Principled Journalism Key to Fearless Reporting: Shivakumar

Citing that fearless journalism was an extremely challenging task in today's world, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said a principled and professional approach was the only way to achieve that.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Press Day celebration programme organised by the Karnataka Media Academy and the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association at Gandhi Bhavan here.

"If journalists work in accordance with the principles, ethics, and conscience of the profession, it will benefit society," he said, asserting that the journalism profession needs to free itself from fake news.

Citing an example, Shivakumar said he had visited a hospital for a routine health check-up, but some television channels falsely claimed that he had been admitted. "That was completely false," he said.

Recalling another incident during the Mekedatu padayatra, the CM said some sections of the media had portrayed footage of him, exhausted and being jostled by fellow participants, as someone "walking after having consumed alcohol." "That was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public," he said.

"If I make a mistake, expose it. But do not publish or broadcast false news. Until a news report is published, it belongs to the journalist. Once it is published, it becomes the property of society. Therefore, every news report must be guided by truth and integrity," he said.

Shivakumar noted that several eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi, had practised journalism and upheld the dignity of the profession.

He urged journalists to carry forward that legacy.