Information and broadcasting minister Brishen Patel at the programme at Soochna Bhavan in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, May 3: Paid news and alleged influence of corporate culture in media houses was the focal point of discussion on World Press Freedom Day at Soochna Bhavan today.

Majority of the speakers at the programme opined that today’s press, which holds a significant position in the uplift of the society, is faced with many new challenges.

Rajesh Bhushan, the secretary of the state information and public relations department, said the theme of World Press Freedom Day 2011 was new directions and obstructions of press.

Bhushan spoke on the origin of World Press Freedom Day in 1991 at Windhoek, Namibia, where a declaration of press freedom was issued.

At the event, state information and public relations minister Brishen Patel spoke about the importance of the press, as the fourth pillar of democracy. “Today, every single news item has a worldwide impact. So, proper presentation of news items is of utmost importance for media houses. Today, press has two motives — economical and social responsibility — and a proper balance between the two is important for society. Though many professions have lost their credibility in recent times, the press still commands impeccable integrity in the society at large. Joint co-ordination between various sections of the society and the press is essential for the uplift of society,” said Patel.

S.K. Malviya, a representative of the Union ministry of information and broadcasting, said the authenticity of news items is the biggest challenge for press today. “People expect a fair, honest and impartial media but issues such as paid news have degraded the people’s expectation in the recent past,” he said.