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'Criticism by media should be welcomed'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Dec. 11. Barring character assassination, media's criticism of issues and individuals should be welcomed, the former Supreme Court judge, S.Mohan, said today.

Asking ``politicians and the judges not to be worried'' over criticism of their actions, he said that when the press does good, it was important ``not to stop it.'' ``I am in favour of every criticism except character assassination,'' he said.

Referring to the recently invoked contempt of Court provisions, he appealed to parliamentarians ``to have a second look at contempt provisions.'' Mr. Mohan was speaking after inaugurating a day-long conference on the `role of the media in national development,' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. The press was not above or against the people. It was ``of the people and for the people,'' he said, and laid stress on the fact that the right to freedom of expression flowed directly from the right to information of people.

Later, delivering a special address at the valedictory, the Press Council of India Chairman, Justice K. Jayachandra Reddy, said that newspapers should appeal to the good side of people and aim at achieving the emotional integrity of the country. While welcoming criticism on the part of the media, he emphasised the need to guard against sensationalism and vulgarity. The Sanmar Group Vice-Chairman and former CII president, N. Kumar, said that the media, the sheer size of which was growing in the country, ``can and must'' be a catalyst in developmental growth.

The Hindu Editor, N. Ravi, said that pressures on the media was exerted from two groups — one, who were in the news and sought to avoid any negative portrayal and the other was the pressure from the expectations of the readers or viewers. Noting that political parties and groups often resented scrutiny, he said that laws including those pertaining to breach of privilege and contempt of court were employed to curb the freedom of the press. Quoting a recent survey on press freedom of ``Reporters Without Frontiers,' in 139 countries, he said that India was ranked at the 80th spot, lower than Kuwait, Cambodia and Bahrain. Sri Lanka was placed much higher, at the 51st place.

The CII (Southern Region) Entertainment Sub-Committee chairperson, Rajshree Pathy, said that the organisation intended to hold several such media meets in different parts of the country in future.

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