Sheila urges media to be positive, balanced

New Delhi: Urging the media to maintain the basic minimum ethics of journalism, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said as journalists influence hearts and minds of people they should refrain from negativism.

''Basic minimum ethics of journalism must be maintained as it impacts millions of people,'' Ms Dikshit said, adding that whatever was happening should be reported in a balanced manner.

Addressing the silver jubilee function of the Institute for Media Studies and Information Technologies (IMSIT) of YMCA here, the Chief Minister said media needs to be positive while discharging its duties.

''Media impacts both ways -- positive and negative--and what we basically want is a nation, which every Indian could feel proud of,'' she said.

The Chief Minister also congratulated the YMCA for running educational courses like journalism and office management and said students passing out from its different divisions were really doing well in life.

Speaking on the occasion, one of the students of the first batch of the IMSIT (1984), when the institute was known as the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), said students passing out from the institute have been working on very high positions in the media sector.

Many other people including officials, faculty members and former students were also present to mark the occasion.