Bhubaneswar: Freedom of media and speech took centre stage at a conclave on recent trends in the media industry hosted by Xavier University here on Saturday where several experts in the field brainstormed on the topic.

The conclave aimed at addressing the contradiction between media and free speech on various platforms - such as print media, digital media and the entertainment industry.

The annual media conclave - Communiqué - organised by the varsity's media and public relations cell IlluminatiX witnessed media students engaging with experts on the issue.

The moderator for the event, Nadira Khatun, opened the forum by discussing in brief about the theme. She started by talking about her own experience as a media student, and then commenced the conclave by inviting speakers onto the podium.

The first speaker for the day was journalist Sudhi Ranjan Sen, who spoke for media neutrality and deliberated on the shift of the motive of media business from "also profit" to "just profit".

"Good media cannot exist without the support of people and free content isn't always the best way to get your news," he said.

Communications trainer and political commentator Tejas Mehta talked about media and its controllers. He said that half-truths, censorships and political bias have become the orders of news shows these days. "Under such circumstances, a journalist's USP should be to remain completely neutral. A journalist's credibility depends on his/her neutrality," he said.

The sessions were followed by an interactive and enriching question-and-answer round in which the students asked intricate questions about the current media industry and to what extent does media acknowledge the creation of a free-speech zone.

Journalist and author Anna M.M. Vetticad began by mentioning that politics is not a simplistic term and that the curbs on freedom of expression are always put on the vehicles of culture. The annual newsletter of Communiqué was also released on the occasion.