Media's credibility at stake

Sounding a note of caution, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana has exhorted journalists to resist being co-opted by an ideology or the State. He has affirmed that the freedom of the press is a ‘sacred right’ enshrined in the Constitution, but warned that ‘news mixed with views is a dangerous cocktail’. Indeed, we are witnessing the lamentable trend of facts being cherry-picked or coloured by ideological biases by a section of the media. The line separating facts from opinions gets so blurred at times that it’s hard for many readers and viewers to distinguish between the two. News and views are no doubt inextricably linked. Both have their own significance for a newspaper, news website or TV channel. But the first priority should be to simply state the facts — plain and unvarnished. Unfortunately, the no-holds-barred battle of one-upmanship between media houses prompts journalists to make compromises and jump to conclusions. The truth becomes a casualty during this deplorable exercise.

Such distortions and subjective interpretations are frequently seen in the run-up to various elections. With five states going to the polls in a month or two, the credibility of the media — and the integrity of newspersons — faces the acid test. The CJI, who himself worked for a newspaper back in 1979-80, has stated that he understands how difficult it is for journalists to fulfil the immense responsibility of speaking truth to power, considering the enormous pressure and stress they face every day. It’s commendable that he regards journalism no less noble a profession than the legal vocation, requiring ‘a strong moral fibre and moral compass’.

The CJI’s words should spur the Fourth Estate — a key stakeholder in democracy — to introspect and do course correction for the sake of free and fair journalism. This is all the more important in the age of social media, with the hydra-headed menace of fake news spreading its tentacles alarmingly. Mahatma Gandhi, who swore by the sanctity of facts, once said that newspapers were meant primarily to educate the people. That still holds true amid the (mis)information explosion we are grappling with today.

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