Manish Tewari says there is need to standardize quality of media education in country

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Monday explained the present complexities around the country's media streams, and said that there was an urgent need to standardize quality of media education being imparted in India.

In his statement, Tewari emphasized that there was an urgent need to standardize the quality of media education being imparted in the country and reiterated that the 'fly by night' operators are the bane of media education paradigm as they are in similar circumstances in other sectors also.

Tewari also endorsed a common entrance test for the media industry to raise the standard of journalism.

Earlier, Press Council of India head Justice (retd.) Markandey Katju had raised the demand for minimum qualifications for journalists in the country.

Tewari said that the media industry should consider holding a common exam for journalists, on the lines of that conducted by the Bar Council and medical institutions, after which they could be given licence to pursue the profession.

Pointing out the worries arising from the present Print Media in the country, Tewari said that the recent trends threaten the quality and standards of journalism in the country.

"The print media needs to introspect and rationalize its tariff structure and subscription rates in view of the global trends, which had stressed the revenue models and decline in numbers. All these trends could lead to decline in quality and standards within the print industry in the country," Tewari said.

Tewari expressed concerns over the trends in Broadcast media saying that the pursuit of high Target Point Rating (TRP) numbers, the fragmented market conditions, the flawed revenue models, the measurement methods prevalent and the rush for sensationalism have led to a situation worrying situation.

"This also led to serious issues of 'manufactured anger', 'media trials' and 'infringement of privacy guaranteed under Article 21', which has emerged in the Broadcasting space," Tewari added.

Addressing the problematic situation in New Media, Tewari said that while there had been an exponential growth, issues of anonymity, absence of global rules of engagement and serious issues of last mile neutrality remain to be addressed.

The Minister also said that challenges confronting the different media streams are unique and distinct, at present, and require specific treatment and approach for addressing the issues concerned.

"There was an urgent need to look at the structural faults which had not been addressed during the media proliferation of the past decade," Tewari said.

Additionally, Tewari said that the Indian Institute of Mass Communications had been advised to initiate a course on the Business of Media, preferably a Masters Degree in the Business of the Media. "This programme could prepare young professionals to address the business imperatives in the media sectors more cohesively. In view of the changing contemporary media landscape, this could act as a value addition to the Institute in the long run," Tewari said.