Media Freedom: Past, Present, And Future
'There are no laws to protect the rights of journalists'
Features
Ms. Barkha Dutt (left) with college students during her session at BIC
By NSoJ Bureau
Media freedom or press freedom has been a problem of concern. Journalists primarily safeguard themselves through the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression. In India, while media is considered the fourth pillar of democracy, journalists lack constitutional protection. On the Constitution Day (November 26) Ms. Barkha Dutt, a prominent Indian journalist, highlighted this issue at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC), discussing the need for laws protecting journalists.
During the session, Ms. Dutt asked the audience if our journalists were safe under the Constitution. Many said ‘no’, and few answered ‘yes’. She said that the law had no protection for journalists. She said that India would not be able to attain press freedom because no politician liked a free press.
The former NDTV journalist emphasized the evolution of media at various phases. While explaining the future of media, Ms. Dutt said, she did not have an idea about where journalism would be in the future barring AI. With the influence of business people in the media industry, and the broken revenue model, the sustainability of the media industry is highly uncertain as the current trends of media rely highly on social media. Since social media is purely based on subscription, where news content is neither regulated nor has a governing body, it has more negative repercussions. This makes it difficult to understand the future of the media industry, she added.
On the broken revenue model, she highlighted that the disinterest of the people in media which was increasing day by day and was the key reason for falling revenue. This was one of the leading factors that was moving the people towards digital media, Ms. Dutt said.
Ms. Barkha Dutt, founder of Mojo Story, stated that the best way to tell news was to research deeply: tell simply. She pointed out that without money there was no news. The talk ended with the remark: “Don’t take praise or criticism seriously.” She said that journalists should be aware of this.
