Chandigarh, Nov 16, 2019 - The National Press Day was organized by Punjab and Chandigarh Journalists Union at Kala Bhawan in Chandigarh. The seminar was held on the topic of ' Special Dialogue on the Present Scenario of Journalism and Challenges'
The programme was presided over by former registstrar of Baba Farid University Piare Lal Garg , Senior Journalist Jaspal Singh Sidhu , Secretary of Indian Journalist Union and Chairman of Punjab and Chandigarh Journalist Union Balbir Jandu and President of PCJU (Chandigarh Unit) Jai Singh Chhibber.
Speaking on the occasion , Dr. Piare Lal Garg said the journalists fraternity needs to work in an organised and united manner in the form of Unions to fight back the present challenges in the field of journalism.
Applauding the professional journalists Dr. Garg said the journalists have been dispersing their responsibility and duty even after going beyond all kind of pressure and suppression of all times.
He said that the fourth estate brings all anti people policies and malfunctions of the other three pillars in the court of public.
Senior Journalist Jaspal Singh Sidhu recalling the Black era of Punjab said that Journalists had been working under suppression and difficult situation in those times. He further said that the actual meaning and language of news content sent by a field journalist used to be played around and the methods were adopted to distract public from the real ground realities.
He said that freedom of press is important in the present era in the democratic system. He said that no doubt journalists had been struggling hard for their survival and bread but it was not the only reason on which a journalist would ever make any compromise. It is evident that journalists had been unfolding different incidents with journalistic spirit at different intervals of time.
Citing an example he said , he was asked to send a news of a police officer who was kidnapped but in actual the said police officer was sitting along with him at that very moment. But , when Sidhu asked his senior to talk to the officer sitting with him and denied that he was not kidnapped but in return, his senior on the other side of telephone pressurized him to send the same news. Sidhu said that he denied to send such fake news but the news was published as headlines on the front pages of the National papers as well next day , he said.
He said that it is painful that the media has been surrounded by question raised on the authenticity and credibility of the news these days.
He further said that as many as 265 fake websites have been identified which spread misinfirmation.
On the occasion , the chairman of the Union Balbir Jandu , President Jai Singh Chhibber , the President of Tribune Employees Union Anil Gupta , the president of Indian Express Employees Union Raj Kumar Srivastva , Patron Tarlochan Singh , Dr. Madandeep , Harbans Singh Sodhi , Jagtar Singh Bhullar , Ravinder Meet and Bindu Singh spoke.