Democracy cannot survive without Freedom of Press-David J.Ranz. V
An Interactive session of the U.S. Consulate General with Media Students.
Bhopal, 10 January, 2020: David J.Ranz, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai visited Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal for an interactive session with the students. He commenced his talk with the famous quote of Third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson in which he had stated “If I had to choose between government without newspapers ,and newspapers without government, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter.” Ranz also asserted that journalism is a profession of courage and commitment and no democracy can flourish without the free press.
‘In his speech Mr David J. Ranz asserted that journalism is a profession of courage and commitment and no democracy is possible without freedom of press as freedom of press lays foundation to nation’s core values. Talking about Indo-US relations, he said that Respect for sovereignty, transparency, and trade, values are the corner stone of this relationship. These geo-strategic partners have a lot in common in terms of cultural values and mutual interests for heading north in growth and development. He also spoke about the strong role played by Indian Americans in every sector of US society and there critical role in bringing the two nations closer. He also spoke about the current business environment in India. Multinational companies are repositioning their finances globally and India can take advantage of this once in a generation opportunity by ensuring a reliable investment environment. He also encouraged indian students to avail the opportunites to study in US universities by working with EducationUSA for information. The program was followed by an engaging question answer session in which students raised various questions on global issues. On a question regarding climate change Mr Ranz asserted that US cannot rectify this problem alone , unless countries like India and China step in. Answering a question on higher education he said that US has the best universities of the world where Indian students can pursue their higher studies.
Shri. Deepak Tiwari, Vice Chancellor of the University welcomed the guest with shawl and shrifal and in his welcome speech reiterated that democracy and journalism are two sides of the same coin and without impartial journalism democracy cannot survive. He also discussed the future challenges in developing and maintaining international relations with other countries. The Vice Chancellor concluded his speech by quoting the words of Ravindra Nath Tagore “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken into fragments”.
