Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said the media landscape has changed in the past few years and the emergence of digital media has made information accessible, but cautioned against the challenges, including the spread of misinformation and competition for traditional mediums.

Noting that the hard copies of the newspapers have come down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister, while inaugurating the Kozhikode edition of Janmabhumi daily, said the media houses have seen it as an opportunity to go digital.

“While interacting with various media houses in the last few months, I have realised their actual digital number has gone much higher. Your readership… viewership has gone much higher,” PTI quoted the Minister as saying at Kozhikode, Kerala.

Referring to his interaction with the editors of Urdu newspapers last week, Thakur said they have informed him that the digital readership has gone about three times higher than that of the printed copies.

“That showcases that not only in India but across the world you can reach and your reach can also increase,” he said.

The minister also spoke about the situation of ‘infodemics’ in which a lot of false information is being spread in a way that is harmful and said it was not only felt in India but globally and because of the misinformation many lives were lost.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than pandemic it became infodemic. And not only felt in India but globally this problem of infodemic arose. Because of this misinformation many lives were lost,” Thakur said.

Observing that there is a growing challenge because of that, the Minister said, “We have to also keep a check on that and see what is going on in our newspaper, on our platforms. Because there is a bigger challenge now with the digital media taking some place in recent times.”