Jammu: On the historic day of Jammu University’s launch of its first newsletter, Jammu University Post at the Panch Pran Event, The Department of Journalism and Media Studies organised a round-table interaction with Ajay Kumar Singh, Press Secretary to the President of India.
Talking to the students, Ajay Singh threw light on the changing media landscape in India.
“Contemporary journalism has become more resilient and proactive, as compared to what it used to be earlier,” said Ajay Singh, who started his professional career with the national newspaper, The Times of India (Lucknow) in 1985.
He shared that he has also worked with Economic Times, Telegraph, Pioneer, Business Standard, Star News, and News X. Later, he edited Governance Now and became its Editorial Director.
He further shared his roles and responsibilities as the Press Secretary to the Hon’ble President of India.
“If your intentions are pure, you will achieve what is best for you,” he said and added that journalism is a field of various disciplines.
When asked by students about threats or intimidation for being in such a responsible position, Ajay Singh said that he has been doing his job sincerely with pure intentions, so never encountered any such experience.
In response to a question asked by Karman Singh of the University of Jammu, Ajay Singh said that exaggeration and sensationalism had been plaguing this profession and is definitively a matter of concern.
“Sensationalisation of news is a deep-rooted problem, especially after the advent of digital media, which otherwise has democratized the field of Journalism,” said Ajay Singh, adding that it causes chaos and confusion.
He emphasised that the exaggeration of facts by news agencies has greatly affected the credibility of the news agencies and in many instances plunges them into an embarrassing situation.
Presiding over the program, Prof. Shyam Narayan Lal-Coordinator, Journalism and Media Studies, and Dr. Garima Gupta, Head of the Journalism and Media Studies Department welcomed the guests by presenting mementos.
Dr. Pardeep Singh Bali, Dr. Ravia Gupta, and Kumerjit Chajgotra, faculty members of the Journalism Department of Jammu University were also present.
Earlier, Sant Kumar, Advisor to the Regional Director of IIMC Jammu and a senior Journalist also shared his views and experiences with the students while working in the field with Ajay Singh.
