‘Second Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture at Symbiosis Vishwabhavan Auditorium

Pune: NP NEWS 24 ONLINE – Symbiosis International (Deemed University) and the Pune International Centre (PIC) organized this year’s Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture on Monday 26^th November 2018 at 11:30 am at Vishwabhavan Auditorium.

The topic for the lecture was- ‘What is at Greater Risk Today? Press Freedom or Public Trust in News?’ by Mr.Shekhar Gupta, Editor in Chief, The Print.

Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial lecture was started last year by Symbiosis International Deemed University and the Pune International Centre. Both the years have seen luminaries from the media industry come and speak at these memorial lectures. Last year, the memorial lecture had RadjeepSardesaispeak on the theme of “Responsibilities of the Conventional Media in the age of proliferating Social Media” This year, famed senior journalist Mr. Shekhar Gupta – Editor in Chief, The Print.spoke about, ‘What is at Greater Risk Today? Press Freedom or Public Trust in News?’

Gupta kicks off his lecture remembering his time with DileepPadgaonkar and says, He was one of the youngest editors of his times”  Gupta further added, “Editors are judged by checking out how many journalists are groomed under their watch and how many grow bigger and greater.”

“ Dileep Padgaonkar checks out both these boxes quite nicely”.   Delivering his lecture,  Shekhar Gupta mentioned, “ One cannot talk about Press Freedom without talking about Public Trust in news and vice versa”.He further added that “There is no law in India to protect journalists”. “The courts and the judiciary are very protective of the journalistic fraternity”  Talking about Press Freedom, Shekhar Gupta mentioned, “The most effective, peaceful instrument of taking away press freedom is the denial of access.” “Politicians now restrict media by destroying its credibility in the eyes of the public”, he stated.  Talking about change, Gupta said, “A corrective process has begun in public mind, our public is more skeptical than our journalists”. Mr. Gupta likens journalism to a game of kabaddi, in which you have to go over to the other side and come back unscathed. It is important to engage with all and not to go with the mob because the mob is not always public opinion.Mr. Shekhar Gupta’s lecture was followed by   Q& A session from the audience.

The program started with the welcome speech by Dr.BhamaVenkataramani followed by the PIC remarks by Prof. Amitav Malik. After that Dr. S B Mujumdar, Chancellor, SIU and Trustee PIC addressed the function and felicitated the chief guest. The event was anchored by Ms. Lisa Pingale Founder Member of PIC and concluded with the vote of thanks by Prof. RuchiJaggiDirector, Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication.