Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University observes World Press Freedom Day

Guwahati: The Bhupen Hazarika School of Mass Communication, Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University, celebrated World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2024, by organising a special lecture that was delivered by Dr. Arup Kumar Misra, Chairman, Pollution Control Board, Assam.

In tune with the theme for this year's World Press Freedom Day, he spoke on 'Safeguarding the Environment: Role of the Fourth Estate".

He said that the climate and biodiversity crisis not only affects the environment and ecosystems but also the lives of billions of people around the world. He was of the opinion that the media had a profound role to play in highlighting such issues and raising awareness about climate change.  In his speech, the speaker focused on the importance of safeguarding the environment and providing every person with opportunities to acquire knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment, and skills. He also said that environmental awareness aims at fostering clear awareness of and concern about economic, social, cultural, political, ecological, and interdependence in urban and rural areas.

Dr. Misra spoke on the importance of using media for environmental advocacy. It was also mentioned that the advantage of media in improving individual environmental knowledge lies in its ability to provide the audience with up-to-date environmental knowledge. He deliberated on an emerging area of journalism, i.e., environmental journalism, which deals with the collection, verification, production, distribution, and exhibition of information regarding current events, trends, issues, and people associated with the non-human world.

He specifically spoke about Rachel Carson, a renowned marine biologist and writer, and her work, 'Silent Spring', which brought environmentalism to the forefront. He concluded by stressing the vital role that media can play in informing people, promoting environmental issues, changing human behaviour, and bringing about positive changes in society.

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