National Press Day

 National Press Day

"Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forgo" - Mahatma Gandhi.

After independence, India needed to work on many aspects, and one of them was a free press. Thus, to create awareness among people about ongoing events in all states of India and important decisions of the nation, a free press was necessary. Therefore, to study the status of the press in India, the First Press Commission was established in 1952. It recommended the formation of a press council. Thus, in 1965, the Press Council Act was formed, and on its basis, the Press Council of India was established on 4th July 1966 and started functioning on November 16, 1966. Thus, ensuring the importance of a free and independent press in our country, National Press Day is celebrated on 16th November every year.

The press is an important bridge between people and the government. It exposes various misdeeds of the government and keeps it in check. It spreads information about what is happening in the country and all over the world. It reaches people whose problems are not reaching the government. It also exposes fake news running on the internet.

A democracy without a free press cannot exist as it allows journalists to work without interference from the government or any other illegal factor. Thus, it is the fourth pillar of democracy. The press played an important role in criticizing the unjust rules of the Britishers in India during the Indian freedom struggle. It also spread feelings of patriotism in the country and why it is important to be an independent nation.

Though the press has a very positive impact on our day-to-day life, the current situation of the Indian press is in tension. The Indian press ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index (2023). This tension increases as journalists are openly insulted by politicians continuously. The way the press praises the Supreme leader and the questions asked to politicians like "Do you carry a wallet with you for money?" is disturbing. Also, giving no attention to serious problems like 'RRB NTPC students protest' were the press paid attention when the protest converted into violence.

There are various factors responsible for this condition of the press. One of them is Paid News, where news organizations accept money and cover the promotion of an individual, company, and even various agendas. This leads to misinformation and hides the reality.

Another factor is Takeover by the Corporate Sector (for example, Adani holding 64.71% shares of NDTV). Corporate ownership can lead to various problems like the independence of the press being compromised, biased reporting, selective coverage, neglecting the ongoing which are unfavorable to the corporate owner. Cross Media Holding is another factor leading to unfavorable work of the press. Here, a single press body controls the ownership of multiple types of media outlets like newspapers, radio, television channels, etc. This can lead to the concentration of a single perspective, idea, and monopoly of that particular body. Thus, different perspectives will not reach people.

Another and the most important factor is Political Pressure. We have a popular example of emergency in India (1975) where the freedom of the press was openly restricted. In the current context, the Indian media Lokniti and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies survey over half the journalists surveyed said that they have a fear of losing their job due to political leanings. Political interference leads to the loss of ethics in the news.

It shows that there is a need for a legal framework for the protection of journalists from harassment and fair press organization. There should be transparency in the ownership of the press bodies to keep a check on influence and concentration of power to avoid cross-media holding. Also, supporting reliable digital media platforms is important. It is important to conduct a timely review of the Press Council's work, and changes should be made according to challenges. Campaigns are needed to educate the public about the importance of a free press and to analyze the news. There should be a body in the Press Council to report illegal practices in the press industry.

However, along with these problems, the Indian press has bright works like media has played an important role in the 'Hathras Rape Case'. Today, channels like 'Rajya Sabha TV' are helpful to common people. Some news reporters are trusted all over India due to their fearless and unbiased opinions and news. Without media, it is truly impossible to imagine our democracy.

- Shravani Surve.