Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said journalism was facing unprecedented challenges in the digital era, asserting that the value of news lies in its authenticity and not in how widely it circulates on social media.Value of news depends on its accuracy, not its social media reach: FadnavisAddressing a function organised by the Mumbai Hindi Journalists' Association to mark 200 years of Hindi journalism, Fadnavis stressed the importance of mother-tongue education, saying nations that progressed did so by imparting education in their own languages."The question is not how viral a news report becomes. The real question is how authentic it is. The value of a news report lies not in its virality, but in its truthfulness and factual accuracy," he insisted.Fadnavis noted that the media landscape had undergone a dramatic transformation with the rise of digital platforms and social media."Earlier there was print media, then electronic media. Today everyone has become a journalist through social media. People create their own news by posting photographs and messages about themselves," he maintained.Expressing concern over the tendency to prioritise speed over verification, the chief minister emphasised journalism was currently passing through a transitional phase."My complaint is mainly with digital media. This is a transitional phase for journalism, not its final stage. Real gold shines even after being tested in fire," he told the gathering.Fadnavis expressed confidence that journalism would eventually return to the values on which it was founded."Despite all challenges, journalism will return to the values on which it was founded. Journalism became the fourth pillar of democracy because it was expected to guide society whenever other institutions deviated from their path," he affirmed.Highlighting the significance of Indian languages, Fadnavis opined that India's civilizational continuity could be understood only through its native tongues."If one wants to understand India's continuous civilisation, it can be understood only through Indian languages," he asserted.The CM argued that countries which educate their citizens in their mother tongue have achieved greater success than those dependent on foreign languages."Germany studies in German, Japan in Japanese, China in Chinese and France in French. Developed nations progressed through their own languages. Giving importance to education in the mother tongue will greatly benefit India's development," he stated.Fadnavis described language as a means of communication rather than conflict and called for respect for all Indian languages."Political gains may come from creating disputes over languages, but the country's knowledge tradition will suffer," he cautioned.The chief minister noted that Hindi journalism had played a crucial role in shaping public discourse and India's freedom movement over the past two centuries.He lauded veteran journalists honoured at the event and said younger generations of scribes would draw inspiration from their contribution to the profession.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.