Bhubaneswar: The Annual Media conclave “Communiqué 2017”, organized by IlluminatiX, the Media & PR Cell of XUB took place at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar on Sunday. This year’s topic of discussion was “Media & Privacy: A Mismatch?”
The conclave aimed at addressing the inherent contradiction between media and privacy over various platforms such as Print Media, Digital Media and the entertainment industry.
Mr. Jawhar Sircar (The Chairman of Centre for Studies in Sciences, Calcutta, Former CEO of Prasar Bharati, Elected as the VP of the world’s largest Public Broadcasting Body, The ABU, India’s longest serving Culture Secretary), Mr. Dillip Satapathy (Senior Journalist & State Resident Editor, Business Standard), Ms. Shweta Shroff (Director- Biddable Media at Performics.Convonix &Top Contributor, Google AdWords Community(English)), Mr. Sumrit Shahi( Novelist, Screenwriter and Motivational Speaker) and Mr. Aditya Maheswaran ( #2 Champion of Public Speaking, Thought Leader, TedX Speaker) were the speakers for the occasion. Dr. Sasmit Patra (Associate Professor, Organizational Behavior, XUB) served as the moderator for the day.
Mr. Dillip Satapathy was the first speaker of the day. He started the discussion-ns citing examples from various sectors showcasing the concept of Media and Privacy. The case of Steffi Graf with paparazzi, The Arushi Talwar double murder case in Noida and the Meera Nadia Case in 2010 are few examples which he used to justify his statement. He also threw some light on the technical aspect of the Right to Privacy being declared as a fundamental right. According to him, it is a fundamental right, but not an absolute one. Among the war between Right to Privacy and Right to Information, The Right to Information will always be superior. “The Media is going to be more responsible and accountable for what is does”, he stated.
Mr. Jawhar Sircar was the second speaker for the day. He introduced the concept of media and explained how it plays a role in forming public opinion by informing, educating and exposing facts. Laws and regulations on privacy were discussed along with the recent ruling on Right to Privacy in India. He explained that information related to public figures should be presented only when it affects the public which can be achieved by questioning how this will impact them. He emphasized on the role of the public in media content generation and paparazzi and that public voyeurism is what drives questionable content.He concluded by saying that we have the law of privacy on one hand and the desire and hunger for news on the other and the dividing line lie between them.
The next speaker of the day was Ms. Shweta Shroff. She related privacy and media to millennial and explained how privacy is different for everyone. She also believed that anything that is on the internet serves as a digital tattoo, which can’t be erased anytime soon. She explained how all our emails are being read and each and every online activity is tracked through cookies. The moral standards of privacy was questioned, which is currently left for monopolies to set. She emphasized that the relation with media is a give and take one where you get relevant information in return for your personal information. She concluded by stating, “The world has woken up to the right to privacy. It’s high time we do too”.
The fourth speaker of the day was Mr. Sumrit Shahi. He started his talk by giving little instances of privacy concerns we tend to ignore. By giving examples of Tinder and social networking apps, he believed that the data shared on these apps are willingly done by us. He quoted “Privacy is an issue, which is infringed by media, but at the same time what are we, as consumers doing about it?” He further addressed what we, as consumers have made of media and how we should also think about how much voyeuristic pleasure we enjoy.He concluded his speech by saying “While it’s important to have a social network, yet at the same time have an individual moral compass and in the end Media and Privacy boils down to how we perceive it”
Mr. Aditya Maheswaran was thefinal speaker for the day. He gave a very fresh perspective to the entire panel discussion stating experiences from his life and his perceptions. He said that between Media and Privacy, there will always be an inherent contradiction He emphasized that privacy is a byproduct of the environment and the age in which we are living in.He also introduced the concept of strategic consent which forms the core of privacy. He advised the audience to understand that if they want to leverage the media for their own good, they will have to bear with its mild shortcomings. “What nourishes you also destroys you”, he stated. He concluded by suggesting that one shouldn’t be belittled by one’s information that has been breached, and consider oneself much more than that.
The speeches were followed by an interactive Q&A session and panel discussion. Dr. Sasmit Patra shared his insights and learnings with the audience. This was followed by the prize distribution of Communiquiz, and the annual Article and Poster making competition organized by IlluminatiX. Then the annual newsletter of IlluminatiX, “Communiqué” was released by the esteemed panelists. The event concluded by felicitation of guests by the moderator & Poulami Bhattacharjee, Deputy Coordinator and by a vote of thanks proposed by Ipsit Bibhudarshi, the Coordinator of IlluminatiX.
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