The explosion of digital media has ensured that a journalist is not the last word on the narrative of any event. The end consumer can now question and challenge the reporter or the editor on the credibility and the source of the news, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani said on Friday.
She was speaking at the 69th valedictory session of the Development Journalism Course at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
“There was a time when we presumed that only the journalist or the editor will be the last word on a news item. Today, because of digital intervention, the end consumer can also ask questions on the efficacy or source of the information,” the Minister said.
‘Strive for credibility’
“And that is why it is incumbent on us to strive for credibility. When one falls, it is not the fall of just one journalist, editor or one establishment, it is the imagery that is created for many to point fingers at,” Ms. Irani said.
She rued that unlike in the past, where information was the key, today the news is a lot about ‘analysis and perspective.’
The Minister pointed out that an average Indian spends 200 minutes a day on mobile app and that 65% of video consumption in our country is only from rural areas and is slated to grow further.
“In this scenario, the media and entertainment industry should think about what new things can be offered to the rural consumers,” she said.
In a light-hearted riposte to an international scholar from Bhutan who commented about “spicy” Indian food in her speech, the Minister said, “Our food is as spicy as the journalists back home here in India. So what you got is a taste of the kind of food we serve and but also of real adventure and spice of Indian journalism.”
