Freedom of Press-A Modern Approach

We have been reading and listening about the four pillars of democracy, viz. legislature, executive, judiciary and the media. These four pillars are so crucial for any country that in the absence of any one of them, the country might lose status of being a democratic nation. Role of media is so important that it will not be incorrect to suggest that media is that postman without whom we cannot get any credible information. Given the crucial role media plays in any democratic nation, it is of utmost importance to safeguard the freedom of press. Some countries have gone to the extent of providing express provisions in the constitution to safeguard this freedom. The first amendment to the constitution of USA specifically made provisions regarding freedom of press. In India however, we do not have any such specific provision. Article 19(1) (a) is a broad provision that guarantees freedom of speech and expression with certain restrictions provided under article 19(2). In the case of Bennett Coleman & Company Versus Union of India, the Supreme Court established that freedom of the press is integral to the freedom of speech and expression. In the recent time, the manners, work ethics and the decorum of the journalism has gone through some drastic changes. The actual role of media is reporting the news and creating the news. There have been multiple instances recently where media has reported the news without any verification or authentication. The modern journalists should remember that it is not their duty to merely report the news but to report correct news. Another allegation which is very often against media is regarding biasedness. There has been major criticism against media for either not reporting the correct news or reporting the news in a manner not warranted by the situation. Narrative war is what media is often being involved in. Sometimes, this selective reporting is purposely done to suit any specific organization or individual. This reporting is not healthy for the democratic structure of the country and this modernization of press is not taking us in the right direction.