Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Thursday expressed concerns over fake news and called on media houses to “act as a responsible pillar of democracy”.

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While Dhankhar highlighted credibility shortfall as the biggest challenge faced by the media, Thakur said it is “our collective responsibility” to fight false narratives and ensure that “truth prevails”.

Both were addressing an event organised by the Press Council of India in Delhi to mark National Press Day when they made the remarks.

Fake news has eroded the faith of the people in the media, Dhankhar said. “Credibility is the biggest challenge that the media is facing today. I put it as an existential challenge to the media,” he said.

“[It is] time media realises that their audience is turning away from them, a hard reality, a writing on the wall. This writing on the wall should be clear to all concerned that fake news, deliberately fed wrong and mischievous information, political ambitions and preferences, tendency to play power brokers, and monetary considerations have eroded the people’s faith in the media,” he added.

He said “some journalists have taken it upon themselves to change the course of democratic process contrary to the ground sentiments”. “We need to be alive to such dangers,” he said.

Thakur, in his address, said there are “individuals and media outlets” that continuously spread fake propaganda against ‘Bharat’, both domestically and internationally.

“As we celebrate the press, we cannot turn a blind eye to those who seek to undermine the spirit of our nation… It is our collective responsibility to challenge such narratives, expose the falsehoods and ensure that truth prevails,” he said.

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“We firmly believe that the media must act as a responsible pillar of our democracy, calling out fake narratives in the open. It is essential to safeguard the interests of our nation and avoid providing space to anti-India views that can threaten the unity and integrity we hold dear,” he added.

The event was also addressed by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

All three – Dhankhar, Thakur and Kant – highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of use of artificial intelligence in the media. They also highlighted the issue of creation of echo chambers and deepfakes.