Guwahati: Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur stated on Tuesday that media outlets must exercise caution when covering a terrorist assault in real time to avoid giving the attackers’ plans away and aiding their evil intentions.
While addressing at Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union General Assembly, he said, “Media must ensure that live reporting in case of a terrorist attack shouldn’t provide clues to attackers and facilitate their ill motives.”
“Media must report responsibly in an earthquake, fire and terrorist attacks,” Thakur added.
Serving The People-Role Media’s In A Time Of Crisis is the theme of the 59th Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly and Associated Meetings in 2022.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur praised the media’s efforts during the trying times of the COVID shutdown, noting that during those times, it was the media that kept people in touch with the outside world.
“The COVID crisis has been a time for testing for all of us across the globe. Due to lockdowns, it was the media that connected people with the outside world. In such situations, providing the right and timely information becomes the media’s responsibility,” said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
He claimed that Indian broadcasters and Indian media as a whole made sure that COVID-19 awareness messages and crucial instructions were delivered to the public on time in order to emphasise the importance of the media during the Covid period.
“Indian broadcasters and Indian media, in general, ensured that #COVID19 awareness messages, important govt guidelines and free online consultations were provided. Whereas doctors reached everyone, in every nook and corner of this country,” he said.
Dr L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Apurva Chandra Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were also present during the opening ceremony.