On the evening of 6th September 2025, the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) became a stage for reflection on the very soul of journalism. The Third Dr. Ashok Hirway Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Centre for Development Alternatives (CFDA), drew a thoughtful audience of academicians, journalists, and citizens who came not just to listen but to reckon with the questions raised.
The speaking for the evening, P. Sainath, needs no introduction. A stalwart of development journalism, whose life's work has been to amplify the stories of rural India that often go unheard and unmasking the human cost of economic inequality. Presiding over the event was another distinguished figure, Urvish Kothari, whose own career reflects integrity and insight.&nbsp;
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The theme chosen, &ldquo;Role of Media in Democracy: Prospects and Retrospect&rdquo; was less a title than a provocation. He delved into the evolving landscape of journalism. Sainath did not deliver a comfortable keynote; he delivered a mirror.&nbsp;
Journalism: From Calling to Business
&ldquo;Journalism used to be a calling. Now it&rsquo;s a business,&rdquo; he declared, a line that lingered like a refrain throughout his address. The audience stirred, because it was not nostalgia he was invoking, but a clear-eyed truth about how media has been reshaped by profit motives.
He reminded the hall that supporting independent media is not just a noble sentiment but a necessary act of citizenship. &ldquo;Put money where your mouth is,&rdquo; he urged, underscoring the fact that true independence in journalism cannot survive on applause alone,it requires resources, trust, and readers who are willing to invest in it, in a right manner.
The Corporate Model: Profits over Truth
Sainath&rsquo;s critique of corporate media was sharp yet rooted in history. He recalled Lord Thomson of Fleet, the Canadian magnate who once owned The Times of London, and his famously blunt philosophy: newspapers were not about journalism, but about building monopolies. Buy one to make money, use that money to buy another, and so on, until influence and profit became the only metrics of success.
&ldquo;That model,&rdquo; Sainath warned, &ldquo;never had space for honest journalism. Because when the goal is to maximize profits, you cannot allow journalism to pursue uncomfortable truths. Truth does not guarantee profit. But it is the lifeblood of democracy.&rdquo;
Democracy&rsquo;s Silent Partner
The lecture was as much a tribute to Dr. Ashok Hirway&rsquo;s legacy as it was a wake-up call. Sainath argued that the health of democracy depends not just on elections or institutions, but on the media&rsquo;s ability to hold power accountable. Without a strong, independent press, citizens are left navigating shadows, while corporate agendas dominate the public narrative.
For the younger journalists in the room, his words carried the weight of a mentor&rsquo;s counsel: journalism, if it is to mean anything, must serve the people before it serves shareholders.
An Evening That Lingered
As the session closed, presiding chair Urvish Kothari echoed the urgency of Sainath&rsquo;s message, grounding it in India&rsquo;s contemporary context. The evening did not end with applause alone, it ended with questions. Could journalism reclaim its role as a calling? Have we traded conscience for clicks?
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P.Sainath warns profit- driven media weakens democracy's truth

Media at the Crossroads of Democracy

P.Sainath warns profit- driven media weakens democracy's truth

September 10, 2025 | 19:17 IST