Days of bans are over, impossible for any govt today to impose censorship: Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley said that technology has changed both the nature and content of media over the last two decades, adding that news is now being reported in almost real time in the digital media.

"Over the last two decades the nature and content of media has changed. This is primarily on account of changes brought in both by technology and also the changes in the economy. Firstly, the definition of news has changed. With the advent of 24x7 news channels, camera became the main medium for capturing news. Whatever the camera could capture became news," said Jaitley while delivering the Justice J S Verma Memorial Lecture on the topic 'Freedom and Responsibility of Media'.

"Now the news is being reported in almost real-time in the digital media. Newspaper companies have informed me that their circulation is definitely not growing. Magazine journalism is facing the most sever challenge with all these mediums around," he added.

Jaitley further said that digital media has led to the empowerment of stakeholders as anyone can run an online news portal free of charge. Jaitley also remembered Justice J S Verma on the occasion, stating that the former Chief Justice of India was the conscious keeper of society.

"He remained the conscious keeper of society. He wrote and spoke on issues about which he felt strongly. He is going to be remembered for his extraordinary character, capacity and ability," Jaitley said.

Justice J. S. Verma was named the 27th Chief Justice of India, serving his term from March 25, 1997 to January 18, 1998. He was also the chairman of National Human Rights Commission between 1999 and 2003. He passed away on April 22, 2013