PRESIDENT OF INDIA PRESENTS RAMNATH GOENKA EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS
AI IS DISRUPTING THE WORLD, HOWEVER EMPATHY WILL BE THE ONE INGREDIENT THAT CAN HELP JOURNALISTS BEAT AI: PRESIDENT MURMU
The President
of India, Droupadi Murmu presented the 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in
Journalism Awards at a function held in New Delhi today (March 19, 2025).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the
importance of free and fair journalism for democracy cannot be overestimated.
If the citizens are not well-informed, the democratic processes lose their very
meaning.
The President
said that a thriving newsroom full of ideas is essential for the business of
news. She highlighted the importance of a research wing to ensure quality and
accuracy of news. She stated that news gathering, the soul of journalism, must
be strengthened. She urged media organisations to devote more resources in
encouraging the culture of reporting from the ground.
The President said that earlier, newspapers and magazines
sought to offer qualitative reporting and analysis, and readers bought their
copies. A sufficient number of readers meant a good platform for advertisers,
who subsidised the costs. She pointed out that in recent decades, however, this
model has been replaced by many hybrid models. She stated that their success
must be measured by their effect on the quality of journalism. She added that
that there are only a limited number of sources of funding, which could be the
State or corporate entities or the reader. While the first two have their own
advantages and limitations, the third option of keeping the reader at the
centre is the most preferable option. It has only one limitation: sustaining
that model seems difficult.
Speaking on
the issue of content creation, the President expressed confidence that we will
soon reach a stage when malicious content will be weeded out, and the so-called
post-truth will go out of currency. She noted that technological tools are also
being applied to that end. She advised to hasten that process with pro-active campaigns
to educate citizens about these pitfalls. She said that the hazard of deep
fakes and other misuses of artificial intelligence compel us to sensitise all
citizens about this critical aspect of news. The young generation, in
particular, should be educated to spot the bias and the agenda in any form of
news report or analysis.
The President said that AI is disrupting the world,
creating new opportunities as well as new challenges in many sectors including
journalism. Machines have already started compiling and editing reports. What
they lack, however, is empathy, which will be the one ingredient that can help
journalists beat AI. Journalism based on human values is not going to be
extinct ever.