There is a need to strengthen journalism in the country so that the problems and narratives of the neglected sections are given a strong representation, participating journalists said.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Leading English, Urdu and Hindi news portals have decided to create a joint platform at the national level. The decision to create the platform named Cogito Media Foundation was taken at a meeting here on Tuesday.
The meeting also requested alternative media organisations across the country, especially those belonging to the minority community, news YouTube channels, YouTubers and social media influencers to join the new platform.
The core members of Cogito include 16 digital media organisations: Millat Times, Maktoob Media, Muslim Mirror, The Cognate, The Observer Post, Haque Media, Nous Network, Baseerat Online, Stories Karvan, Clarion India, Asia Times, Milli Digest, Insaaf Times, Journo Mirror and Khabar Adda.
Journalists who spoke at the event emphasized to protect freedom of press and journalistic values in the country and urged digital media platforms to fulfill their responsibility unitedly. This, they said, was only possible through mutual coordination and mutual support.
The purpose to establish Cogito Media Foundation is to ensure a self-regulatory system that observes journalistic principles in all institutions and solve the small and big legal problems faced by journalists and media institutions, the release said.
The platform also seeks to launch campaigns to solve the financial problems of media institutions at the level of public awareness.
“Real problems of the country and the people have been replaced by political turmoil in journalism. Problems of the oppressed and weaker sections of the country, including Muslims, Dalits, women, and tribals, have been completely ignored, rather pushed aside,” it said.
Participating journalists pointed at the nexus between political dispensation and and the corporate world. “The poison of hatred is being diluted in society through media organisations, and instead of strengthening democratic values, they are protecting vested interests of their political owners. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen journalism in the country so that the problems and narratives of those sections are given a strong representation,” they said.
