Fake news is the most dangerous virus in the world: Anurag Thakur
Valedictory Function of Induction Training for Indian Information Service Officers (Group A) 2018, 2019 & 2020 batch held at IIMC
New Delhi: “Information is the power. In today’s digital age, merely 280 words or characters have the power to influence a staggering 8 billion population worldwide. Such is the unfathomable reach of a single tweet or a digital post in our interconnected World said Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India during the Valedictory Function of Indian Information Service Group ‘A’ Officer Trainees (Batches: 2018, 2019 & 2020) today at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.
On the occasion Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau, Shri Rajesh Malhotra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Sanjeev Shankar, Director General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, ADG, Shri Ashish Goyal and faculty members were also present.
Sensitizing the Officer Trainees on the rapid growth of Electronic and Social Media, Shri Thakur said that as we move from 5G to 6G which will be your era, we have to understand the emerging pattern of quest for information and consumption of information. Adding to it he said that Fake news is the most dangerous virus in the world and you all will be known as the front line information disseminator so always stay alert and pass on the authentic information.
Addressing the IIS Officers, Shri Thakur said that you will not be just communicating information, you will be adding value to information. To ensure it is not lost in the cacophony of 24*7 media, presenting information in a manner to make it sufficiently attractive for media to use it prominently. He reminded the young officers of the need to be tech-savvy and to keep pace with the rapidly changing information and communication scenario. The challenge is to respond swiftly and firmly on a real-time basis.
A total of 52 Indian Information Service Group ‘A’ Officer Trainees (Batches: 2018, 2019 & 2020) successfully completed their two years Induction Training at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. IIMC, the premier mass communication institute in the country is the training academy for the Indian Information Service Officers, who are recruited through the UPSC Combined Civil Services Examination. It also conducts a number of short courses in communication for various government organizations, armed forces, PSUs and civil society organizations.