Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Friday stressed that accuracy, impartiality and credibility must remain the foremost principles of journalism in the digital age.Addressing journalists and press club representatives ahead of the first national conference of the Federation of Press Clubs, organised by Hyderabad Press Club here, he said facts must be verified before news is disseminated.Describing the media as the “eyes and ears of society and the voice of the people”, he appreciated the initiative to bring press club representatives from across the country together. He expressed hope that the federation would promote journalists’ welfare, social security and professional development.Referring to technological advances, Mr. Shukla said Artificial Intelligence and data analytics offered new opportunities, while deepfakes, AI-generated videos and misinformation posed serious challenges. He urged journalists not to be influenced by social media trends or sensationalism, stressing that “speed should not come at the cost of credibility”.“With information spreading rapidly through social media, the responsibility of journalists has increased considerably. The growing influence of social media on Gen-Z made it particularly important for journalists to provide young people with accurate and credible information,” he noted.Mr. Shukla called for greater digital and AI literacy, fact-checking and collective efforts by media, technology companies and citizens to combat misinformation. He also urged journalists to support initiatives such as Nasha Mukt Bharat and TB Mukt Bharat through sustained public awareness campaigns.Telangana Media Academy chairman K. Srinivas Reddy, Special Chief Secretary M. Dana Kishore, Hyderabad Press Club president S. Vijay Kumar Reddy, General Secretary V. Ramesh, Director, The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, N. Ram, Federation of Press Clubs president Gautam Lahiri, and others were present. Published - August 21, 2026 08:50 pm IST