Mumbai: The union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur stated at the 47th annual gathering and 20th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) that the biggest threat to mainstream media is not new age digital platforms, but rather the mainstream media channel itself.
He went on to say that true journalism was about confronting the facts, telling the truth, and giving all sides a platform to express themselves.
The minister stated that inviting guests who are divisive, spread false narratives, and shout at the top of their lungs undermines a channel's credibility.
"Polarising debates pull down the credibility of the channel. Journalists are duty bound to report the news without fabrication," he added.
He further shared, "Your decisions regarding the guest, the tone, and visuals define your credibility in the eyes of the audience. The viewer may stop for a minute to watch your show, but will never trust your anchor, your channel, or brand as a trusted and transparent source of news."
Thakur urged the presenters not to let the narrative be defined by soundbites, but to redefine it themselves and set the terms for the guests and the channel.
He prodded the audience, asking, "Are you going to watch as the younger audience switches and sweeps through the shrill on TV news, or are you going to bring back the neutrality in news and debates to stay ahead of the game?"
Speaking on the theme of the event, "Building a stronger future for broadcasting in the post-pandemic era," the minister remarked that, "though broadcast media is and has always been in the mainstream of journalism, the Covid 19 era has shaped its structure in a more strategic way. The Covid pandemic has taught us how the right and timely information can save millions of lives. It is the media which brought the world on one platform during this difficult phase and reinforced the spirit of one global family."
Presenting the role of the Indian media during the pandemic as a success story, he said that the media 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.
Thakur also prodded the member countries to set up cooperation in the area of good quality content exchange. Program exchanges through such cooperation bring world cultures together. Such media partnerships between the countries help in building strong people-to-people bonds, he commented.
In conclusion, the minister underlined that the media, in all its forms, has an immense ability to shape public perceptions and perspectives as an effective tool of empowerment. "It is imperative to create an enabling environment for our journalists and broadcasters to make the space of the media more vibrant and rewarding," he added.
At the event, the union minister of state for information and broadcasting (I&B) Dr. L Murugan, secretary of MIB Apurva Chandra, Prasar Bharati chief executive officer & AIBD president Mayank Agarwal, and AIBD director Philomena Gnanapragasam were present at the event.
Agarwal highlighted that with an increase in the use of the internet in broadcasting, the training of journalists in cyber security journalism has become imperative. He added that AIBD is the first set up to take this up as part of its training programs.
Philomena Gnanapragasam said that content is going to determine the future of media and how the content is shared and monetised will determine the future of broadcasting. She also thanked all the delegates and representatives of various organisations for their presence.
