The Innovative Considerate On Freedom Of Press And Media
Abstract: Freedom refers to the state of liberty, or right and privileged to speak and act according to one’s own will. Press and media (print, electronic and online) are the most important medium of expressing opinion of the people in a democratic country that justifies one’s individual right to speech and expression, a coveted right enshrined in the Indian constitution and in the constitution of other countries on the globe.
Press generally refers to the newspaper industry. In modern world, besides newspaper, there are various forms of news-media such as television and radio broadcasting, online news websites and blogs, etc. India is a democratic country. The Indian constitution guarantees the “freedom of speech and expression” as a fundamental right of every citizen of India. The restrictions that apply to the “freedom of speech and expression” also apply to the “freedom of press and media”.
Keywords: Press, Media, Democracy, Indian constitution
INTRODUCTION :
…show more content…
All the press or news-media enjoys better freedom in a democratic country. Independent press and news-media acts as an important check on management and Administrators. The duty of a free press is to raise voice against any social ill or wrong. It has been said that internal vigilance is the price of independence. They raise voice against any autocracy, corruption, and malpractices. The press and digital media works day and night to deliver accurate news at the speed of the light. The people of the country are kept informed of what is happening in the country. Thus, freedom of press and media is the necessary pre-condition to the completion of democratic
The authoritarian theory of the press developed in 16th and 17th century England. England lived under a monarchy and the people were never to question the monarchy’s right to rule. Truth and wisdom were reserved for the few divinely appointed authorities. Under the authoritarian state, all people and privately owned operations were to serve the state and the truth as dictated by the wisdom of the monarchy. The authoritarian theory was also influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, which did not allow dissent or true independent thought from its parishioners. Mass media mirrored these societal rules. Privately owned industries were controlled by the state through a system of patents and licenses. The press was also controlled through a patent and license system, preventing it from having full freedom to question the monarchy’s right to rule, though minor dissent about independent issues was allowed. Ultimately, the press’ job was to support the state (the monarchy) without questioning the state’s right to rule, in the same manner that a citizen’s job was to support the state by working in the fields without questioning the state’s right to rule.
“The 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan and the Press Law of July 1965 provided for freedom of the press subject to comprehensive articles of proper behavior. According to the Press Law, the press was free (i.e., independent of government ownership) but must protect the interests of the state and constitutional monarchy, Islam, and public order. When the government was overthrown in July of 1973, 19 newspapers were shut down. Western-style freedom of the press has methodically eroded during the regimes of dictatorship, communism, Mujahidin factions, and the Taliban ("Press Reference–Afghanistan").” When it comes to law enforcement, it is the duty of the ruling power to carry it out. But when the ruling power promulgates laws that sternly go against the freedoms guaranteed by previous edicts of the country, the civilians have no choice but to endure the reality of a deprived life.
The state-controlled media and the private wealthy individuals owned media decide the content that the public can get. The strict laws and regulations in China not only affect the domestic media but also influence the attitude towards foreign media. Even though China has a very different way to manage the media system, it already starts to approach media freedom, like the CNC reform and reforms document in 2013. In the future, the Chinese government would find its own way to free media industry with its social conditions.
