Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur today inaugurated the 47th Annual Convention and 20th Session of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcast Development (AIBD) in the presence of Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Dr. L Murugan, Secretary, I&B Shri Apurva Chandra and AIBD Director Ms. Philomena Gnanapragasam.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Thakur said that the biggest threat to the mainstream media is not the new digital platforms but rather the mainstream media channel itself. He went on to say that real journalism is about facing the facts, presenting the truth and giving all parties a platform to present their views.
Inviting guests who polarise, spread false narratives and shout at the top of their lungs damages the channel’s credibility, the minister noted. “Your choices about guest, tone and visuals – define your credibility in the eyes of your audience. The view may pause for a minute to watch your show, but it will never trust your host, your channel or your brand as a trusted and transparent source of news,” he added.
The minister urged the broadcasters present not to look at the narrative that is defined by the sound, but to redefine it themselves and set the conditions for the guests and the channel. The minister posed some thought-provoking questions to the audience, asking: “Are you going to watch the younger audience switch and fly through the screams of TV news, or are you going to bring back Neutrality in NEWS and Discussion in DEBATES to stay ahead of the game? “
AIBD leadership during the COVID pandemic
Shri Anurag Thakur thanked the AIBD leadership during the COVID pandemic for keeping member countries connected online and maintaining a constant dialogue on how the media can mitigate the impact of the pandemic. He noted that “Member countries have benefited immensely from sharing information on the latest medical developments, positive stories of Covid warriors and more importantly in the fight against fake news that spreads faster than the pandemic. Shri Thakur congratulated the AIBD Director, Ms. Philomena, AIBD General Conference President, Mr. Mayank Agrawal and the member countries who have worked together to build a strong media response to the Covid pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the theme of the event “Building a stronger future for broadcasting in the post-pandemic era”, the minister noted that “although broadcast media is and always has been the mainstream of journalism, the era of COVID-19 has shaped its structure in a more strategic way. The Covid pandemic has taught us how correct and timely information can save millions of lives. It is the media that has brought the world on one platform in this difficult phase and strengthened the spirit of one global family.
“He presented the role of the Indian media during the pandemic as a success story and said that the media ensured that news about COVID-19, important government guidelines and free online consultations with doctors reached everyone in the nooks and crannies of the country. Shri Thakur urged the member countries to establish cooperation in exchange of quality content. Programmatic exchanges bring world cultures together through such collaboration. Such media partnerships between countries help build strong people-to-people ties, he said.
In conclusion, the Minister emphasized that the media in all its forms has a huge capacity to shape public perception and perspectives as an effective tool of empowerment. “It is imperative to create an enabling environment for our journalists and friends of TV stations to make the media space more vibrant and beneficial,” he added.
In his remarks, Shri Mayank Agarwal, CEO of Prasar Bharati and President of AIBD said that AIBD continued its training and capacity building programs even during the lockdown. Last year alone, there were 34 training programs focused on traditional as well as emerging issues such as climate change, green technology, sustainable development, faster reporting, programming for children, etc.
Sh Agarwal emphasized that with the increasing use of internet in broadcasting, training journalists in cyber security journalism has become a must, he said. He added that AIBD is the first organization to adopt this as part of its training programmes. Ms. Philomena Gnanapragasam said that content will determine the future of media and how content is shared and monetized will determine the future of broadcasting. She also thanked all the delegates and representatives of various organizations for their presence.
During the event, Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur presided over the presentation of the awards for the year 2021 and 2022. The award for the year 2021 went to Radio Television Brunei. The 2022 award was shared by the Ministry of the Economy, Civil Service, Communications, Housing and Community Development, Republic of Fiji and the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.
The 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mr. Khieu Khanharith, Minister of Information and Communications, Cambodia. The Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022 was presented to Shri Mayank Agarwal, CEO, PB and President, AIBD. Heads of various foreign missions in India, delegates from AIBD member countries, officers from Prasar Bharati and various branches of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India were present on the occasion.
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