14-07-2025
Leaders urge journalists to report with social responsibility
Members of the Belagavi district electronic media association organised 'Media Day' celebrations in Belagavi on Sunday. Most of the speakers, who included leaders and officers, urged journalists to report on various issues with empathy and social responsibility.
Rajya Sabha member Eeranna Kadadi said that the media needed to introspect on its rights and wrongs. 'The media needs to be responsible. Sometimes it creates heroes and villains overnight. This can damage people's reputation and deny credit to those who truly deserve it. Journalists should always be guided by justice and not emotions. Implications of a news story should be studied beforehand,' he said. He also spoke of the increasing influence of advertisers on media houses.
Superintendent of Police Bheemashankar S. Guled urged journalists not to report in a hurry. 'There are always multiple angles to any story. Journalists need to study all of them and acquaint themselves with various possibilities. They need to tread cautiously, while reporting crime incidents,' he said.
Police Commissioner Borase Gulabrao Bhushan urged media houses to create awareness about cybercrimes and financial scams being committed using hi-tech tools. He said that it was time to highlight local issues, bring out the good deeds by local leaders and activists and alert the public against potential dangers of using technological tools.
Priyanka Jarkiholi, MP, urged journalism colleges and universities to update their curriculum to prepare young journalists of the future. 'Technology is advancing at such a fast pace that it is difficult to keep up with it. Journalism schools and media houses should train youngsters in using technology for the good of the society,' she said.
'The media plays an important role in shaping the dynamics of society. Of course, there are positive and negative dimensions to the impact of the media. Media tends to amplify some aspects and downplay some others. We need to realise that this can have lasting impact on the society,' she said.
Asif Sait, MLA, said that owing to the increased role of social media in news reporting, leaders were forced to be alert about what they say. 'I have learnt this lesson the hard way. However, sometimes, relying on portals and social media can be dangerous at times,' he said.
Guests presented awards to winners of sports events. A team of the district Forest Department won the Media Cup cricket tournament. Sunita Nimbargi, Assistant Conservator of Forests, donated the ₹1,11,111 cash prize for the construction of the Media Bhavan. As many as 14 senior journalists were felicitated.
