'Stay safe', print media has 'tremendous credibility': PM meets print media owners

On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with over 20 "journalists and stakeholders" from the print media outlets across 11 languages to discuss the coronavirus outbreak. Held via video conference, the meeting included representatives from Amar Ujjala, Eenadu, Andhrajyothi, Hindustan Times, Malayalam Manorama, the Times of India, the Hindu, the Indian Express, Sakal.

Several publications that were invited reported on the meeting and how Modi said the print media had "tremendous credibility".

The interaction came hot on the heels of Modi's video conference with representatives from the TV media. While that meeting included ABP, Zee, Republic, Times Now, Aaj Tak, and India News, NDTV was conspicuous by its absence.

Mumbai Mirror pithily summed up the print media interaction in its column The Informer.

Interacting with the media is good thing, something Modi has generally skipped since he's yet to hold a press conference. But importantly, Indian Journalism Review pointed out that it was predominantly owners at this event, not journalists or editors. IJR's take on this is that "the freedom of the press in India truly belongs to those who own one".

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