Media should calm the nation amidst chaos and crisis, say Experts

PRCI Webinar on “Media’s Role in Calming the Nation Amidst Crisis”

Media has a greater responsibility and role to calm the nerves of the nation during any crisis situation, said the experts in a webinar organized by Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Council of India.

Nearly 160 participated from across the country in a session addressed by Chandigarh Chapter’s chairman, and motivational speaker Vivek Atray, former resident editor of Indian Express and columnist, Vipin Pubby, and student chair of the Young Communicators Club Shoolini University Purvi Bhushan.

Expressing concern about the prevailing negativity on all fronts and communicated through almost every type of media that is vitiating and impacting the human mind, Vivek Atray said that there was need to look into the content and consciously endeavour to spread the positivity through all types of communication.

There is a need to balance out the information and make it palatable so that it does not create panic among the people, he added.

Vipin Pubby said that majority of the mainline media is doing creditable job in checking and cross-checking their facts but definitely, the unbridled mushrooming social media are vying with each other to be the first with news often are throwing caution to the wind and misreporting or exagarating the facts that disturbs the mood of the nation.

Vipin Pubby also said that there is definitely a need to go back to our journalistic codes of ethics, and review how we are presenting the news both in our writings and visually, that are disturbing most of the time and are not permitted under our ethics.

Purvi Bhushan provided a youth perspective and agreed that so much of social media is being consumed but there is a need for a system and awareness to help youth understand what is fake and what is fact.

The unverified data, she said was causing much panic amongst the people, besides distributing information that could be useful.

The the webinar was the first in the series of nationwide webinars that PRCI is organizing along with internal talent-hunt competition, some of the noted communication experts and veteran PR professionals participated including K Ravindran, S Narendra, S D Reuben, G S Bawa, Vijay Lakshmi, Yogesh Joshi, BK Sahu, BK Ravi, Naresh Kumar.

PRCI’s Chief Mentor and Chairman Emeritus M B Jayaram, National President Dr T Vinaykumar, Senior National Vice President C J Singh, Zonal Head North Renuka Salwan, also addressed the webinar.