RONO HILLS, 4 Mar: A ‘lecture-cum-workshop’ themed ‘Ethical reporting in media with special reference to Arunachal Pradesh’ was conducted by Rajiv Gandhi University’s (RGU) mass communication department here on Monday.
Students from all the semesters attended the session, which had senior journalist and Deputy Editor of The Arunachal Times Tongam Rina as the resource person.
She deliberated on various subjects, such as proper use of social media, involvement of money culture in journalism, fact-checking, disinformation and misinformation, etc.
She stated that “today’s media are more of public relations platforms which glorify many of their personal achievements, rather than public good.”
She emphasised on the current trends of journalism “which lacks in-depth research, which is a core in bringing out effective stories.”
She further said that “RTI is an effective weapon for journalists which, when used properly, can dig out good stories.”
Rina also deliberated on reporting of sensitive stories which a journalist has to take care of, “especially reporting for child rights and rape victims.”
“It is easy to talk of ethics, but it is a very difficult thing to put into practice,” she added.
Taking on the rise of social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, she said, “Many unverified news are doing the rounds, which is very dangerous to our society and its growth.”
“Proper fact-check practices need to be followed by journalists while filing a story. A proper course in journalism is the need of the hour, so that stories are treated in the right manner,” she added, and emphasised on organising more seminars and workshops for students and working journalists.
The workshop ended with a discussion on how to strengthen the credibility of the media houses in the state.
Later, short videos emphasising the importance of first-time voters and their rights was screened for the students.
