World Press Freedom Day observed by PCJ

Jammu, May 3: On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, a function was held at the Press Club of Jammu (PCJ) in which members of the executive committee of the PCJ and other senior journalists were present.

Highlighting the importance of World Press Freedom Day, President of the Press Club of Jammu, Sanjeev Pargal said, “Press freedom and access to information are essential to democracy and sustainable development”.

He said that the free press demonstrates freedom of expression for society at large, puts new questions on the development agenda, and it empowers citizens with information.

He further said that freedom is a must for developing a culture of openness, access to information, and fundamental freedoms.

He said that freedom of the press is required and necessary but media persons should be very particular while performing their duties.

“We must see the national security and many other things very minutely while covering or filing any story,” he suggested.

He further said that the media persons should be true to their ethics and must understand as well as differentiate between the use and misuse of the freedom of the press.

Terming that the facts are sacred and comments free, he said, “Learning process should continue and a professional journalist should work in the interest of the society in a constructive manner rather than being destructive.”

He termed journalism as a social tool and an engine to empower people through information. “There must be the accuracy of facts, which should be fair and unbiased,” Mr. Pargal said.

Vice-president of PCJ Zorawar Singh Jamwal, secretary general Dinesh Manhotra, secretary finance Channi Anand,

Ajay Menia, Deepak Khajuria, Dinesh Mahajan, Govind Chouhan, Kunal Shrivatsa, Nishikant Khajuria, and Vishal Bharti spoke on the occasion.