Journalists should become the voice of the voiceless: Venkaiah Naidu

He asked the journalists to serve as a mirror to society as he asked them to be the voice of the voiceless.

Naidu was addressing the 132nd Foundation Day Celebrations of 'Deepika', the first Malayalam Daily.

Saying that being efficient and fearless is necessary for a democratic country like India to thrive and flourish, Naidu asked the journalists to portray the reality as it is, neither magnifying nor diminishing, neither distorting nor mystifying facts.

He said that the dignity and reputation of a newspaper rest on the degree of their loyalty to truth and fearless reporting.

The Vice President said that one expects media to not just report accurately but also to highlight social and economic injustices, thus paving way for their redressal.

Naidu said that it is also the duty of the newspapers and the media in general to support the government in its developmental initiatives and policies as well as to pinpoint its lapses, so as to help improve the effectiveness of the administrative setup in our country.

He asked media to play a vital role in creating awareness about the legal provisions on such matters and empowering citizens by making them aware of their inalienable rights.

Pointing that media has a crucial role to play during the time of elections, the Vice President said that the fairness and the transparency with which the elections were conducted would be determined greatly by how fairly and responsibly the media would behave.

Talking about elections, the Vice President said that a free and fair election was not just about the freedom to vote and the knowledge of why and how one should cast a vote.

"It is a crucial participatory process where voters take part in informed public debate, making enlightened," he said.

Stating that a democratic election could not be credible with no media freedom, or stifled media freedom, Naidu said that media safeguards the transparency of the entire process.

The Vice President advised media to maintain a high level of professionalism, accuracy and impartiality in their coverage. He urged the media to do their duty during the time of the elections with great discretion.

"Empower the voter with information to make the best possible use of their crucial right to vote," he added.

Naidu also asked media to be fearless in bringing the wrongdoers to light.

"Never be hesitant to report positive stories and always offer appreciation and words of encouragement to those who are making a positive change. You have the significant responsibility of watching over the conduct of the most important event in any democracy and never fail to offer constructive and creative criticism wherever necessary," he said.

The Vice President opined though the media have traditionally been understood to refer to the print and electronic media, in recent years, the definition has become broader, including new media, online journalism, and social media.

"Social Media has immense capacity for propagating information, including fake news," he said.