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BANGALORE, January 9, 2011

‘Radia tapes spell death of people's media'

Staff Reporter

‘More attention paid to corporate interests than the poor'

Media matters: Wildlife photographer T.N.A. Perumal and film director Prakash Belawadi (right) at the seminar in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

The Radia tapes exposed the nexus between the media, commerce and politics. In some ways, it spells the death of people's media, said Ambrose Pinto, principal of St. Joseph's College of Arts and Sciences.

He was speaking at ‘Trends and Opportunities in Media', a seminar hosted by M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women (Autonomous), Chennai, in collaboration with St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. With The Hindu as its media partner, the seminar included talks from four noted professionals in various fields.

Fr. Pinto emphasised that the concern of the media ought to be “how to include those excluded” in their reporting. He lamented that more attention was paid to corporate interests as opposed to those of the poor and needy.

‘Must be detached'

In his inaugural address, activist and playwright G.K. Govinda Rao spoke on the duties and functions of the media. The media ought to remain detached from the establishment and must play the role of “an unelected Opposition party leader”. “The media's duty is to help readers and viewers unlearn the prejudices, relationships and attitudes that are learnt at home and at school,” he said.

Prakash Belawadi, journalist and stage and film director, talked about film direction as a career, while T.N.A. Perumal, renowned wildlife photographer, spoke on ‘Photography: A Profession for the Passionate'.

Saurabh Pajwani, post-doctoral researcher (Technology for Emerging Markets) at Microsoft Research India, spoke on ‘New ICT Tools for Supporting Education, while Sneha Iype, executive producer, Nirvana Films, elaborated on ‘Trends and Opportunities in Advertising'.

Those present at the half-day seminar received certificates of participation.