Freedom of Press
Freedom of Press
The record of freedom of the press in India has been laudable with the exception of emergency era in 1975-1977. Indian constitution does not specifi¬cally mention freedom of the press. But freedom of expression under article 19 (2) has been interpreted by the courts to include freedom of the press. AU the same the freedom of press does not mean a licence. It is subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states and public order.
Our newspapers are protected against action in the courts for publishing the proceedings of parliament. There are many acts to protect freedom of the press. However, there is no law that restrains the press from publishing infor¬mation which may be considered as an invasion of the privacy of private citizens. Indian newspapers generally recognize citizens rights to privacy. Then there is the press Council of India that was established in 1966. It looks after preserving the freedom of press and raising standards of news papers, maga¬zines and news agencies by developing a code of conduct.
The press is the fourth estate of any democracy in the world. Free press is a reflection of public opinion and also the plans, policies and programmes of the government. Press is like a barometer. It shows the rise and fall of the fortunes of the ruling class. No doubt free press builds the bridges of understanding between the people and the govt. The press is supposed to expose the misdeeds of the govt, through fearless and impartial expression. The press should not play in the hands of a particular political party to reap financial benefits. It is often seen that press has lost its credibility just as judiciary has lost its credibility in the eye of the public. It is charged against the press that they plant stories to destabilize a government at the behest of opposition parties. Even the press is alleged to be playing in the hands of foreign countries. If freedom is the breath of healthy press, a healthy press is the bases of a healthy democracy.
Freedom of press should not be considered as a licence to write and say anything against anybody. A free press is supposed to provide free flow of knowledge. Even a free press is supposed to have its code of ethics and conduct. They must not act against the national interests. It is misconstrued that press is omnipotent. It must not indulge in witch-hunting. Instead it should provide free and impartial knowledge & healthy criticism of the activities of the politicians. It must not indulge in yellow journalism and character assassination. The role of Indian press has been praiseworthy and it has done a remarkable job in exposing scams and scandals in defense and other deals. But the dubious kind of journalism such as Tehalka erodes the credibility of the press. With the advent of cable T.V. and foreign channels citizens must be vigilant to see through the designs of the reporters and the quality of the reporting. Just as press needs to be vigilant, the public should also be discriminatory in analyzing the truthfulness of the news or otherwise. An enlightened readership is the greatest restraint on misrepresentation of the facts by the information media.