Media should ensure the silent majorities are heard: Prime minister

Prime minister Manmohan Singh today said the media has a responsibility to ensure it is not just the loud who are heard, but also the silent majorities.

"Indeed, often, those who are loud are better organised, better funded and better served by the system. If the media only purveys their viewpoint, who will speak for the silent majorities," he said at an awards-giving function here.

Noting that the media has a vital role to play, Singh said, "We cannot live in a society where millions are outside the shop, on the pavement, looking into the glitzy world they can never hope to enter".

The media, he said, cannot be just a window to an unattainable world. "It should seek to open the door to an attainable and a sustainable future for each one of us," Singh added.

He said there should be an introspection whether the media does justice in portraying the diversity and complexity of issues of the day.

"The country is proud of its vibrant media. But we should introspect whether the media does justice in portraying the diversity and complexity of the issues of the day, and whether there is adequate balance in the purveying of ideas and information".