis becomes critical as it directly concerns saving lives adding that media is at the core of national disaster management plans.

Thakur also credited the media for coming to the aid of people stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic saying it was the media that connected people with the outside world. He informed the audience of the stellar work done by Doordarshan and All India Radio in particular and the Indian media in general saying Doordarshan and All India Radio, very satisfactorily delivered on their mandate of public service and stood strong with the people during the time of the pandemic.

Indian media, he said, in general, ensured that Covid-19 awareness messages, important government guidelines and free online consultations with doctors reached everyone in the nook and corner of the country. The Prasar Bharati lost over a hundred members to Covid-19 and yet it did not deter the organisation from carrying on with its public service mandate, the Minister said.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com