The Indian media is in an unprecedented state of decay, having succumbed to corporate and communal interests, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Monday.
Mr. Vijayan was speaking after presenting the Swadeshabhimani-Kesari Award 2017 to veteran journalist T.J.S. George and the state media and photography awards to journalists from various media establishments. ''Voluntary capitulation, yielding through fear and the haste to serve communal and corporate interests - all this has left Indian media in the grip of decay,'' he said.
Journalism, during the freedom struggle, had social and political commitments. That changed over time, producing a scenario where business interests replaced social service. ''Even this we could understand to a large extent as a requirement of the changing times. But today, journalism has changed in a manner that we cannot comprehend,'' he said.
A section has succeeded in degrading the media as a tool for achieving the aims of the ruling establishment. This is evident in the spectre of paid news to the 'corporate camaraderie' that exists between media owners and those in power, the Chief Minister said.
In such a scenario, the decision to honour Mr. T.J.S. George - the first editor in independent India to be sentenced to imprisonment for exercising the freedom of expression - with an award commemorating Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai and Kesari Balakrishna Pillai gains relevance, he said.
Swadeshabhimani and Kesari were two geniuses who gave meaning and depth to journalism, Mr. T.J.S. George said. Way ahead of their times, the two editors taught us that journalism acquires meaning when it is imbued with an element of adventure, he said.
Mr. George was selected by a panel headed by Sebastian Paul. The award carries Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a statuette.
Ministers Kadakampally Surendran and Ramachandran Kadannapally, Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan, Veena George MLA, Mayor V.K. Prasanth, District panchayat president V.K. Madhu and poet Prabha Varma also were present.
Published - July 02, 2019 01:10 am IST
