Mumbai, January 20: President Ram Nath Kovind, speaking at the Ramnath Goenka award for excellence in journalism, said that "there is no doubt that journalism has been passing through a critical phase." The President also said that "Ramnath Goenkaji would never have allowed the situation to go adrift and initiated measures for course correction for the whole media fraternity," while reflecting on the state of media today." Army Day 2020 Wishes: President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Rahul Gandhi & Other Leaders Greet Soldiers & Their Families.

Speaking on the issue of fake news, President Kovind said that, "Ponder for a moment as to what Goenka ji would have done, had he encountered a crisis of credibility on account of paid news or fake news."

President Kovind spoke on the nature of news in current times and said that instead of stories exploring important social and economic concerns, sensational news was given importance. "Stories exposing great social and economic inequalities are ignored, and their place is taken by trivia. Instead of helping promote scientific temper, some run after irrational practices in their search for eyeballs and ratings," said President Kovind.

Highlighting the importance of media in a democracy, President Kovind said that, "The quest for truth is, of course, difficult and easier said than done. But it must be pursued. A democracy like ours deeply relies on the uncovering of facts and a willingness to debate them. Democracy is meaningful only when the citizen is well informed."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2020 07:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).