A Special Lecture on Responsibilities of Media held at Central University of Punjab

Bathinda, April 24, 2023: The Central University of Punjab, under the patronage of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, organised an invited talk on Responsibilities of Media. The invited speaker on this occasion was Sandeep Tripathi, Associate Editor, Panchjaynya – Hindi Weekly.

While addressing the participants, Sandeep Tripathi mentioned that the term 'media, a fourth estate’ was first coined during the British parliamentary debate in the House of Commons of Great Britain in 1787. Since then, the media houses have attracted a target audience through various conventional and new media formats. Shri Tripathi stated that the role of a media journalist is to inform, criticise, and stimulate debate on various social issues. But today, the mainstream media is facing the challenge of maintaining credibility due to the adoption of unethical strategies to increase viewership, such as spreading news based on rumours, presenting unverified information, covering one-sided viewpoints, sensationalising reports, etc. He emphasised that young journalists should check all the facts, know different sides of a news story, and present the news from a neutral point of view. He also encouraged youngsters to do a fact check on any unverified information that is going viral on social media and other new media platforms. Tripathi also answered queries from budding journalists in the Dept. of Mass Communication and Media Studies at CUPB. He concluded his interactive session with the message that a responsible media journalist should always think about the public welfare while performing his job.

In his presidential address, Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the Vice-Chancellor, highlighted that the media should play its role in promoting social harmony and patriotic spirit among our countrymen. He expressed his gratitude towards Shri Tripathi for enlightening the participants and appreciated the student’s active participation in the Q&A session.
At the outset, Dr. Paramveer Singh welcomed the participants. At the outset, Dr. Rubal Kanozia introduced the programme theme. Dr. Chhavi Garg and Dr. Mahesh Meena thanked everyone for making this programme a success.