New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the media must ensure it does not cross the "Lakshman Rekha" between "news and views."

He also said it should not forget its "dharma" or original mission of informing, educating, and empowering people.

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The practitioners of agenda-driven journalism are doing a grave disservice to their profession, he said according to a statement issued by his office.

Naidu was speaking at an event organised by the News Broadcasters' Federation (NBF) here.

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NBF with its reach, he said, has the onerous responsibility of ensuring dispassionate and truthful coverage of events in a highly competitive and complex media world.

Today, agenda-driven purveyors of fake news go to extreme lengths to fabricate narratives seeking to hurt national interests, he lamented.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)