'Media is a threat to vested interests'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 29. The task of building an institution that would produce journalists with commitment and integrity is an arduous one, Mr. Ravindra Kumar, Managing Editor and Director, The Statesman has said.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM) at Kumbalgudu on the outskirts of Bangalore on Friday, he said that this was because an independent, credible and strong media was perceived as a threat by vested interests, and they posed hurdles in building an institution committed to journalistic excellence. Mr. Kumar said there was a wrong notion that inaugurating a good facility was equivalent to creating a great institution. Half-baked journalists were passing out from obscure institutions that sought, and often secured, UGC clearance to conduct a course in mass communication. Often, the enthusiasm with which a journalism school was started was not sustained, he added.

Earlier, Mr. Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Law and Justice, said in his inaugural address, that the "Web" was changing the face of the media. The print media was being made to struggle to retain its marketshare and commercial revenues. In the long run, the traditional media might have to find a convergence with the Internet-driven media to survive, he added.

Ms. Barbara Crossette, UN Bureau Chief, The New York Times, said in her keynote address that everything that applied to a responsible newspaper must also apply to the Internet. Legal protection for journalists, right to information, and courage of publishers in the face of pressure, were some of the factors that influenced the media, she added.

Professional rules and ethical standards were important for the credibility of the media, Ms. Crossette said. Unfortunately, there was a lot a spurious information on the Internet, she pointed out.

Mr. Balram Jakhar, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, said that freedom was a "legacy to be preserved with everything we have". In this context, the media was a double-edged blade, he said. In responsible hands, it could fight corruption and sectarianism. However, in the hands of misguided elements, it posed a danger to democracy, he added.

The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, who presided over the inaugural function, said the IIJNM would be supported by the Government without interference in its efforts to produce professional journalists.

Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamy, pontiff of the Adi Chunchanagiri Math, was present.

The institute is founded by the BS & G Foundation, a partnership between the Adi Chunchanagiri Maha Samsthana and the George Foundation. It has been funded by the Samsthana. Dr. Abraham George of the George Foundation is the acting Dean of the IIJNM.

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