Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 24: Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and Broadcasting today conferred the Excellence in Journalism Awards. The awards were given to Shri Tarun Tejpal of “Tehelka” and Ms. Gunjan Sharma of “The Week” for their investigative work. The awards have been instituted by the India Chapter of the International Press Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said though the concept of content regulation had been debated for a long time. It was necessary to give the process, time and space to establish its credibility and acceptance. Highlighting the efforts made in this direction, the Minister said that NBSA, IBF and ASCI had provided a roadmap for the process to move forward and that the Government was committed to facilitate the various mechanisms taken in this regard.
Elaborating further, the Minister dispelled all doubts regarding the intention of the Government in controlling tools of mass communication. The Minister reiterated, Hon’ble Prime Minister’s stand on the issue of media autonomy as stated during the speech given by him in January 2012 at a media function.
Outlining the potential of the print media in the country, Smt. Soni said, that with more than 107 million copies of newspapers circulated daily, and over 80,000 registered publications, including magazines in several languages being published weekly, fortnightly, and monthly in this country, India had become one of the major hubs for the print media across the world. Availability of Indian editions of foreign scientific, technical and speciality periodicals at an affordable cost had further increased access of the people to a wider choice in content. The untapped potential of 300 million literate individuals offered an opportunity to the industry to carve out the next stage of growth for the print industry. At the same time, despite the impact of social media and 24×7 channels, the print media in India had stood its ground as compared to the situation in the West.
Regarding the relevance of such awards, the Minister said the institution of such awards was a result of the debate in the media. The awards by various entities and media houses recognized the courage and conviction of individuals, acknowledged the achievers in different walks of life and showcased the triumph of the human spirit against all adversities.
Regarding the tools of the media deployed today, Smt. Soni drew the attention to the growing debate, both in the public arena and also from within the media about the manner in which media covered events. Coverage of events in which media played a crucial role was also subject of intense debate.
Various kinds of views emerged which touched upon issues such as pre-screening, banning, regulating, etc.
As a consequence, the Minister mentioned that she was confident that something positive would emerge.The Minister also called upon the media to reinforce the positive spirit of India. There was an ‘Incredible India’ waiting to be reported, she stated.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/govt-has-no-intention-to-control-media-ambika-soni/
