Former Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) officer and educationist, Avinash Dharmadhikari, on Friday said most democratic institutions in India, including the media, suffer from lack of credibility.
Former Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) officer and educationist, Avinash Dharmadhikari, on Friday said most democratic institutions in India, including the media, suffer from lack of credibility.
He was speaking at a regional conference on ‘Lobbyists, government, corporate, media: A dangerous liaison’ at a city hotel. The two-day event is being organised by Media Information & Communication Centre of India (Micci) and RTI Forum for Instant Information, in collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), a Germany-based non-profit political foundation.
According to Dharmadhikari, “Media needs to be an independent entity. But with time and pressure, it is turning out to be more of a product.”
Senior media advisor of FES, Rajeshwar Dayal, said a journalist should not be identified with the government. “The recent Radia tapes controversy revealed the role of lobbyists in politics and the role the media played in it. Media should play a key role in strengthening the democracy of the country,” he said.
Director of Micci, Nandini Sahai, said media’s association with lobbyists and government puts a question mark on the existence of free press. “Media, instead of being a broker, should be objective and bring the government’s mistakes and failures to the forefront. Credibility is the only weapon that a journalist should possess,” said Sahai.
The chairman of Kinetic Engineering Group, Arun Firodia, justified the requirement of lobbying in a society to educate others. “A thin line should be drawn between educating and influencing. Media has to play a pivotal role. Let people influence and media be the messenger,” he said.
The president of Professionals Party of India (PPI), RV Krishnan, said the problem in lobbying occurs when the spirit of the lobbyist and the influenced person are not on the same lines.
“Lobbying is not a bad thing. It means putting your point of view and educating. But trouble arises when the lobbyist who wants to educate, influences the other person rather than educating him. Both the parties involved in the lobbying should have a common motive,” he said.
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