BENGALURU: Citing that fearless journalism was an extremely challenging task in today’s world, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar here on Wednesday said principled and professional approach was the only way to achieve that, and advised that media refrain from publishing inaccurate information.
Speaking after the inauguration of the Press Day celebrations organised by the Karnataka Media Academy and the Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association, the Chief Ministerr said, “If journalists work in accordance with the principles, ethics, and conscience of the profession, it will benefit society.”
He said the journalism profession needs to free itself from fake news.
“I had gone to the hospital in the morning for a routine health check-up, but some TV channels broadcast said that I had been admitted to the hospital. This is completely false news,” Shivakumar said.
“During the Mekedatu padayatra the media had highlighted an instance of an exhausted me being jostled around by fellow walkers as walking after having consumed alcohol. That was a deliberate attempt to give people a false message,” the Chief Minister expressed displeasure.
“If I make a mistake, expose it, but do not publish or broadcast false news. Until a news item is published, it belongs to the journalist. After it is published, it becomes the property of society. Therefore, every news item must contain truth and honesty,” he advised.
He noted that many eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi, had worked as journalists and enhanced the dignity of the profession, and called for that tradition to be carried forward.