Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday spoke on the occasion of National Press Day and said that it is impossible to censor news due to the technology available today.
Inaugurating the National Press Day celebrations in Delhi, Jaitley said that due to the availability of highly competitive electronic, print and digital platforms, there is no room for pressure and censorship in the media.
“You have multiple forums and because of technology, censorship is impossible. Any kind of pressure is impossible,” Jaitley said.
Earlier on Thursday, Press Council of India Chairman CK Prasad had said that winners of the award – National Awards for Excellence in Journalism – will be honored on National Press Day.
National Press Day which is celebrated on November 16 every year, symbolises free and responsible press in India. The Press Council of India started working as a watchdog on this day.
Earlier on Thursday, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig BD Mishra (Retd) and Chief Minister Pema Khandu extended their warm greetings to the media fraternity.
The governor expressed hope that the occasion will reinforce the commitment of the people towards freedom of the press.
In his message, Mishra termed media as the ‘fourth pillar of the democracy’ saying that the media keeps the readers aware and abreast with the happenings around them as also obligates transparency and accountability amongst the public figures and the people.
“Today, the media is actively playing positive role in all walks of life. It is involved in every details of public affairs encompassing all aspects of human behaviour, be it legislative, administrative, judicial, social, law or order,” he said.
The governor in his message said “the media, in our country has achieved very high standard of societal responsibilities and it is actively promoting the news dissemination.
Khandu in his message said “November 16 is symbolic of a free and responsible press in India. This was the day on which the Press Council of India started functioning. Since its inception PCI has come a long way and proved its worth as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only the press maintain high standards expected from it…”
The chief minister said that the press persons of Arunachal, despite several hurdles, have been working day and night to keep people informed and create opinion through their writings, reports, films and documentaries.
Khandu hoped that the state media would continue to uphold the spirit of journalism ethics and educate the masses.
Source: Zee News