By TCN News,
New Delhi: “Media of all shades must be inclusive in their approach. They must avoid news and views which create provocation, weaken nationalist feeling and damage social harmony” said Prof Rakesh Sinha, Hony. Director of India Policy Foundation (IPF).
He was speaking at a brainstorming session on ‘Political and Social Perspectives of Urdu Journalism’ held on Dec. 3 in New Delhi. The program was organized by IPF, a Delhi-based research institute. Most of the speakers at the session including Prof Sinha criticized Urdu media for their way of news coverage. They blamed that Urdu media limited its readership by giving much importance to the news related to one community.
[Photo Courtesy: Indiapolicyfoundation.org]
“Urdu media functions with an agenda exclusively of a community and therefore has its readership pre-defined and limited,” averred Prof Sinha, Associate Professor, Delhi University.
He also rejected the perception that Urdu newspapers get only one percent advertisement. “The fact is that popular Urdu newspapers get adequate advertisements” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Mansur Alam, former editor of UNI Urdu news service, said that the deterioration in the standards of Urdu media is due to commercialization of the fourth estate as also seen in other language papers.
He lamented the recent decline in Urdu readership. “For example, its performance in UP with a population of nine million people speaking Urdu, is poor today, although it is set to flourish in places like Hyderabad” he said.
He suggested that only continuous dialogue and giving them a sense of belonging can solve the problem of Muslim alienation from the mainstream.
Mohammad Jamshed Hasan, Assistant General Manager (Marketing) of Urdu daily Inquilab, said that Urdu readership is declining but there are good prospects for business.
Another speaker Prof Rajvir Sharma advised that Urdu media should highlight issues of general social and national importance and join the mainstream.
IPF is a Delhi-based research institute that carries research and analysis on public policy in India like social, political, cultural and economic issues with bringing together members of the intelligentsia, domain experts, members of the civil society, the media, and interested sections of the general public through talks, debates, seminars, conferences and workshops to facilitate a thorough exchange of ideas on public policy issues.
Link:
http://indiapolicyfoundation.org/