Bhubaneswar: The Editors Guild of India, in collaboration with the Press Club of Odisha, organized a conclave titled ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Regional Media – Odisha Edition’ on Saturday.
The event brought together prominent journalists, legal experts, and media professionals to discuss the current status of regional media.
In the first session chaired by Odisha Press Club President and Editor of ‘Dharitri’ and ‘Orissa Post’ Tathagat Satpathy, Former Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Hindu’ N Ram delivered the keynote address, stating that the media is facing tougher times than during the emergency. He criticized the government for targeting media outlets and slapping anti-terror laws on critics.
Ram elucidated the dual nature of generative AI as both an opportunity and a threat to journalism. He emphasized the need for careful navigation and expressed concern over journalist safety and press freedom.
According to Ram, 19 journalists have been killed in India in the last decade, highlighting the country’s hostile environment for investigative journalism. He stressed the importance of thorough fact-checking in the age of social media.
A discussion titled ‘Call for Journalists in the State’ followed, moderated by senior journalist Ruben Banerjee. Tanaya Patnaik, editor of ‘Sambad’, emphasized the challenges of running a media organization without advertisements.
Tapan Mishra, editor of ‘The Samaj’, noted the decline in corporate advertising and the government’s increasing role as a primary source of advertisements.
Justice Anang Patnaik, a former Supreme Court judge, advocated for media independence from commercial institutions to protect freedom of speech.
A conference on ‘Media Law, New Criminal Law, and the Challenge for Independent Journalists’ featured Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde and senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.
Guha Thakurta highlighted the misuse of laws to intimidate journalists and emphasized accountability among those in power.
The final session, moderated by Sandeep Sahu, explored ‘Journalism in the Digital Era.’ Editor of ‘Nirvaya’ Naveen Das, Editor-in-Chief of ‘Ommcom News’ Jajati Karan and editor of ‘News Room’ Manoranjan Mishra shared their insights on the subject.
