Chennai: Societies built on good governance and an open and free media are more prosperous, stable and secure, US Consul General in Chennai, Robert G. Burgess, said on Wednesday.
Addressing journalists and students of journalism, at an event marking India’s National Press Day, here, he said one should never doubt the great importance of one’s work.
The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai commemorated the day by organising a panel discussion on “Digital influence on traditional media." During the discussion, the speakers opined that tweets have become breaking news and they even set the agenda for news organisations. Digital media has become inevitable in the present day context and it greatly influenced the traditional media often making it churn follow up stories.
Sometimes, the circulation of messages on WhatsApp in haste and without verifying its authenticity or source most invariably confused the people and even the traditional media, particularly the print. For instance, the messages on “death” hoax of legendary singer P. Susheela and also those predicting enormous quantum of rainfall in Chennai, recently, not only shocked the people but also left the traditional media in a tizzy. Under such circumstances, the media had to verify those messages and inform the readers - viewers about the truth. In her case, the legendary singer herself had to clarify that she is alive.
Another emerging trend is the hash-tag messages that have become prestigious for the television media to bolster its ratings.
Alexis Wolff, Information Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, moderated the discussion in which S. A. Hariharan, senior anchor at Thanthi TV, Ramanathan Subramanian, partner at thenewsminute.com, Bindu Bhaskar, professor at Asian College of Journalism and Ramya Kannan, chief of bureau at The Hindu, participated.
