NEW DELHI: Amid the call for appropriate measures to curtail fake news, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur on Tuesday, said that ‘accuracy’ is more important than ‘speed’ and facts should be appropriately verified before presenting them in public domain.
“Presenting authentic information is the prime responsibility of the media and facts should be properly checked before they are put in the public domain…while speed with which the information is transmitted is important, accuracy is even more important and should be primary in the minds of communicators,” said the minister.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (ABU) Union General Assembly 2022 in the national capital. With the spread of social media, fake news has also proliferated, Thakur added.
The minister further informed that the government has promptly established the Fact Check Unit in Press Information Bureau to counter unverified claims and present truth to the people.
He also underlined that for responsible media organisations, maintaining public trust, should be the highest guiding principle.
Thakur credited public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) for having always stood by the truth and having won people’s trust for their truthful reporting.
The minister stated that the media's role during the time of crisis becomes critical as it directly concerns saving lives. He also credited the media for coming to the aid of people stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was media which connected people with the outside world.
The minister invited the media to become a partner in Governance and used the opportunity to reiterate the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Media should act as a link between government and people and provide continuous feedback, at both national and regional level,” he said, urging that ABU as an association of broadcasting organisations must continue to train and equip media practitioners with the best professional skills on role of media in the time of crisis.
Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster, is hosting the 59th ABU General Assembly 2022. The theme for this year’s assembly is “Serving the People: Media’s Role in Times of Crisis”.