Mangalore: “Journalism was the only field in India which did not require any qualification, training or accountability,” observed  A. Narayana, Udayavani columnist and assistant professor of Azim Premji University, Bangalore.

Speaking at a “Madhyama Samvada” programme organized by the District Information Department for district level officers at the ZP Auditorium on July 14, Saturday, he said mediocrity, complacency and deadline  played a major role in the media in the present times and regretted that at least 70 per cent of media men working for various media houses were not qualified to be in the field.

He also regretted that fact that several crime reporters too lacked basic knowledge in the field and failed to differentiate between IPC and ICPC.Finding skilled manpower has been a challenge to the media houses in the recent times, he observed.

Deputy Commissioner Channappa Gowda said the visual media was glorifying crime and emphasized the need for some amount of self regulation for the visual media.

K.N. Vijaya Prakash, Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Panchayat, D Dharmaiah, Deputy Commissioner of Police, MCC Commissioner Harish Kumar and several senior officials took part. Shivaprasad T.R., chief news anchor of TV9, Ronald Fernandes, chief of bureau, Deccan Herald, Mangalore, also spoke. Rohini M, District Information Officer proposed a vote of thanks.