Vice President asks media to shun tendency to sensationalize and present facts dispassionately;

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today asked media to shun the tendency to sensationalize and present facts dispassionately without mixing news and views. He said that media must remain honest and truthful and act with great restraint and responsibility.

Speaking at the centennial celebrations of ‘the Samaja’, a leading Odia Daily,in Cuttack, Odisha today, he said that a free and fair media was not just a part of a healthy democracy but was an indispensable prerequisite. “Media has been considered the fourth pillar of the democratic system– a pillar that supports, nurtures and nourishes the democracy and helps in course corrections as and when necessary”, he added.

Stating that media must inform, educate and enlighten people, Shri Naidu said that it has a critical role to play in the formation of public opinion. He asserted that media must empower citizens and help in ushering in greater transparency and accountability in the governance system. “Media must amplify the voice of citizens and communicate their opinions to lawmakers”, he added.

Shri Naidu urged media to expose loopholes in the democratic system, thereby helping the government in making the system more accountable, responsive and citizen-friendly.”Democracy without media is akin to a vehicle without any wheels”, the Vice President added.