Mukherjee says media’s conduct should be above board

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New Delhi, Mar 17: President Pranab Mukherjee has said that the conduct of the media should be above board and the highest standards of ethics should be professed always.

“The media has an important role to play in cleansing public life. However, to undertake this role the conduct of the media itself should be above board. It must be always kept in mind that ends and means are both important,” Mukherjee said in his speech during the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Malayala Manorama group in Kottayam on Saturday.

“The highest standards of ethics must be maintained at all times. Sensationalism should never become a substitute for objective assessment and truthful reporting. Gossip and speculation should not replace hard facts,” he added.

Asserting that every effort should be made to ensure that political or commercial interests are not passed off as legitimate and independent opinion, Mukherjee said: “Integrity and independence are two sides of the same coin and both must be equally important for media and for every one of us.

” There should be recognition that the media is accountable to its readers and viewers at large and through them to the entire nation,” he added.

The President released a commemorative stamp on completion of 125 years of Malayala Manorama on the occasion. (ANI)