TRUTH IS TO BE TOLD…..

We tell you the truth- “frighten us”!

We expose realities-“Scare us”!

We are the watchdogs- “Bite us”!

We tell you the reality-“Kill us”!

Freedom of media has never ever been so frightening as it is in the era of post truth and fake news. Attacks on the media or we can say victimization of media organisations/individuals have become a soft target. In one of the largest democracies of the world, media is going through a critical phase which frightens everybody associated with it. Independent and free media is among the pillars of our democracy; this not only shakes the fourth pillar of the constitution, but also weakens the other three.

In order to progress we must move in the direction of more freedom of democracy but the exact opposite is happening. Attacks on media organisations/media men are a big, dangerous step backward. India is ranked 14th on the list of countries where journalists were killed despite not being a war-zone. This is really a surprising and worrying thing. Journalists are killed, kidnapped or murdered for exposing the realities and corruption in the local government and police forces. The same authorities who are responsible for investigating their deaths are found to be involved. The large number of media organisations on the other hand willingly wants to become puppets in the hands of the ruling parties for maximum TRP’s. As a result, pressure and harassment of media houses increases.

In Gujarat, Jansatta and Indian Express offices were attacked for criticizing government’s policies reporting on police participation in rioting. The Statesman was repeatedly attacked for writing their criticism on the state government. NDTV was banned for a day charging its coverage on Pathankot airbase attacks. The CBI raids on NDTV show the extent of government it can go to shut the media mouth. Not only media organisations but attack is an on other potent weapon to silent the voice of truth.

Sandeep Kothari, murdered in 2005 for exposing illegal mining in Madhya Pradesh, Joginder Singh, was set on fire in 2015 for investigating corruption and land grabs in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Ram Chandra Chhatrapati murdered in 2002, for reporting the exploitation of ‘Sadhvi’s’ by a so called ‘God man’ in Haryana are the examples where the voice of truth have been silenced.  Not to forget the very recent attacks on the Outside Broadcasting Vans (OBV) of news channels during the recent Panchkula riots raised many serious questions on media security. These instances are enough to reveal that media have been suffering since long time and are fighting a lone battle.

Editor-in-chief of Kashmir Times said- “Either you (media) are with us, or against us. But now the new formula is “either you are with us or you are anti-national”. This is the new weapon devised by the governments used to put the work of credible journalists to dustbin. These attacks are only because of the power media holds to showcase the truth. Through such acts, the so called “nationalists” attempt to silence the media or put restrictions on the movement of media person.

On the flip side, it is a pleasure to see more and more journalists and news organisations venturing into new areas of investigative journalism, even when they add more risk to their limb and life.

In the end, though constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression ….but to what extent? There are a number of laws that have been enacted for media freedom but they remain in books only. It is state responsibility to ensure that our 4th pillar continues to remain safe and protected so that the journalists can carry out their role without fear and favor.

“The messenger must be protected, not buried because truth is to be told not to be buried.”

Sabhyaa Jaswal