Raipur (thestates.news) | Describing journalism as the fourth pillar of democracy after the legislature, executive and judiciary, Governor Shri Ramen Deka on Sunday said the profession goes beyond routine work and stands as a mission shaping public consciousness. He described the media as a mirror of society and a crucial link between people and those in power.
Appreciating the role of journalism, the Governor was speaking as chief guest at the state-level journalists’ conference and felicitation ceremony organised by the Chhattisgarh Journalist Union at SNG Auditorium in Bhilai Sector-4.
On this occasion, Shri Deka honoured journalists for their outstanding work. He felicitated women journalists for their excellent writing, including Ms Shagufta Shireen, Ms Anubhuti Bhakhare, Ms Komal Dhanesar and Ms Sakshi Soni. Similarly, social worker women Ms Sadhana Chaturvedi, Ms Anjana Srivastava, Ms Lata Bauddh, Ms Deepti Singh and Ms Sunita Jain were honoured with certificates.
Referring to current challenges, Governor Shri Ramen Deka said journalism is passing through a difficult phase, with the rise of social media creating both wider access to information and a crisis of credibility. He noted that platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube have made everyone a “journalist”, often allowing unverified news to go viral.
Expressing concern over fake news and deepfakes blurring the line between truth and falsehood, he said print media has largely retained its credibility and stressed that journalism must return to its core values to meet these challenges.
Stressing its importance, Governor Shri Ramen Deka said healthy journalism is the foundation of a strong democracy and called for strengthening this fourth pillar to make it more robust, credible and people-oriented.
On the occasion, Chhattisgarh Journalist Union State President Shri Ishwar Dubey, Secretary Shri Satish Bauddh and other office bearers, along with Shri Rajaram Tripathi, Prof. Sanjay Trivedi, senior journalist Shri Girish Pankaj and a large number of journalists of the Chhattisgarh Journalist Union were present.
