Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said credibility is the "biggest challenge" that the media is facing today and that fake news, mischievous information, political ambitions and preferences, tendency to play power brokers and monetary considerations have eroded people's faith in the fourth estate.
Addressing the National Press Day function here, he deplored the media for seeking the role of "partisan influencer" while claiming that some journalists have taken to themselves to "change the course of democratic process contrary to the ground sentiments".
While commending the "excellent" performance of "journalists at grassroot level", he also found fault with some media persons being bestowed "iconic status" but lamented that they have "forgotten both ethics, professionalism contours, engaging in due diligence and thriving on credentials bestowed on them".
He alleged that a narrative is set afloat to tarnish, demean and taint established institutions and it is done on considerations that are extraneous.
"Media is not a power centre or stakeholder in realpolitik. Ground reality is, it is doing everything under the sun to be a power centre- not only a stakeholder, it seems to control it, seems to infuse it. It is so painful that some journalists have taken it upon themselves to change the course of democratic process contrary to the ground sentiments. We need to be alive to such dangers," he said.
He emphasised that the media should be aware that the writing on the wall should be clear to all concerned that "fake news, deliberately fed wrong and mischievous information, political ambitions and preferences, tendency to play power brokers and monetary considerations" have "eroded the people’s faith" in the media.
"It is paramount that journalists and media outlets uphold the highest standards of integrity....We have tapes that suggest to what extent the system was permeated with the most unethical practices," he said in apparent reference to the Radia tapes.
"Even in matters that concern security, terrorism, the media has to be responsible which at the moment I do not see. I am in a tunnel where I don't see the light at the moment," he said.
On artificial intelligence (AI) playing a role in media, Dhankhar advised caution saying it is a "double-edged weapon" and it brings its own set of challenges and ethical questions such as the "spread of misinformation at nuclear speed, deep fakes, creation of echo chambers and micro targeting of information to influence the democratic process and create chaos and instability in the societies".
"Though AI has the potential to harm, we must acknowledge that this technology is here to stay. This is one technology in respect of which concerns has been raised from the top in the technology world for regulation, but one thing is certain that it will stay with us. We have to adapt, regulate and deal with it. We must adapt to the changing landscape, employing the transformative potential of AI as a tool to improve our capabilities, while also safeguarding against its misuse," he said.