Team Herald
PANJIM: Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho on Saturday stated that Goa has a lot of good respected journalists, who keep the administration on its toes.
Speaking at the National Press Day programme in Panjim, on Saturday, he asked people to be mindful of the dangers of fake news saying that it can harm a good person's reputation.
It is the press that gives people an opportunity to look into the mirror and therefore the press has to function in a disciplined manner, he said.
Negative and sensational news was getting attention while positive news was sidelined causing harm to the society Godinho stated.
On the occasion, the lifetime achievement award was conferred on veteran journalist R V Prabhugaonkar while, five senior journalists were also felicitated.
Director of Information and Publicity Dipak Bandekar said that National Press Day highlights the essential role of the press plays in a democratic society and acknowledges the duty of the press to report truthfully.
This day honours the freedom and responsibly of the press and reminds us of the press' commitment to truth, accountability and ethical journalism, he said explaining how the press is actively shaping the narrative on various issues.
Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) president Rajtilak Naik thanked the Department of Information and Publicity for its wholehearted support and hoped that this support continues.
Prabhugaonker spoke on the role the press played in shaping society and said families should encourage their children to take up journalism as a profession. He urged journalists to adapt to the new technology in the field.
Senior journalists Alexandre Moniz Barbosa, Ramnath Pai Raikar, Sushant Kunkolienkar, Pradeep Patil and Yashwant Patil were also feted for their contribution in journalism.
On the occasion, Journalist Awards and prizes of the photo contest organised by the Department of Information and Publicity were presented.
Earlier, during an interactive session on ‘Maintaining of Ethics and Accountability in Reporting’, where noted journalists Alister Miranda, Prasad Mhambrey, Newton Sequeira and Dr Olav Albuquerque spoke of various challenges in maintaining ethics in journalism field and highlighted the importance of authenticity in news reporting. The challenges with the advent of social media was also discussed.Glenn Costa moderated a session.
Later, assistant information officer Shyam Gaonkar proposed a vote of thanks. Information Assistant Utkarsha Bhuskute conducted the programme.