Ansari asks Urdu media to lure young readers

HYDERABAD: Vice-president Hamid Ansari has called upon Urdu publications to become more appealing to the youth by focusing on topics of interest to them.Inaugurating a two-day World Urdu Editors’ Conference here on Friday, Ansari decried the conflict between editorial freedom and ownership of media houses.“The dividing line between journalism, public relations, advertising and entertainment is getting obliterated due to commercial considerations.There has to be an effort by the media to steer clear of sensationalism,” he said.Governor ESL Narasimhan, who spoke in Urdu, called for formation of a consortium to decide on a code of conduct for Urdu dailies. “The media may be justified in bringing to light the negative shades of society and governance, but it should also highlight the positive aspects as an encouragement to those doing good deeds,” he said.Though the number of Urdu dailies in the country was second only to Hindi newspapers, the decline in the popularity of the language, especially among the younger generation, was lamented by the speakers and delegates alike.“We hope that the government of Andhra Pradesh will declare Urdu as an official language by March next.SSC students should be given option to study in Urdu medium,” said Zahid Ali Khan, editor of Siasat. A book, ‘Hyderabad Shehre- Nigaran’, written by Allama Aijaz Farrukh chronicling the lives of people who contributed to the culture of Hyderabad, was released.