Electronic media can`t substitute serious publications: Ansari

Vice President Hamid Ansari said there remains a demand for serious publications on topical issues to quench the thirst of people seeking in depth analysis of daily news.

New Delhi: Despite the boom in audio-visual medium, there remains a demand for serious publications which cannot be substituted by the breaking news culture of electronic media, Vice President Hamid Ansari said here on Thursday.

"Audio-video media has emerged as a dominant medium for providing the target audience real time news on current affairs, culture and entertainment. "Despite this, there remains a popular demand for serious publications on topical issues which cannot be substituted by the breaking news culture and short attention span snippets of electronic media," Ansari said. The Vice President was addressing a gathering during the relaunch of `Frontline` magazine of the Hindu Newspaper Group. Ansari said there remains a demand for serious publications on topical issues to quench the thirst of people seeking in depth analysis of daily news. Wishing the magazine a success, the Vice President said, "`Frontline` has always been an stimulant to the mind, apart from providing good reading on most matters that I can spend time on." The program was attended by former editor-in-chief of `The Hindu` and `Frontline` N Ram, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and historian Romila Thapar. Ram informed the gathering that the Hindu Group will set up a centre for politics and public policy. "This is a proposal which will set up a serious niche or intellectual division within the publishers of the Hindu Group of publications. This would be known as Hindu Centre for Political Study and Discourse," he said. PTI