Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said people realised the importance of the media in strengthening democracy when late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed censorships on the press and sent editors to jails during the Emergency.
Speaking at the Inauguration of the platinum jubilee celebrations of The Assam Tribune here, the Prime Minister said that “the choice before media is be like a house fly or like honey bee”. He said that a house flywas attracted to filth and also spread it while a honey bee was not only attracted to flowers and produces honey but it could also sting sharply, when required.
Saying that media helped transforming the society, Mr. Modi said that newspapers not just gave news, but also “mould our thinking, shape public perception and open a window to the world around us.”
Referring to the practice of the media of quoting “reliable sources,” the Prime Minister said he would prefer a newspaper which quoted “reliable sources” least often, as quoting sources lowers the credibility of the publication.