Guwahati, Nov 16 (UNI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today stressed on the need for a vigilant media to keep a democratic society robust and healthy, and media must make the government accountable before the public and constructive criticism is necessary to a keep the government on track.
He was speaking at the state level programme of National Press Day 2020, organised by the Information and Public Relations Department, Govt of Assam.
Admitting that media sector has lots of problems and COVID-19 pandemic also impacted it negatively, along with other sectors, the Chief Minister said the state government has been taking various steps for the welfare of the journalist fraternity and would launch more such schemes in the future as well.
The Chief Minister also referred to his visits to 36 districts during the trying times of Coronavirus induced lockdown and appreciated the role played by media personnel which he witnessed during those visits.
Along with health department, which had the most crucial responsibility during the entire pandemic situation and other agencies like police, PHED, fire brigade, power department etc, media personnel also played a key part in the dissemination of information among the public and acted as a bridge between the government and the public, Sonowal said.
He also urged the media to curb incidences of fear-mongering and fake news during crisis situations.
Media Adviser to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami also spoke on the occasion and referred to the adage of ‘pen is mightier than the sword’ to drive home his point that media must exercise caution while using its power as it has the tremendous responsibility of guiding the society as well.
He also appreciated the role played by media personnel during COVID19 pandemic and paid tributes to those journalists who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
Head of Mass Communication and Journalism Department, Tezpur University, Dr Joya Chakraborty, in her keynote address, underlined the service rendered by the media while acting as the connection between the government and the governed during Coronavirus lockdown period and stressed on the need for specific training for journalists in fields such as health reporting etc.
She pointed out slipups in the communication of crucial messages by few media houses during the pandemic situation which led to unwanted situations while also throwing light on job loss, pay cuts, ad revenue loss etc. in the media sector due to the Coronavirus scare.
Financial stability of journalists must be ensured by the media houses for facilitating ethical journalism, she added.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister felicitated Padmashree Eli Ahmed, veteran sports journalist Premadhar Sarma, journalists Mahesh Chandra Medhi, Tapas Samaddar, Ranjit Kumar Sarma and Kunja Mohan Roy for their contribution to the field of journalism and literature in the state.
Commissioner and Secretary of Information and Public Relations Department Preetom Saikia gave the welcome address in the programme which was attended by Secretary of the department Neera Gogoi Sonowal, Director of Information and Public Relations Anupam Choudhury and several senior and eminent journalists of the state.
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