Is it time for the media to be a ‘public institution’?
Unlike a few other countries, Indian journalists do not enjoy any special professional rights apart from the rights they enjoy as the citizens of India.
The media, however, is expected to perform many important functions: it is the source of information, it forms a forum of discussion, it brings out ‘truth’ and it entertains. These functions automatically put the media on a pedestal; the media is required to work for the larger public good. While the duties are immense the rights are limited. This is like swimming in deep waters with hands tied.
Many public institutions demand additional rights to discharge their duties efficiently. The notable ones are the Judiciary with Contempt Laws, the Parliament claims certain privileges while it protects itself through the laws of secrecy (RTI will change this, but corruption largely remains). We allow the Police and tax officials to intrude the privacy of individuals on the claims of larger public good.
Why not give the media certain privileges?
A deeper look into the situation will show various complexities: when we say the media should get the rights enjoyed by other “public institutions”, is it because it’s expected of the media to work for the public good? Or is it important for the institution to be owned publicly, to be called a “public institution”?
Currently, the media is largely owned by a few private individuals. Therefore, many feel that if the media get privileges it would be like giving special rights to a few individuals just because they claim to do public good. Thus we should keep in mind the above argument and put certain checks in place and then talk of rights to the journalists.
Especially with the onset of electronic media in the last decade of the previous century, it is time the laws pertaining to the media were changed. Freedom should be coupled with mechanisms to ensure accountability. First of all, the Press Council of India should be brought to life and must be revamped to suit the changing times. It should be made autonomous in practice and its jurisdiction should extend to the electronic media.
Importantly, the audience should consciously reject the sleaze offered by some media in the name of “popular demand”.
If these and more regulations were put in place, it would be easier to ‘trust’ the media. Since journalism is becoming more professional by the day, time has come to reconsider the professional rights for journalists. This becomes twice as important in a world where communication technologies are easily available and accessible by all. The journalists should be given some separate rights from that of other citizens so that it can help in providing accurate and reliable information to counter the messages emanating from any source that may not always be true.
With rights come duties and responsibilities, hence the media should recognize the responsibilities.
Raksha Kumar
2 comments:
Thanks for posting your comment. But when I say a public institution, I mean, as I have explained in the article, an institution which is responsible to the public.
Public institutions need not always be owned by the state. The problem in this country is that the journalists are not given any special professional rights...like, say, the doctors(who follow a professional code they cannot breach).
Therefore, as private individuals journalists are not accountable to anyone. We need the media to be accountable to the public.
Free speech is an agrument I completeley agree with. When I say professional rights, I mean there can be a natioanl debate to lay down the terms and conditions the government should not decide.
After all, the doctors agree to a code of conduct that ensures their accountability. The media will surely be able to write whatever they want to but within the 'acceptable norms', it is easier said than done, but it is necssary.
I know it is difficult to come to an agreement on the 'norms' but we have on various occations before and we can even now. It won't happen in a day or two. But, I feel, it should.
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