"Free, open press is cornerstone of any democracy": US Consul General Jennifer Larson

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], October 6 : US Consul General in Hyderabad, Jennifer Larson, stressed the significance of free and open becoming the cornerstone of any democracy while addressing Odisha journalists at the KIIT campus in Bhubaneswar.
Addressing over 30 Odisha journalists at the valedictory session of the Countering Disinformation for Odisha Journalists training programme on Friday, Jennifer Larson underscored the significance of ensuring the public has access to accurate and verified information.
"A free and open press is the cornerstone of any democracy. Your commitment to fact-checking and responsible journalism is commendable and sets a high standard for others to follow," Larson said, highlighting how the programme equipped journalists with essential tools and techniques to effectively identify misleading information.
She praised the US Consulate's involvement in this initiative, which provided fact-checking training for Telugu, Urdu, and Odia journalists across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha. Encouraging the participants, Consul General Larson urged them to continue utilising the skills and knowledge they gained to promote truth and transparency in their reporting.
According to an official release, the training programme, financially supported by the US Consulate General Hyderabad, was executed by the Department of Journalism, Osmania University, in coordination with the Odisha Women in Media (OWM) group. Larson acknowledged the contributions of both OWM and the Department of Journalism, Osmania University, for their dedication to organising the programme successfully, before distributing certificates to the participants.
"Proud to partner with @osmania1917 on media literacy with Odia journalists and helping to create a strong network of fact-checkers to debunk fake news. Grateful for the support and engagement of @KIITUniversity and the Odisha Women in Media group," Larson said in a post on X.
https://x.com/USCGHyderabad/status/1842175001983922341
The event, organised at KIIT, included presentations from participants showcasing what they learnt and the impact of the training. Some trained journalists have already started applying these techniques in their newsrooms, fact-checking videos, pictures and audio files before publishing news stories. Other graduates have begun training others in their newsrooms in these same techniques.
KIIT Registrar Gyan Ranjan Mohanty, Bhubaneswar Mayor; Sulochana Das and School of Communication in KIIT Associate Dean Rajeev Panda, were also present at the programme.