Self-regulation is always better than restrictions imposed on the media by other means, Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai has said.
He was here on Saturday to open an event to honour former functionaries of the Calicut Press Club, which is celebrating its golden jubilee year.
Mr. Pillai said media had a crucial role to play if the other pillars of democracy — executive, legislature and judiciary — deviated from their duties. “But who will control the media is another question. After a detailed study, a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court some time ago reached a conclusion that the media should be left to regulate itself,” he said.
However, Mr. Pillai said that many mediapersons were found to be unable to cope with the various pressures thrown at them by the profession. Many are reportedly disgruntled. One of the core problems is the high cost of media production and the price of products such as newspapers. It forced media proprietors to depend on advertisements and to have a tie-up with often undesirable elements, he added.
Mr. Pillai handed over mementos to former functionaries of the Press Club, and in their absence, their family members. Press Club president M. Firos Khan and secretary P.S. Rakesh, among others, were present.
