Stay away from paid news, President Patil urges media

President Pratibha Patil said on Thursday that paid news can distort events and interfere with the concept of a free, fair and objective press. She said this during presentation of the Ram Nath Goenka Awards for excellence in journalism.

President Pratibha Patil said on Thursday that paid news can distort events and interfere with the concept of a free, fair and objective press.

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She said this during presentation of the Ram Nath Goenka Awards for excellence in journalism.

She urged media organizations to develop a strong research and data base that would help audiences and readers to get better informed. "Media should, therefore, encapsulate events objectively. Utmost care should be given to project the correct facts without sensationalizing information," said Patil.

Patil also suggested that mediapersons should verify and double check the facts before the news is aired. "In an attempt to be the first to break the news, stories begin to be aired or come on the pages even before all facts have been fully verified," said the president.

"Honesty, integrity and conviction are the three fundamental characteristics that define a true professional journalist. These should never be compromise in your work. Moreover, the duties of journalism and the media can never be dictated by the market," said Patil.

She also said that media needs to assess how it can adapt itself in this era of new emerging technologies. "Partnerships between newspapers, television and the new media as well as multi-media format of journalism, would require a journalist to be both media savvy and tech savvy. This would also mean that training modules for journalists would need to be modified", she added.

Ramnath Goenka, in whose name the awards have been instituted, was the founder of the Indian Express.