Bhubaneswar: A monograph on ‘Peace Journalism’ published by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, was unveiled by Director General of IIMC Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi on the occasion of Republic Day on Tuesday. The monograph has a total of 15 references and articles. It contains the writings of many of the country’s most famous academicians and journalists.
Unveiling it, Prof. Dwivedi said, “This is the land of Gautama Buddha. It is on this soil that great personalities like Mahabir Jain, Nanak, Mahatma Gandhi were born. All of them have always attached importance to peace. Peace is our key. The message of peace has spread across India from the ground up. Sadly, in many cases nowadays, there is an atmosphere of unrest in many places. Without peace, the development will not be possible. In the meantime, it is important that the media maintain a positive attitude and focus on peace journalism.”
The world is now emphasizing international peace and security. However, the issue of terrorism, internal conflict, etc. in various countries continues to be a matter of concern. The media has a strong role to play in this regard. Only the media in the world can bring peace. So the media needs to do more and more for this, he added.
Joining the event as the Chief Speaker, Andhra University Professor D.V.R. Murthy said, “Peaceful journalism is very rare in the media these days.” He cited examples of several English daily newspapers.
“The place of peace journalism in mainstream national and regional newspapers is depressing. Even this type of news is less than one per cent. One of the most important elements of peace journalism is truth. Thorough research, analysis and presentation of factual information and news leads to peace journalism. So young journalists coming to the field of journalism need to be aware of this. I understand the importance of peace journalism and hope that journalists can contribute more and more to it,” he added.
Regional Director of IIMC, Dhenkanal, Mrinal Chatterjee, in his introductory speech, said, “There is a great need for peace journalism now. This year, 2021, has been described by the United Nations as a year of peace and trust. In view of all this, a special monograph has been prepared by IIMC. It is hoped that this monograph will provide a broad range of horizons for journalists and journalism students.”
The event, held virtually through Google Meet was coordinated by IIMC’s Assistant Professor Sambit Pal and Vote of Thanks was presented by Assistant Professor Jyoti Prakash Mohapatra.