CM urges media to fight communal, divisive forces
Neutrality in a fight between communalism and secularism is hypocrisy and is tantamount to siding with communalism, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Inaugurating the threeday media fest at the Kerala Media Academy on Saturday, Mr. Vijayan urged the media to resist the forces against diversity, which was essential to their own survival.
If forces trying to eradicate linguistic and cultural diversity succeed, then Malayalam language itself will go extinct in which case the fate of Malayalam journalism is imaginable. Hence, the media should side with the secular side to fight communal and divisive forces.
No media house in Kerala has faced any backlash for publishing facts or criticising the State government. This is evidence of how strong media freedom is in Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said. He urged the media to be circumspect while reporting during election time, which was also the season of fake news.
Freedom of the media is under threat in various parts of the world, including India. In just a few months, more than 100 media persons were killed in the invasion of Gaza by Israel.
“Yet, the media policy of pulling a cover over the brutality of Israel has gained dominance across the world. Imperialist news agencies and media houses are playing a crucial role in not informing the world that Palestine is a free nation, and that Israel has turned Gaza, which is a part of Palestine, into an open jail. Media in general has failed to report on Palestine with humanity and accuracy. This is because the imperialist forces are very strong in the media world,” Mr. Vijayan said.
He presented the Kerala Media Academy’s World Press Photography Award to Sana Irshad Mattu and the Indian Media Person of the Year Award to R. Rajagopal. Senior journalist Thomas Jacob presented the jury report.
Kerala Media Academy chairman R.S. Babu presided.