Bias,hype in media but self-regulation only way out: PM

Singh was addressing a gathering here after releasing a book,The Tribune 130 Years: A Witness to History, written by historian V N Dutta which records the 130-year-old history of The Tribune newspaper.

On the “inevitable highs and lows” in the media today,Singh pointed out that there was “sensationalism,driven by a desire to sell a story at any cost… there are stories without a clear understanding of the underlined issues. There is reporting which is prejudiced. There is trivialisation of important matters. There is corruption. The prevalence of the practice of ‘paid news’ exposed recently has come as a shock.”

He,however,made it clear that his government believes in “complete independence of the media from external control”.

“It is for the members of the Fourth Estate themselves to collectively ensure that objectivity is promoted and sensationalism is curbed,” he said.