Several journalists felicitated with Media Signature Awards

It’s not only through journalism but also through socio political service we have to contribute healthily to the society and ensure that the poor, underprivileged and the oppressed sections of the society get their due and are delivered adequately their due.

Journalism in India has undoubtedly become a challenging task and it is really distresng to note that more and more journalists are becoming the target of anti social elements, criminals and sometimes atthe hands of the prevailing political system at the helm.

These were the views of the former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat while addressing a gathering of distinguished guests as chief guest at the first Signature award function and seminar on the subject titled JOURNALISM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITIES organised by Shail Savera Newspaper at India International Centre on 6th January 2018. Harish Rawat said that there isan urgent need to devise a law for the safety and security of the scribes confronting challenges and threats to their lives while performing their professional duties and subsequent provision for stringent punishment to the guilty including arrangement for adequate financial compensation for the family of the deceased scribes.

The eminent literateur and writer Pankaj Bisht who was the special guest of the function dwelt at length on the speedily killing of the small and medium newspapers of the country and said that the government of the day will have to ensure that newspapers at the grassroot levels are strongly supported financially instead of discouraging them as they are the real source of grass root information delivery and sustenance for them and their respective families. He also expressed his serious concern over the increasing attacks on the journalists of the country while performing their duties and the subsequent complacense of the authorities and police in nailing the culprits. He said: for a strong and viable democracy free media and free expression is inevitable and any attempt to scuttle the voice of the fourth estate will have serious repercussions and implications.

The senior journalist Umakant Lakhera said the way mediamen are being threatened in their line of duty and those working in print and electronics media being made unemployed, forced to resign speaks of the unambiguous fact that the big meda houses and the government in power through their unholy nexus are hell bent upon squeezing the voice of free expression and writing which isa dangerous trend and should be dealt with severely by the united repultion of the media community. Sr journalist Arvind Kumar Singh said unless or until the media does not become the face of the poor, under privileged and the marginalised class of the country including those living in the rural areas of the country we can’t do justice with our profession.

The president of Uttarakhand Journalist Forum Sunil Negi expressed his serious concern over the deteriorating conditions of the safety and security of the journalists and revealed how shockingly over 70 journalists have been killed during the last ten years and not a single case solved with 431 incidents of brutal attacks on the journalistic fraternity of the country. He urged upon the governmental agencies to devise a law for a minimum punishment of ten years for the attackers on journalists and rigrous life imprisonment and capital punishment for the culprits of rarest of the rare cases.

Girish Khadayat of Zee news spoke at length as to how while working in electronic mediathey are harassed to express their voice and talent and hoed that the channels become mote poor and people friendly than focussing on glamour and celibrities. He said the a journalist should be fearless, vocal and courageous. Priyanka Sharma of AAJ Tak said that the day a newsperson or journalist or a politician develop immense intimacy it would lead one to think that there is an unholy nexus between both of them.

She added to be a good journalist one should be critical of the government policies of healthy grounds with unbiased and honest perspective. Vipnesh Mathur of India newssaid that a journalist’s honesty and impeccable integrity in profession is must to gain and win the confidence of the viewers. There are several regulations in performance of duties as an anchor in private channels she added but if one is courageous and have the guts to counter the injustice one can prove to be a good journalist.

Sr Advocate Supreme Court and former President AMU ZK Faizan the mindset of the people have to be changed as in democracy the ultimate power lies with the people of any nation. The journalists do have their problems but chief responsibility of the fourth estate as the torch bearers of the society would be only vindicated when they contribute immensely in changing the peoples’ mind set as the society is rotten due to various socio political and criminal ills.

Harish Awasthi , national spokesperson of AAP said that politicians are the usual targets of journalists here as in journalism too there are several instances of yellow journalism and existence of power brokers under the guise of being scribes. Sr journalist Ved Vilas Uniyal said : having good and healthy relations with politicians is not bad but becoming a pro journalist of a particular ideology, party or a political leader in performance of one’s journalistic duty particularly while filing stories is highly derogatory and unacceptable.

Every journalist should ensure that he or she is free, fair, imartial and unbiased whole pursuing this noble ethical profession. Sr Journalist Abhishekh bachchan and Umakant Lakhera were presented bouquets and shawls on this occasion while 7 journalists of eminence Sunil Negi, Arvind Kumar Singh, Ved Uniyal, Vyomesh Jugran, Priyanka sharma, Vipnesh Mathur, Girish Khadayat were felicitated by first signature Award. The programme was ably anchored by Ajay Bisht.
SUNIL NEGI, PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM