Ketkar was speaking on the second day of the seminar on ‘Regional Press-Power, Reach and Influence’, jointly organised by the Australian High Commission and the Chandigarh Press Club on Friday.

The first session focused on the subject ‘Terrorism and armed conflict: Media coverage’, which was chaired by BBC trainer and senior journalist Swaraaj Chauhan.

Ketkar elaborated upon his presentation by narrating various incidents of terrorism in the world and the social dimensions attached to it.

Journalists Yusuf Jameel from The Asian Age, Srinagar and Rashid Maqbool from Kashmiri Weekly also shared their experiences of reporting from a conflict zone.

Reminding the audience of the basics of journalism, Rashid Maqbool, in his presentation on a journalist’s dilemmas, said, “A reporter tends to forget the basics of journalism in a trauma situation. A single word or phrase can change the whole dynamics of the conflict that makes him or her all the more vulnerable.”

Speaking on the post-conflict trauma for journalists, Naveen Grewal, Secretary General, Chandigarh Press Club, said no person can come face to face with death or violence and remain unaffected. He advised journalists to take note of the warning signals of even the slightest changes in emotional, behavioural and personal aspects and find solutions to the ordeal he or she is going through.

The second session of the day on ‘The issues for regional press’ was chaired by Professor Robin Jeffrey, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra.

“The term ‘minority’ is used as a euphemism for Muslims while there are other minority communities like tribals and Scheduled Castes in the country, particularly in the state of Gujarat. There is much more to the state than the ‘two Ms’: Muslims and Modi,” said Ayesha Khan, Assistant Editor, The Indian Express, Ahmedabad in her presentation on the topic ‘Depiction of minority communities in mainstream regional press.’

Terming homogenisation of minority communities in the media as incorrect, Ayesha said even within the state, the community varies in different aspects.

Giving insights from the eastern and the southern parts of the country, Rajat Roy, a political commentator from a regional television channel in Kolkata and Arun Laxman, a Trivandrum-based journalist spoke about balancing regional/state politics with national issues and challenges in reporting local issues and domestic politics respectively.

With the vote of thanks, Professor Robin Jeffrey pulled the curtains on the two-day seminar with the hope that similar kinds of seminars would be orgainsed in the future too.