Police need to engage more with media: Rajesh Ramachandran
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 8
Delivering a lecture on ‘Power of media and its role in shaping the future’ at the Police Headquarters here today, Rajesh Ramachandran, Editor, The Tribune, exhorted police officials to engage more with newspersons and the public at large.
The lecture, a part of the series being held by the Himachal Pradesh Police, was attended by senior functionaries. Other officers, including Superintendents of Police, attended through teleconferencing.
Must be responsive too
Besides putting out information, the Police Department needs to be responsive too. A huge number of queries will come but the department can decide which one merits a response. It has to be a two-way traffic. — Rajesh Ramachandran, Editor, The Tribune
“Police officials must engage with newspersons and have their version of the story covered,” Ramachandran stressed. The officials must also engage actively with the public at large through social media, especially at the time of newsbreak. “Presence on at least one social media platform is a must. Any information put out on this platform by the department will act as a corrective force amidst various versions of events floating around,” he said.
While praising the police officials for always being on their toes, Ramachandran advised them to be mindful of their image and reputation while carrying out the orders, and to figure out a way to let officers from other services and politicians know when it’s “immoral to unleash the police on law-abiding citizens”.
The Editor talked about the evolution of the media from newspapers to TV channels to digital explosion. He said these platforms could not be ignored and even the legacy media brands were using them. Ramachandran said that social media platforms were no substitute for serious and well-researched news. “The circulation of our newspaper crashed during the lockdown and people consumed news through smartphones. But the circulation numbers are up again, meaning people want to read the newspaper.”
