MATHURA: Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey today said that journalism use to be a mission but in today's commercial age its basic culture is changing with paid news being the biggest threat.
"Paid news is the greatest danger in healthy journalism. In pre-independence days Journalism was a mission as it was not seen with commercial angle, however in the present commercial age, its basic culture is changing" he said while speaking in a seminar organised by Patrakar Parivar here.
"The responsibility of journalists today has increased as development of the state, fulfilling the ambition of the youth etc depends upon the attitude of journalists",he added.
It is true that there has been revolution in the field of journalism, however the pressure of their editors is also on the journalists.
"The democracy cannot be strengthened if the journalism is made weak", he added.
He also termed Ram, Krishna and Shiva as the root of Indian culture.
"It may act as pole star provided journalism is given free hand",he said.
While leader of congress legislature party Pradeep Mathur was in favour of providing protection to journalists, MLA Puran Prakash felt that there is difference in the style of writing during early post-Independence days and present days.
"Only selfless writing would enable the journalism to touch the sky", Prakash said.