Press Has Responsibility to Maintain Transparency in Governance, Morality in Society: Speaker

Bhubaneswar: The role of media is very vital in the contemporary society. Maintaining transparency in the governance system and morality in the society is the major responsibility of the press, said Odisha Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik.

The role of Press Council is very important in media management. The purpose of celebrating the National Press Day is to make everyone aware of the freedom of the press, the responsibility and the rights of the people involved in it, said the Speaker while addressing a seminar on the theme ‘Media in the Era of Artificial Intelligence’ organized by the National Journalist Welfare Board at Jaydev Bhawan here on Thursday.

Inaugurating the seminar, Principal Secretary of Information & Public Relations Department Sanjay Kumar Singh said that media is the fourth pillar of democracy. The role of journalists and media is important in shaping and guiding society. Media always strives to lead the society on the path of improvement and progress, he said.

Odisha is a pioneer state in the country in implementing the welfare scheme for journalists. The State Government has increased the health insurance coverage under Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh, he said.

Today, artificial intelligence is a big challenge in the field of journalism. So we have to work in traditional ways along with the use of technology in the changing times. We should never be completely dependent on artificial intelligence, he added.

The seminar was attended by several senior journalists from the media industry.