“Challenges to the Journalism in present days”

 18th September 2021 at 10:22 PM

More than 150 journalists discussed in a seminar by PCJU

Ludhiana: 18th September 2021: (Kartika Singh//Punjab Screen)::

After a long gap, a media program held in Ludhiana in which neither any government patronage nor a government minister or official were invited as a special guest. Nor was there any demand for any position or perks before the govt or any corporate leader. with full pride and prestige issues and challenges faced by media and society were discussed. Personalities such as Professor Jagmohan Singh, Piyare Lal Garg and Balwinder Jammu drew attention to the decline in the media on the ethical spectrum and emphasized the need to focus on the same. Furthermore, the speakers also explained that media persons should must improve their expertise. Thay should increase the worthiness of the pen power. Only then the responsibility of the pen will be served. Lastly, the seminar also raised voices against the growing corporate grip on the media and on other sections of the society.  

Punjab & Chandigarh Journalists Union organized a seminar highlighting challenges to media world.Dr. Pyara Lal Garg, Professor Jagmohan Singh and Balwinder Jammu were among the main speakers. More than 150 journalists from different media organizations participated in the event

Punjab & Chandigarh Journalists Union on September 18 organized a seminar highlighting the “Challenges to the Journalism in present days”, under the able leadership of Secretary General Indian Journalist Union and President Mr. Balwinder Jammu. The seminar was held at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana. The chief speakers at the seminar were Dr. Pyara Lal Garg and Professor Jagmohan Singh. Along with them, PCJU secretary Jai Singh Chibber and Bindu Singh interacted with the audience.

More than 150 prominent journalists from various media organizations. like BBC, The Tribune, Times of India, Hindustan Times, Punjab Express, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Savera, Punjab Kesari, Amar Ujala, Uttam Hindu, Fastway news, Jagbani, Punjabi Jagran, Jujhar Times, PTC News, Daily Post, Babushahi, Ludhiana Live, The Summer News, Ludhiana Times, The City Headlines, Jan Hitaishi, SMZ and many others attended the seminar. Other than that, journalism students from different colleges of Ludhiana attended the seminar and sought knowledge from eminent speakers.

A renowned name in the medical fraternity, Dr. Pyara Lal Garg is an ex-registrar at Baba Farid Medical University. Retired as a professor of pediatric surgery in 2002, he has also worked with various political parties like Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party. Known for his outspoken personality, Dr. Garg has been criticising several policies of the state and the central government.

Professor Jagmohan Singh is a renowned historian, author, and academic activist. An IIT Kharagpur alumni, he is also a former professor at Punjab Agriculture University. Other than that, Professor Jagmohan Singh is the nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. He is the founding member of the Association of Democratic Rights (Punjab) and Director of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Creativity Center, Ludhiana.

Addressing the audience, Dr. Pyara Lal Garg said that one of the biggest challenges to the media fraternity is that debate and dissent are being snubbed. “One more challenge for journalism is lack of awareness and knowledge. Hence, finding credible sources is becoming difficult. Another great challenge for journalists is communalism. Though it is affecting everyone, sometimes, it resists journalists to see both sides of the coin. We are not Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. We are journalists,” he said.

Professor Jagmohan Singh said that it has been a hard time for the journalists and there’s a need to be united. He motivated the audience and said that journalists have played a major role in the nation’s freedom movement. He gave the examples of Lok Manya Tilak and Sufi Amba Prasad. He also said that neoliberalism is a great challenge for the media industry and talked about how Chile eliminated it. Further, he talked about the farm laws and how they are harmful to agriculturists and the common public.

President PCJU, Balwinder Jammu said that there’s a need for unity amongst the media fraternity. “PCJU is the symbol of unity and our motive is to bring forward the demands and needs of the journalists.” He also talked about unethical practices like paid news and said that such practices have reduced the credibility of journalism. “With time, a lot of changes have been witnessed in the industry. However, there have been some drawbacks. The power is in the hands of few and commercial giants are being benefitted,” he said. He also condemned the government for eliminating Working Journalist Act.

Jai Singh Chibber also addressed the audience present in the seminar. He is a renowned journalist in Punjab who has been working for more than 2 decades. He has worked with various renowned media organizations. Also, he is the secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh Journalist Union.

Jai Singh Chibber addressed the audience and said that there are several financial, social and legal challenges that journalists in India face. “When I started my professional journey as a journalist in the year 1995, it used to be a mission to serve the people and uplift the nation. However, a lot has been changed and it has become a business. Now, field reporters also have to work as advertisers and hawkers.” He also said that to cater to the needs of journalists, PCJU has been fighting hard with the government to have a pension scheme for them as well.

From Punjab and Chandigarh Journalists Union, Co-ordinator Gagandeep Arora, Amrik Singh Batra, Gurinder Singh, Varinder Rana, Satwinder Basra, Harshraj Singh, Nikhil Bhardwaj, Amarpal, Harsimran Singh, Munish Sharma, Ravinder Arora, Satwinder Sharma, Vikas Malhotra, Dilbagh Danish, Dinesh Kumar, Amit Kumar, Arun Kumar, Arun Sareen, Himanshu Mahajan, Ashwani Dhiman, Rajbir Bakshi, Rajesh Bhatt, Santokh Singh Gill, Joginder Singh Oberoi, Davinder Singh Jaggi, DPS Batra, Amanpreet Chauhan were present.