Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the role of journalism is to present ideas that can bring about social change.
He was delivering the keynote address at the Swadeshabhimani–Kesari Award ceremony, where senior journalist Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan was honoured for his overall contribution to journalism, along with the presentation of other journalism awards.
The CM recalled journalists Swadeshabhimani K Ramakrishna Pillai and Kesari A Balakrishna Pillai, saying they had used journalism as a powerful tool for political and social critique and for the democratisation of society.
According to Vijayan, they were “beacons” in Kerala’s journalistic history, and the state government instituted the Swadeshabhimani–Kesari Award to honour comprehensive contributions to journalism by imbibing the timeless relevance of their work.
Reflecting on the present media landscape, Vijayan said that while Swadeshabhimani and Kesari operated a century ago, journalism today exists in a vastly expanded media sphere encompassing print, radio, television and social media.
Quoting the phrase “journalism is reshaping society”, he said the role of journalism is to present ideas that can bring about social change- a task undertaken by Swadeshabhimani and Kesari in their time.
Apart from criticism, Vijayan said journalism also carries the responsibility of public awareness.
“Journalists have a duty to inform people about what they need to know,” he said.
He added that completely ignoring development issues or opposing them without basis, while preventing people from knowing such matters, was not in keeping with the legacy of Swadeshabhimani and Kesari.
Vijayan said that after Independence, the media landscape underwent major changes.
He alleged that while mainstream media increasingly act as spokespersons for corporate agenda, they also actively deploy strong anti-Left bias.
Vijayan said that regardless of what right-wing leaders say or the allegations they raise, large sections of the media attack the government and the Left movement.
The Kerala government was honouring journalists, noting that even severe critics of the government were among the recipients of the awards.
“This is a government that does not fear criticism. Independent journalism requires criticism, and therefore the government does not politically interfere in award selection,” he said.
He said the government insists that awards be based solely on merit, which is reflected in the present selection.
Referring to award recipient Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan, the Chief Minister said he possessed decades of journalistic experience and brought a research-oriented approach by linking Kerala’s history with contemporary developments.
He said Gopalakrishnan practised a rare journalistic method in Malayalam journalism, having worked with several media organisations, while consistently emphasising objectivity.
“He strongly maintained that news should not be based on conjecture, and developed a unique style by integrating micro-level historical knowledge with modern political analysis,” Vijayan said.
Later, Gopalakrishnan was presented with a sculpture designed by renowned artist Kanayi Kunhiraman and a citation.
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Gopalakrishnan is a senior Malayalam journalist and the author of several books on history.
He holds a postgraduate degree in history and has worked with the newspaper Mathrubhumi as a news editor and special correspondent.
He is also known for his popular column Nagarappazhama, which was later published as a book.
Vijayan also presented various journalism awards in the presence of General Education Minister V Sivankutty. PTI TBA TBA SA
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