PM Narendra Modi in Chennai, assures all help to rain-affected Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attended the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Daily Thanthi newspaper and urged the media to comprehensively cover serious issues such as climate change.

While addressing the gathering at the event, the Prime Minister urged the journos to highlight the climate change issue, which is severely affecting the planet Earth.

“Natural calamities seem to be occurring with increasing frequency across the world. Can media take a lead in the battle against climate change? Can media devote just a little space to report or increase awareness about what we can do to combat climate change?,” the PM said.

He quoted Mahatma Gandhi to make his point. “The press is called the Fourth Estate. It is definitely a power, but, to misuse that power is criminal."

The PM said that the media is an instrument to produce reform through peace, rather than by force, hence, it has as much social accountability as the elected government or the judiciary.

He aksed the media to make an extra effort to maintain credibility and create an atmosphere of healthy competition among the media platforms.

"Healthy competition among credible media platforms is also good for the health of our democracy," the PM said.

“A lot of the media discourse today revolves around politics. However, India is more than just us politicians,” adding that “It is the 125 crore Indians, which make India what it is.”

The PM said he would be happy to see media focus a lot more, on news stories, and their achievements.

Raising the issue of Freedom of Expression, the PM said, “Editorial freedom must be used wisely in public interest. The freedom to write, does not include the freedom to be 'factually incorrect'.