‘Social media has made it difficult to maintain credibility’
The Hindu
It is important for journalists to exercise caution at every instance: political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta
Social media has made it extremely difficult for institutional and individual identities to remain credible now as statements can be rapidly decontextualised. It is important for journalists to exercise caution at every instance to maintain credibility, political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta said at the virtual convocation of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ)’s class of 2020-21 here on Thursday. Delivering the Lawrence Dana Pinkham lecture on ‘Who is interested in truth — Reflections on our times’, Mr. Mehta said social media had blurred professional and personal boundaries and it is harder to establish credibility now. Aspiring journalists must also examine ownerships and structures that distort production of truth. Noting that India was passing through an unprecedented phase, he said resistance to truth not only comes from authoritarian regimes but sometimes from democratic times also. The idea that private media would produce free media in pursuit of truth has turned out to be an illusion now and journalists’ lives are at stake. Social media also posed a challenge to produce a population that is receptive to truth.More Related News