THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted journalist Sasikumar said on Monday that false notions were being induced for prescribing nationalism in the country. Delivering the Vakkom Moulavi Memorial Lecture here, he said: “The kind of hysteria that is whipped up in the media in the name of prescribing nationalism is ridiculous. If you are sure about your nationalism, if I am sure about my nationalism, I don't need to shout from the roof-top. It is only those who are not sure of their nationalism who need to talk about it again and again. You don't have to shout from the roof-top every morning saying ‘good morning I am a nationalist today.’” He said they were not doing this because they suspected everybody was not a nationalist. “They are doing it because they want to create a particular ideology for the media. Unfortunately, they are buying it abandoning their critical and adversarial responsibility,” he said.
“Journalism was an essential extension of democracy; otherwise democracy was a sham. Take for example our South Asian neighbours like Singapore. The press is thriving there, but not politically free as one would like it to be. The financial press is vibrant. But the press is not free as we are. Interestingly, Pakistan press is very free although they are supposed to have a military-run government or a government which is not fully representative. But the press there is very vibrant,” he added. “The media has to be critical and adversarial not to the people but to the state--those who are corrupt and those taking bribes. It is invigilation against those who are taking short cuts to bribery. The vigil of democracy is journalism,” he added.
