A week-long short-term course on news report writing in Kannada, organised by School of Communication, a constituent of Manipal University, began here on Monday.
According to a press release issued here, speaking at the inaugural function, Nagesh Hegde, senior journalist, expressed dissatisfaction over the media’s growing role in terms of affecting the masses.
Media is becoming highly provocative and is deciding the behaviour of the masses, he said.
Reporters should try to be neutral and be invisible and be cautious about their role in society.
He laid emphasis on the need for inculcating scientific temper among journalists for real communication.
Balakrishna Holla, senior journalist, lamented that newspapers had now become a commodity. There was too much emphasis on the business side of a newspaper.
Reporters only concentrated on attracting readers rather than informing them. The declining credibility of the media was a cause for concern. He said that the concept of 5Ws [Who, What, When, Where and Why] and 1H [How] is rarely practised now, which itself signified the end of the glorious tradition of journalism, he said.
Nandini Lakshimikantha, Director of School of Communication, Padma Rani, Associate Director, and Vinyasa Hegde, faculty member, were present.