Entry of foreign media no threat to sovereignty, reassures Jaitley

Entry of foreign media no threat to sovereignty, reassures Jaitley
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

CALCUTTA, JANUARY 23: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the entry of foreign print media in India would not threaten its sovereignty.

"Our sovereignty is not so weak to be threatened (by the entry of foreign print media). We have to counter it by strengthening our own communication system," Jaitley said while speaking at a conference on "Media Policy in the New Millennium" here.

Stating that the 1955 Cabinet decision has no relevance now, he said the foreign TV channels were already downloading information in the country.Electronic media, he said, has become one of the most powerful instruments of communication, entertainment and image-building in the new millennium.

The print media, he said, should now concentrate more on analytical news on political and social development and strong editorial comment rather than publishing stale items which were already covered by the electronic media.