Triple Stream

ROLE OF THE MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Prof. I. V. Chalapati Rao

The power of the Fourth Estate, as it was called by Edmond Burke, is widely accepted all over the world through out the ages. In India freedom of the press is recognized although it is not specifically provided by the constitution. Judicial precedents have confirmed that freedom of speech and expression includes freedom of the Press. At the same time it should be realised that freedom includes certain responsibilities and obligations. It is not license. The Press and the electronic media do have an important role to play in bringing out the overall welfare of the people. Truly the media is a watch dog and not expected to be a blood hound. It has to play a constructive and responsible role in influencing the public opinion and educating the people in the right direction as a non-formal agency. Giving advice in spending the public funds and offering fair criticism are the traditionally accepted roles.

However, the new self-appointed role is investigative journalism which consists in probing into the misdeeds of the higher-ups and exposing political, official and other types of corruption and bribery. In his address to the National Seminar organized by the Press Council of India, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Vice President of India said: “It is sad to find that our environment today is polluted, the values are on the decline, and corruption is all-pervading. No area of public governance has remained unaffected by the cancerous virus of corruption. We have been witness to all types of scams, the latest-stamp paper scam-popularly referred to as Telgi scam-tops them all.....The size and magnitude of corruption is anybody’s guess...wide­spread corruption today is one of the biggest challenges to our democracy.” In these circumstances, investigative journalism and judicial activism are justified and necessary. It is not overreach. Otherwise there is no protection to the people, especially the common man.

Every coin has the obverse and the reverse. What is at stake today is not freedom of the press but the freedom enjoyed by a few media moguls. There is a tremendous growth of media circulation in the developing countries, particularly in India. Total number of readers is about 9 million. Everybody looks into the newspaper the first thing in the morning. We can imagine the vast influence exercised by the media. Undoubtedly the press is a major player in the country’s democratic process. Therefore the Press should pay top priority attention to the supply of authentic, uncoloured and reliable information to the reader by sourcing it accurately. But in a few newspapers, especially in the regional newspapers, we find exaggeration, trivialization, sensationalism, spin and even distortion by using loaded and ambiguous language. Mischievous diversion is often found even in prioritizing the news. The old maxim ‘News is sacred, editorial is free” was flung to the winds long ago. News is up for sale. The downsizing of some political personalities and alternatively adulation of others have become a partisan affair. Objectivity in reportage is rarely observed.

Rarely do we come across the whole gamut of news. Social gossip is represented as news. Violence, murder, rape robbery, crime, celebrity obsession, commodification of women are regular features. Undue importance is given to food, cinema, fashion and cricket with large-size multi-coloured photos. To satisfy their conscience or hood­wink the public, every paper and every T.V. channel presents a religious or spiritual piece in an insignificant corner or inconvenient time (in case of T.V.). Models are our role models. Cinema stars are our icons. Super stars of cricket (who are good for a group photo!) are demi-gods. We are hijacked from our ancient but timeless culture and launched into Five-star Hotel culture. If you talk of real culture, you ate branded as a ‘culture cop’ or a chauvinist.

The message the youth get from the media is: Smoking is glamour, drinking is fashion, drugs are the ‘in’ things, schools and colleges are the centres of gang wars and eve­teasing and the teachers are jokers. Wrong examples are set before the children and the youth. Their expectations are raised to absurd heights when they see movie idols and cult figures who are housed in luxury, transported in splendid Mercedes cars and paid fabulous sums. The youth are glamour-struck and become oblivious to the realities of life. They fail to understand that the card-board heroes are fictitious figures and dream merchants. When the media fails to adopt a voluntary code of conduct, the government is justified in setting up a regulatory mechanism to protect the children and the youth from the exploitation by the ruthless commercial forces.

At one time there used to be restraint in Indian press in indulging in obscenity and mud raking. Propelled by misconceived notions of free and independent journalism and being indecently eager to grab a ‘good story’ and make a fortune, our papers are pandering to the low taste of the readers.

Newspapers are not expected to be the service tools in the hands of business magnates and the press barons who are obsessed with profit motive. It is common knowledge today that even old and respected newspapers are often presenting biased and partisan views and information not only in their editorials but also through handpicked column writers who are in tune with their prejudices. Intelligent readers can see through their game.

The recent appearance of a new newspaper in English in Hyderabad charging only a reasonable price made all the English and vernacular newspapers drastically reduce their own prices. Does it not show that they had been exploiting their subscribers for several years, not content with their substantial income coming through advertisement tariff?

The Press Council of India, a respected body, is expected to have control over the media and guide them in matters crucial to their reputation. At present it has no teeth. It has become redundant and a helpless spectator. It needs empowerment. The other alternative is for the government to setup a regulatory mechanism to oversee the working of the media and check their excesses without yielding to the pressures of the media satraps who have a powerful lobby.
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         As a writer Gandhiji was ambidexterous. ‘Hind Swaraj’ was one of his earlier works containing his views on freedom and seminal philosophy. He wrote the book on his return journey from India to South Africa on a steamer. 50 pages were written with his left hand as his right hand grew numb with continuous writing!