The Vice President M. Hamid Ansari has called for better development and harnessing of the human capital of journalists. Giving away the 5th Ramnath Goenka Excellence awards in Journalism at a function in New Delhi, Mr Ansari said that the press must take the lead in training and professionally updating journalists.

He said that media plays a major role in informing the public and thereby shape perceptions and through it the national agenda.

He said that adherence to accepted norms of journalistic ethics and maintenance of high standards of professional conduct is deemed to be a natural corollary.

Mr Ansari also said that the best guarantee for safeguarding the public interest is to have strong and independent-minded editors.