According to Dahl, this criterion emphasizes that citizens must have the equal and effective opportunities to learn about politics surrounding them (1998, 38). The goal of enlightened understanding is to ensure that citizens can make the best decisions that serve their interests. Analyzing freedom of press is an effective indicator to measure enlightened understanding because media is the best medium that citizens could access to learn about what is going on in their government. Without freedom of press, freedom of expression of journalists and scholars are violated and thus, they might encounter difficulties in reporting about politics. Although India has the Right to Information Act, which assures the promotion of "transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority," it is not being enforced enough (2005, 1). According to a research, India 's press status is evaluated as "partly free" (Freedom House, 2014). Furthermore, the press status of India 's score stands at 39 out of 100, where 0 represents the freest status and 100 represents the least free status (Sinha, 2014). In the World Press Freedom Index, India was ranked as the 140th out of 180 countries in terms of freedom of media (Reporters Without Borders ,
The first is the crisis of viability. The chance of success in the journalism in the mainstream is approaching a decline due to the transformations in technologies and new access to multiple sources of information. The second is a crisis in civic adequacy. The contributions of journalism to citizenship and democracy have begun to shift and this shift has caused a question of the relevancy of journalism to democratic processes. In a democratic society journalism plays the role of the government watchdog. The effectiveness of society’s watchdog is now being challenged and in turn alternating the structure of the current democratic society. Many critical theorists of the press during the beginning of the 20th century were concerned with finding appropriate forms of public regulation of the press and journalism to ensure that journalists are writing “news and information about public affairs which sustains and nurtures citizen information, understanding and engagement and thereby a democratic polity” (Cushion and Franklin, 2015: 75) (Dahlgren, Splichal 2016). Journalism is a political entity that influences and informs the public. It is meant to work as a source of public information that helps and does not hinder the general public specifically in political processes. The article
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.
freedom of thought, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of
Unquestionably the media being newspapers, internet, radio and television, influence society. They can affect, have affected and will continue to affect the progression of life in this nation and around the world, as electronic technology continues to be the chosen mode of communication for a whole generation, offering direct, often anonymous influential information.
Press freedom takes influential place in a country. It represents citizen's freedom of speech and the right to know. Media can expose news without obstructor or any controls by government and organizations. There should not be control over the press and press freedom is necessary for regulation the growth of corruption, development of economy and maintenance of democracy.
The Role of Media in the Society Media has always played a huge role in our society. For a long time media is one of the methods of controlling people and leisure. In In ancient times when there was no newspapers and television, people used literature as a source of information, some books like "the Iliad", and different stories about great kings, shows those people the information about them, and how they are used. Nowadays, media is one of the main parts of our lives and our society, because we use word media, to combine all. sources of information to be used.
Everyone watches the news but does that mean we have to trust them? The media is known for giving us verified information that is usually observed and /or proven. Most people get their information about current events from the news media because it would be impossible to gather all the news themselves. Television news is extremely important in the United States because more people get their news from television broadcasts than from any other source. Print media is the oldest form of media but is very significant. It is known for just reporting more than any other source of media. Radio news was the best ways to broadcast news before the television but, people still listen to the radio every day. “If errors regularly occur in a publication, its reputation suffers in threaten the very existence of publication,” said journalist Maximilian Schafer. Nobody wants to read false publication when they deserve the truth. There are several types of media but false news would still get out to the society by one of these Medias. There have situations where the news told the public false information and got away with it.
There are numbered of news channels that have maximum coverage throughout the country. Media contribute a lot to develop public knowledge but even after years of success, media could not alter public’s attitude towards issues. Media should discourage smoothly such attitude of public. Demonstrations and protests are good to increase pressure towards the solution of any problem, but there should be a proper way to express which should result oriented.
Before the press media had come into picture people used to communicate by writing letters and sending them to direct mails. The appearance of press media came as an informational revolution. This early press media became a source of information, promotion and projection. It was specialized in diverse spheres and was focused on all the issues concerning daily lives and well beings. Press educates people about international happenings, entertainment, political and sports events. After the press media radio and television had been discovered, which lead us to a different kind of revolution. Now people could not only read but also hear and see the news. A recent poll states that about 59% of America’s population obtains the world news on television out of which 37% is through cable and 22%through broadcast. As mention in the site (Media Use Statistics)
Media technologies are becoming an important aspect of today’s society. Each and every day, people interact with media of many different forms. Media is commonly defined as being a channel of communication. Radio, newspapers, and television are all examples of media. It is impossible to assume that media is made up of completely unbiased information and that the media companies do not impose their own control upon the information being supplied to media users. Since many people use media very frequently, it is obvious to assume that it has affects on people. According to the text book Media Now, "media effects are changes in knowledge, attitude, or behavior that result from exposure to the mass media," (386). This leaves us with many unanswered questions about media and its influences. This paper will look at how the effects of media are determined and explore the main affects on today’s society - violence, prejudice, and sexual behavior.