Breaking news without verifying not a great culture: AK Antony

New Delhi: Cautioning media against the “breaking news culture”, Defence Minister A K Antony today said journalists should not lose objectivity in the rush to score against rivals and advocated self regulation. At a function to felicitate prominent journalist T V R Shenoy on completion of 50 years in journalism, Antony said his personal appeal to journalists is that they should not broadcast or publish whatever comes to them without verifying. [caption id=“attachment_651077” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AK Antony. PTI.[/caption] “This breaking news culture of todays is not the right thing to do. Breaking whatever information you get is not a good habit. “Nowadays media has become more competitive. But this competitiveness should not result in lack of objectivity. This is my personal appeal to media people,” Antony, who knew Shenoy for the past 54 years, said. He also said no government can or should try to control media but it should go for self regulation. “You (journalists) should not run stories on the basis of just one source,” he said. Shenoy had served as the Editor of The Week and Sunday Mail and held various posts in Indian Express and Malayala Manorama. Lauding the contributions of Shenoy, senior BJP Leader L K Advani said the kind of political wisdom which comes to him from journalists is a greater guide to him than what he gets from fellow politicians. Going a step further, Advani said some of his journalist friends have better understanding of him. Advani was presiding over the function organised by Kerala Union of Working Journalists - Delhi Chapter and The Press Club of India. Praising Shenoy, Antony called him a “genius” and recalled his college days when he and Shenoy studied together at Kochi’s Maharaja’s College 54 years ago. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi lauded the veteran journalist for his journalistic skills and remembered the long friendship he shares with Shenoy. “(On reading his stories and articles) I used to tell him that you are anti-Congress, but he would say - no, I am a journalist. He never used to take offence for this and it always remained friendly,” Ravi said. Another Union Minister K V Thomas said Shenoy is not only a journalist but also a dear friend. Senior CPI-M leader P Karunakaran, Advisor to Prime Minister T K A Nair and several other dignitaries showered rich praises on Shenoy and shared several anecdotes about him. The vote of thanks was proposed in the end by President of Press Club T R Ramachandran. PTI