The Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Indian, Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri kicked off the proceedings in his characteristically candid manner, pointing out how it was his dream and passion since his youth to launch a media house because he was convinced that Indian media didn't really bother much about the common man. Giving the example of the rotten judicial system in India where a poor man would die before getting justice, Professor Chaudhuri blamed the ownership pattern in Indian media for its indifference towards what we can call the real Janata ki Vaani. He strongly advocated a cooperative model of media ownership so that it can then write and telecast news fearlessly and without succumbing to pressure.
The Editor-in Chief of The New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla echoed the views of Professor Chaudhuri, giving numerous real-life examples of how Indian media catered mainly to the elite and the upper middle class consumer while ignoring the common man. Mr. Chawla, one of the senior most journalists in India, frankly admitted that there have been occasions in his career when he had to bow down to 'extraneous' pressures.
Well-known anchor and Managing Editor of IBN-7 Ashutosh preferred to be more optimistic, insisting that the largely positive role played by the Indian media is bringing about revolutionary changes in the country. Of course, Mr. Ashutosh did agree that the period 2004 to 2009 was arguably a disgraceful period particularly for electronic media as it went overboard and over the top. But he argued that things are back on track once again. Another well-known anchor and television personality Punya Prasoon Vajpayee was of the view that the 'profit' motive was the most harmful trend for Indian media. Senior Executive Editor of NDTV India, Sanjay Ahirwal, argued that there is still space for credible and honest journalism and it is up to seniors in the profession to uphold high standards.
The Group Editor of Amar Ujala, Ajay Upadhyay, provided a brilliant historical and contextual perspective on the current state of the Indian media and argued that the problem with the media is that it often misses out the core message in its quest for breaking news. Some of the other top journalists who attended the jam packed seminar and put forth their substantive views were Qurban Ali, Shri Achyutanand, Sharad Dutt, Kuber Dutt, Zafar Agha, P.C Pandey of Times Foundation, Rahul Dev, N.K Singh, Mukesh Kumar and Vartika Nanda.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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