Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it is imperative for newspapers to raise awareness about novel coronavirus and leverage their pan-India network to spread correct information at the micro level.
He interacted with over 20 journalists and stakeholders from the print media from all over the country via video conference. The journalists joined the interaction from 14 locations and consisted of both national and regional media, representing 11 different languages, an official statement added.
The Prime Minister said that newspapers carry tremendous credibility and the local page of a region is widely read by people. He said it is essential to inform people about where the testing centres are, who should get tested, whom to contact to get tested and follow home isolation protocols. He also said newspapers should share information regarding availability of essential items during the lockdown.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting also participated in the interaction.
The Prime Minister also asked the media to act as a link between government and people and provide continuous feedback, at both national and regional level. “He underlined the importance of social distancing, asking media to generate awareness about its importance, inform people about the lockdown decision by States, and also highlight the impact of spread of the virus, through inclusion of international data and case studies about other countries in the papers,” the official statement added.
The Prime Minister also emphasised that it was important to tackle the spread of pessimism, negativity and rumour-mongering.” Citizens need to be assured that the government is committed to countering the impact of Covid-19,” he added.