Newspaper should be the voice of the voiceless - VAJPAYEE

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The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has said that there is an
increasing tendency in a section of the media to project trivial things in
life, to give more importance to certain aspects than is intrinsically due,
to highlight the fads and fashions of the rich and the over-privileged and
to aggressively advertise a consumerist lifestyle which is simply beyond the
reach of the majority. Speaking at the 125th anniversary of "The Hindu"
newspaper at Chennai, the Prime Minister said, "All this happens to the
exclusion of attention paid to the problems of the masses, their sufferings
and their aspirations, even their courageous – and often successful –
efforts to overcome their odds." A newspaper should be a voice of the
voiceless. It should be the hope of the hopeless. But this is not always the
case. The common man is often invisible in the pages of our glossy
newspapers and magazines, he added.

Vajpayee said that he did not mean that the Indian newspapers do not
highlight exploitation in society or corruption and wrongdoing in the
corridors of power. They indeed, have a long and proud tradition of doing
so. Such exposure of corruption and wrongdoing forces those in government to
be vigilant. It also assists the self-corrective mechanism of a democracy.
He cautioned that vigilance must be based on veracity and verification.

The Prime Minister said that he would like the media to play its part in
communicating the vision of India as a Developed Nation and enriching this
vision with substantive intellectual content drawn from both Indian and
international sources and motivating the people around this vision. He said
that in doing so the media would not be supporting any particular party,
government or ideology, for the vision of India as a Developed Nation
transcends party politics. He also said that the media could take care of
its responsibilities and professional ethics. However, it should draw its
own ‘Lakshman Rekha’ , he added.

Source:
http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2003/rsep2003/13092003/r130920034.html