Journalists’ organizations hold seminar on sensitizing media

Journalists’ organizations hold seminar on sensitizing media

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Mar 30: The Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists’ Union (DKWJU), the National Institute of Social Defense, New Delhi, and the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (IFWJ affiliate) jointly organized a seminar “Sensitization of Media towards Old Persons and Drug Addicts” at the Press Club on March 30, Tuesday.

Senior journalist Jayasheel Rao inaugurated the event and said that the media has to control the rising addiction to drugs with its effective writings. He also said that only proper survey and not media assumptions can give the right analysis about drug addicts and the elderly.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assistant editor of Suvarna News Channel B V Mallikarjunayya, the chief guest of the occasion, said that domestic stress and financial setbacks are the factors responsible for drug addiction. He suggested that the best way to fight drug addiction is by providing counseling to the entire family as well as to the addict. He urged the media to make a study of the problem of drug addiction and provide guidelines to overcome it instead of focusing on drug addicts alone. 

Bureau Chief of Deccan Herald Ronald Anil Fernandes presented the seminar and said that the representatives of the media refuse to focus on the positive aspects of the news and instead focus only on the negative aspects. In order to get the readers interested in a news story, one needs to deal with it in depth. Unfortunately, the media gives coverage only to fresh incidents and hardly bothers about the follow up, he observed. 

Speaking about the elderly, he said that Elders’ Day is solemnly observed and schemes for the elderly are also implemented; however most of the elderly are unaware of the schemes devised for their benefit. 

The same story is hardly published in more than one newspaper, he observed and suggested that this need not be the case. Journalists of different newspapers can deal with the same story from different angles, which will be of great benefit to the readers. For instance, instead of focusing on the criminal, the journalist can interview his/her family members and give a new angle to the story. Citing the example of Prajna Counselling Centre, Mr. Fernandes said that the media can cover a number of stories; however the writer must develop the right sort of attitude towards a story. 

Secretary of Press Club Harish Rai introduced the chief guests and proposed the vote of thanks. President of DKWJU welcomed the gathering. President of Press Club Anand Shetty was also present during the seminar.

 

The students from Aloysius College, Besant Womens’ College, and Canara College actively participated in the seminar