Brig PK Rampal, Commander, Mumbai Sub Area while inaugurating the workshop said, ‘misreporting on vital issues without adequate knowledge often led to demoralisation of Armed Forces’.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jagdish Rattanani, Chief of Bureau, Zee News Network said that unbalanced reporting or mis-reporting happened because of the prevalent high secrecy between the Armed Forces and the media. He cited various instances including Kargil conflict in this context.

Referring to the age-old conflict between journalistic objectives and military aims, Mr Rattanani said that with the entry of foreign media and the presence of a large number of electronic media, the issue of withholding certain news that was bound to demoralise the force had almost become redundant. Calling for better rapport-building exercise between the media and Armed Forces, he said the Forces should take the media into confidence.

According to Maj Gen E D’Souza (Retd), the Army need to boost its interactive skills with the media for a fair coverage of the Forces. The old saying, ‘the Army should be seen not heard’, has to be replaced with an adequate flow of information to prevent incorrect reporting or factual errors, he said.

Citing examples of veteran war correspondents who identified with the Forces and the military objectives while reporting, Maj Gen D’ Souza (retd) lamented that the present day media personnel are often far removed from the ground realities, about the Forces.

"Washing one’s dirty linen should commence only after a military operation or the conflict period is over in order to stem any adverse effect on the morale of the fighting troops," said Lt Col Rahul Samuel who fought during the Kargil conflict.

Mr Milind Gadgil, veteran war correspondent, was of the view that the media is often found wanting as far as its knowledge regarding defence matters is concerned.

The weapons and equipment of the Infantry Battalion were also displayed as part of the workshop.