New Delhi: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said neutrality and objectivity in journalism are important. Criticising instant journalism, he said "news should not be mixed with views because the misuse of social media by anti-social elements is concerning.
Speaking about the way information is spread, he said "the ICT revolution and spread of the internet have fundamentally changed the way we consume news." He added that the ease of information comes with associated risks. "Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news have emerged as new challenges which need to be promptly tackled by the government communicators round the clock."
"Media is the fourth pillar of democracy and its neutrality, objectivity, and fairness is crucial for the survival of India's democratic ethos," he added.
The outgoing VP was addressing the Indian Information Service (IIS) officers of the 2018 and 2019 batches.
He asked the young officers to give importance to developmental stories from across the nation. "Terming information and psychological warfare as an important dimension of modern day wars." He suggested that the IIS officers develop expertise in these emerging and strategic areas.
He further emphasised the need for constant dialogue between the people and the governments for citizen-centric and responsive governance. "Policymaking and implementation should be a two-way process with people's participation at every stage."
He called India the largest Parliamentary democracy and said the purpose of any reform process should be to make people's life happy and prosperous. "The focus of all government policy measures should be on bringing lasting happiness to people's lives and at the same time, underscore the need to bear with temporary pain for long term gain."
He said the government should support the poor and needy but prioritise health, education, and infrastructure development. The VP also highlighted the role of communication in bridging the divide between the governments and citizens.
"The freebie culture has led to deteriorating financial health of many states." He was speaking against the populist measures political parties use to garner votes.
He added that people need to be empowered through timely information on government policies and initiatives in their mother tongues. "On the other hand, governments also need to be apprised of people's expectations and aspirations in an objective and timely manner."