Udhampur, Mar 24:To build a direct interface between PIB Jammu and the journalists working at district and sub-district levels across Jammu division, Press Information Bureau, Jammu, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India today organised Rural Media Workshop (Vartalap) at Udhampur.
The workshop was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Indu Kanwal Chib in presence of Neha Jalali, Joint Director, Press Information Bureau, Jammu.
In her inaugural address, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Indu Kanwal Chib said that this kind of Rural Media Workshop is a first of its kind organised in Udhampur and was possible only by the great efforts of Press Information Bureau, Jammu. Describing media as an essential part of life, Deputy Commissioner said that media ethics must be taken care of while reporting.
Neha Jalali, Joint Director, Press Information Bureau, Jammu in her address on ‘Current Media Scenario in India’ said that the media dynamics have changed as many new platforms like OTTs have emerged which have made the media industry competitive in terms of content creation and digital media viewership. She elaborated that even when the media dynamics have changed considerably, the media ethics cannot be compromised with. She further said that there is a great need for Skill Development for creating authentic content in Digital Media for which Rural Media Workshops are being organised by PIB.
While speaking about Fake News and Misinformation, Ms. Jalali said that with a humongous amount of content being generated these days, it has become highly challenging to identify facts from misinformation more so when different strategies like click baits and parody pages are being used.
PRO Defence Northern Command, Lt. Colonel Abhinav Navneet said that the real objective of Journalism is to serve people with news, views and information and media in every situation must be unbiased and without prejudice. He elaborated the constitutional provisions related to media in the country and said that when Media has freedom of speech under one article of the constitution, it has also the reasonable restrictions in another to be followed strictly while reporting. He also said that mobile journalism has changed the media dynamics and has created a lot of pressure for the Journalists related to the timeliness of news.
Vishal Bharati, of UNI in his address said that the official confirmation of sensitive news must be followed strictly as sometimes it is a matter of national security which cannot be compromised in any manner. He elaborated that social media has taken over everything but what is required is impartiality while reporting. He further said that there are many challenges in reporting at ground level which can be faced through Responsible Journalism.
Sanjeet Khajuria, former Deputy Director, Doordarshan in his address said that media has a greater responsibility and a duty towards people and the balancing of news must be done to highlight the positive and negative aspects of news. He also laid emphasis on Development Journalism and the various responsibilities connected to it.
Field Publicity Officer, Anantnag, Shahid Mohammad Lone provided a detailed insight into the use of social media to leverage the dissemination of information about the public welfare schemes of the government. He impressed upon the journalists to utilize the opportunities provided by social media platforms and use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools to increase engagements on the different digital platforms. He however cautioned against the explosive nature of the social media and appealed the journalists to adhere to the standards of Journalism.
Media & Communications Officer, PIB, Jammu, Sheikh Mudasir Amin said that the misleading headlines must be avoided as it creates a lot of confusion among the readers.
Besides media of Udhampur, the workshop was also attended by District Information Officer, Udhampur, Rajinder Kumar Digra & Field Publicity Officer, Udhampur, Khursheed Yousuf.
