CHENNAI: Calling upon the media to move beyond politics and politicians in their coverage and ensure that their content is people-centric, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday underscored the point that editorial freedom must be used wisely in the interest of the public. “The freedom to write does not include the freedom to be incorrect,” he pointed out.
Participating in the platinum jubilee celebrations of Tamil daily, Dhina Thanthi, here, Modi quoted former President A P J Abdul Kalam who wondered about the failure to acknowledge the success stories of India. “I observe that a lot of media discourse today revolves around politics. It is only fair that politics be discussed at length in a democracy. However, India is more than just us politicians. It is the 125 crore Indians, which make India what it is. I would be happy to see media focus more on their stories and their achievements,” Modi said.
Pointing out that too many things make news every day around the globe and it was the editors who select and decide what was important and what should be ignored, the prime minister said, “This, of course, casts upon them, a great responsibility. Editorial freedom must be used wisely, in public interest. Equally so, the freedom to write, and to decide what is to be written, does not include the freedom to be “less than accurate” or “factually incorrect”. In this connection, he recalled what Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The press is called the Fourth Estate. It is definitely a power, but to misuse that power is criminal.”
Underscoring the fact that people’s attitude towards consumption of news content had changed, the prime minister said: “Today, every citizen analyses, discusses, and attempts to cross-check and verify the news that comes to him, through multiple sources. Media therefore must make an extra effort to maintain credibility.”
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said for nurturing democracy, the government and media should function as the two wheels of a vehicle. All newspapers should function impartially without any selfish motive.
On the occasion, the prime minister presented the S P Adithanar literary award to senior IAS officer V Irai Anbu, while poet Erode Thamizhnban received veteran Tamil scholar award. Industrialist V G Santosham, who worked as a cycle boy to supply Dhina Thanthi many decades ago, received the lifetime achievement award. Modi also released a souvenir to mark the platinum jubilee of Dhina Thanthi.