Senior journalist decries influence of social media on journalism

 The new media and social media are deeply influencing the Indian media which is not a healthy development, observed senior journalist Surendra Nihal Singh.

He was delivering a lecture on ‘Indian Media: Sheep in the guise of Fox’ organised by the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media here.

“The writing in social media lacks objectivity and loyalty to the content. Those posting content on social media often express their views and opinions. Many times, they consider themselves to be journalists. They lack writing skills required for the media. No media should be biased about any issue, ideology and person,” Nihal stated.

Media in recent times has witnessed a sea change due to the advent of new technology. The new changes have led to new challenges. Media is slowly controlled by corporate world, which is a dangerous development.

The trend of corporate world controlling the media is a global phenomenon, he said.
The  media would often highlight issues in rural areas about two decades ago, but now it has neglected the villages, he said.

The Indian media is mostly dependent on journalists of foreign media houses for developments abroads. The number of journalists from other countries in media houses is less, which should change, he said.