Paid news and lobbying are the main reasons for media to lose credibility. Media has actively participated in freedom struggle and is also expected to be a medium for social change but today it has become an industry, he regretted and added that some media persons think they are ultimatum but it is just their illusion. “Since Independence, media has been tortured by the judiciary by using contempt of court. Time has come to judge the judges. About 98 per cent of media management companies are corrupt,” said Eminent Jurist Justice M F Saldanha after inaugurating the programme. Education and journalism should be free from corruption as both are responsible to guide the society, said Mangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof T C Shivashankara Murthy presiding over the programme.

The inaugural was followed by various sessions on topics like ‘Political reportage in print media,’ ‘New challenges in political reporting,’ ‘Media implications on culture,’ ‘Cultural issues in Media,’ ‘Culture and print media,’ ‘Democratisation and media,’ ‘Paid news in media’ and ‘Media ownership and politics’.

The seminar will also have sessions on Wednesday on topics ‘New dimension of political reporting in media,’ ‘Political reporting: Perspective and challenges,’ ‘Political advertising in media,’ ‘Implications of paid news in print media,’ ‘Right of privacy and media’ and ‘Politics, language and culture’.