TIRUVALLA: Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan on Monday said new age media’s course correction has become absolutely necessary to protect democracy. “Common people rely on the media for getting information on major issues of public interest. A free and fair press, which has the liberty to criticise governments and their policies, is a vital cog of the democratic setup and it strengthens democracy. Corporatisation of media is going to undermine its neutrality, forcing them to spin narratives to suit vested interests,” he told the second state conference of Senior Journalists’ Union Kerala.
Mathew T Thomas MLA, who delivered the keynote address, blamed pre-poll surveys for the crushing defeat of Veena George, LDF candidate in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat. “Surveys carried out by various media outfits during the run-up to the Parliament elections is one of the reasons for the defeat of Veena George,” he said.
S R Sakthidharan, Senior Journalists’ Union Kerala president, presided. Veena George MLA; Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) district president Boby Abraham; municipal chairman Cheriyan Polachirakkal; BJP national committee member Prathapachandra Varma; Senior Journalists’ Union Kerala state working president K Janardanan Nair, state general secretary K H M Asharaf, district president P T Mohanan Pillai, secretary P Jayanadh and treasurer M T Udayakumar spoke.