A student welcomes former Governor Prabhat Kumar. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Sept. 30: Former Governor Prabhat Kumar today asked the budding journalists to be ethical while discharging their duties and to evolve a positive attitude. He also asked them to maintain the sanctity of the noble profession and prevent it from “deterioration and commercialisation.”

Addressing students of the first batch of Prabhat Khabar Institute of Media Studies, Kumar asked budding journalists to be more positive so that the mindset changes for the better.

“Journalists can make or break the future of the state and it is in their hands to decide what culture should exist in the society, whether it should be Japanese or the Indian culture where all that is stressed are negative thoughts and ideas,” he said.

Comparing with the words frequently used in Indian newspapers and those in Japan, the former Cabinet secretary said: “In Indian dailies, words like scam, closure and bandh are often used whereas in Japan, words like “Daryuku” meaning effort and “Mintai” meaning perseverance, are used more often. It reflects the work culture and the concept of the nation.”

The first batch consists of 35 students. The institute has been opened by the local daily Prabhat Khabar.

“The mindset of the people today is still the same as what it was decades ago. The common man still feels that journalism is not worth studying. People feel that anyone who cannot be anything worthwhile can always be a journalist and this notion needs to be broken soon,” Kumar said.

He further said: “Bad news always makes a good copy but the budding reporters should take into consideration the future of the state and not invent bad news and sensationalise things to boost circulation.”

“A news report is the first rough draft of the history of any civilisation and it is on this rough draft that the golden history would be based someday. Although the print media has advanced a lot in the political spheres, it has not contributed much to industrialisation,” Kumar added.

Kumar related the concept of speed with journalism and illustrated his views with the help of examples. “Today, time is not in the hands of God alone. It is on our hands, too, and we can very well sell and buy time. The concept of buying hours and time has been prevalent since a decade now and it is time that the younger generation caught up with it and grabbed the opportunities that knock at their doors,” he said.

The students had an interactive session with Kumar where they put forth their queries. They were enlightened by the experiences that the former Governor shared with them.