Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Media told to make best use of RTI


Veteran journalist Sri. M. N. Kote Nagabhushan
distributing books on RTI Act to the students of Journalism.

Tumkur-based veteran journalist and social activist Sri. M. N. Kote Nagabhushan delivered a special lecture on ‘Right to Information (RTI) Act and Media’ for the students of Journalism at University College of Arts recently. Following are the highlights of his talk:
·        Media should make the best use of RTI and take its fruits to the common men.
·        RTI Act is a strong weapon for journalists. They should contribute their best towards building a transparent society by making use of all the possibilities of the legislation.
·        I don’t believe in the notion that a journalist should not be an activist. There is no point in criticizing the functioning of the government standing on an unknown corner. We should fight directly as much as possible.
·        In length and size, the RTI Act may be smaller compared to many other legislations of this country. But it is stronger than any other law. In a way, India got its independence on the very day the RTI Act was enforced.

·        In spite of its advantages, RTI Act still has its own lacuna. The government should try to make it more people-friendly by solving certain complexities. The legislation has not reached the common men as expected earlier. Our media has a greater role to play here.

Sri. T. N. Hariprasad, Principal,
addressing students.
Sri. T. N. Hariprasad, the Principal, University College of Arts, who presided over the programme, observed that people have not yet lost their faith in Democracy just because of the existence of legislations like that of Right to Information Act. Sri. Padmanabha K. V., Assistant Professor in Journalism, was present.