Accusing the media of inadequate representation of the problems of the minority communities, Dinesh Amin Mattu, media adviser to the Chief Minister, stressed the need to strive for significantly increasing the representation of the oppressed sections.
He was addressing a workshop at Pandit Siddarama Jambaladinni auditorium here on Saturday.
“There are several reports that pointed out that the representation of Dalits, backward castes and minorities in the press is inadequate. It is negligible in case of top positions. It was the major reason for issues related to oppressed sections getting either downplayed,” he said.
Mr. Mattu pointed out that the representation of the minority sections was relatively better in sectors where reservations were provided. “Anna Bhagya scheme directly benefits around 1 crore households and 4 crore people, most of whom belong to the minority sections. But, there has been a systematic campaign in the media against the scheme ever since it was launched,” he said.
“The American Society of Newspaper Editors found that only 4 per cent of African-American citizens were in the media even though their share in the population was 36 per cent. The society took various measure such as holding special training, workshops and other initiatives to prepare African-American journalists and increase their representation in media. As a result, the representation of African-Americans rose to 14 per cent within a short period. We need to take similar initiatives in India too,” he added.
It is relatively better in sectors with reservations: Dinesh Amin Mattu
Published - October 04, 2015 12:00 am IST
