Kerala Chief Minister warns media against sacrificing standards for ratings
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has criticised what he called unethical journalism and urged established media organisations to preserve professional standards as news moves from print to digital platforms. He also defended scrutiny of political leaders while calling for accountability over misinformation and abuse.
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has warned mainstream media organisations against lowering professional standards in pursuit of ratings and attention in the digital era. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Thrissur Press Club on Saturday, Satheesan criticised what he described as unethical journalism carried out without professional courtesy or dignity.
He urged established organisations to show the State a different path rather than imitate such practices. The Chief Minister said the movement from print to visual and digital media had transformed journalism, but the consequences of that change required closer examination. He was particularly critical of the way misinformation can continue circulating online after it has been shown to be false.
Satheesan contrasted this with newspapers, where errors were traditionally followed by corrections in subsequent editions. He said false reports could now remain in circulation for hours or days without an apology or correction. He also criticised abusive social media discourse, noting that women were frequently targeted.
At the same time, he said criticism was essential to journalism and democracy and that political and administrative leaders should not be protected from scrutiny. “Nobody is above criticism,” Satheesan said, adding that healthy criticism helped leaders correct mistakes. He said the media should question political, administrative and religious leadership when they moved away from the right path.
The Chief Minister urged young journalists to pursue professional excellence rather than focus only on ratings. He said their objective should be to produce honest reports, analyse news and find stories of public value. He added that press clubs and journalists’ organisations shared responsibility for maintaining standards.
Satheesan also recalled the history of the Thrissur Press Club, which was inaugurated 50 years ago by former Chief Minister C. Achutha Menon and had produced journalists who later held senior media positions. Youth Affairs Minister O.J.
Janeesh attended as chief guest, while Thrissur Press Club president M.B. Babu presided.
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