AP Press Academy to digitize newspapers, magazines

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Press Academy (APPA) is planning to digitalise all newspapers, magazines and weeklies published over the last 100 years.

Informing this at a seminar on ''Right of information and law'', APPA Chairman Devulapalli Amar said newspapers, magazines and weeklies would be computerised and put on a website.

Mr Amar said so far APPA had computerised 16 lakh pages of old newspapers, magazines and weeklies published during the last 100 years and those who wanted the information could download it.

He said APPA was also recording the experiences of senior journalists to impart training to novice journalists. Special efforts are being made to provide training to them. There are about 20,000 journalists working in rural areas in the state.

APPA is organising seminars on the new ''Right to information'' law throughout the state to create awareness among journalists. A five-member committee led by Jwala Narasimha Rao has been constituted for this. Allaying apprehensions on the law, he said it would help journalists gather information. The state and Central governments have constituted committees to supervise its implementation.

On the reported comments of President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy on the media crossing limits, the APPA chairman asked, ''Who would decide boundaries for the media..it is better if the media decides its limits itself.'' No other organisation should be allowed to decide these limits as it would be deterimental to the freedom of the press.

Courtesy: NewsKerala

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The Andhra Pradesh Press Academy intends to revive its website and upload about 16 lakh pages of old newspapers and periodicals that have already been digitised.

Academy chairman Devulapalli Amar said at a press conference in Vijaywada that the academy had secured these old newspapers and periodicals dating back to last 100 years from reputed libraries in Vetapalem and Rajahmundry besides the State Archives.

The digitised pages, mainly of non-dailies, were already stored in compact discs, but the arduous task of indexing these pages was yet to be taken up.

The Press Academy chairman said digitisation of old dailies would be taken up now following Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's assurance to the academy to fund the programme.

Mr. Amar said the Academy had taken up the task of compiling history of reputed newspapers.

Mr. Amar presided over a media workshop on the module prepared by the academy for journalists on the Right to Information Act. Journalists from various news organisations attended the workshop and expressed their views on the usefulness of the Act to them.

Courtesy: Digital Opportunity