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Role of Media in Democracy and Good Governance
Role of Media in Democracy and Good Governance
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Democracy is a government of the people, for the people and by the people
and which gives equal chance to all the citizens to participate and play a
significant role in the political process, ensures and guarantees certain rights
and freedoms to the people constituting the policy. It is a form of
government which is subject to popular sovereignty. Of the fundamental
freedoms that the citizens enjoy, freedom of speech and expression is one of
the most important ones as it gives substance and meaning to ‘participation’
of the people.
The media has undoubtedly evolved and become more active over the years.
Mass media has a great influence on human life in the present century. They
have provided information and entertainment to people across countries.
Print media has been the leader of mass media over a considerable period of
time. But now it has got competition from Television, which is reshaping
many of the social responses. Radio apart from providing news and views has
also developed a flair for entertainment, thereby getting a lot of acceptance.
There is also the new media with the internet being its flag bearer. The
Internet has indeed made it possible to disseminate information and ideas in
real time across the globe.
Moreover, it is important to note that liberty of one must not o!end the
liberty of others. Patanjali Shastri J., in A.K. Gopalan case, observed, ‘man as
a rational being desires to do many things, but in a civil society his desires
will have to be controlled with the exercise of similar desires by other
individuals’. It, therefore, includes the right to propagate one’s views through
the print media or through any other communication channel e.g.; the radio
and the television. Every citizen of this country therefore has the right to air
his or their views through the printing and or the electronic media subject of
course to permissible restrictions imposed under Article 19(2) of the
constitution. In sum, the fundamental principle involved here is the people’s
right to know. Freedom of speech and Expression should, therefore, receive
generous support from all those who believe in the participation of people in
the administration.
CONSTITUTIONAL ASPECT
Art.19 (1) (a) secures to every citizen the freedom of speech and expression.
This has to be read with clause (2) which provides that the said right shall not
prevent the operation of law relating to the matters specified therein. The
freedom of the press is not confined to newspapers, and periodicals, but also
includes pamphlets, leaflets, circulars, and every sort of publication which
a!ords a vehicle of information and opinion[2]. There is no need to emphasis
that a free press, which is neither directed by the executive nor subjected to
censorship, is a vital element in a free state; but in particular, a free, regularly
published, political press is essential in the modern democracy.
Therefore the press keeps and enlightens the citizens to make political
decisions, know the opinion of others to weigh them up against each other.
The press, thus provides the information, adopts its own point of view, and
thus works as a direction giving force to the public debate. It stands as a
permanent means of communication and control between the people and
their elected representatives in Parliament and Government. Banning of
publication in any newspaper of any matter relating to any particular subject
or class of subjects would be obnoxious to the right of free speech. It is
certainly a serious encroachment on the valuable and cherished right to
freedom of speech[3].
‘It is the duty of the state to protect the freedom of expression since it is a
liberty guaranteed against the state. The state cannot plead its inability to
handle the hostile audience problem. It is its obligatory duty to prevent it and
protect the freedom of expression’[5].
RIGHT TO INFORMATION
Right to know, to information is other facet of freedom of speech. The right
to know, to receive and to impart information has been recognized within
the right to freedom of speech and expression. A citizen has a fundamental
right to use the best means of imparting and receiving information and as
such to have an access to telecasting for the purpose. The Right to
Information Act, 2005, especially talks about people’s right to ask
information from Government o"cial, which prohibits discloser of certain
documents under section 8 of the Act. These exceptions are generally the
grounds of reasonable restrictions over freedom of speech and expression
under Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India. By saying we can conclude
that ‘right to information is nothing but one small limb of right of speech and
expression’.
The right to receive and right to impart has been established as a part of
freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by subclause (a) of clause 1 of
Art.19 of the Constitution subjected to reasonable restrictions.
Media usually refers to mass media, which is any medium that provides
citizens with information regarding all the current a!airs of any area at a
large scale. It is unbiased reporting of facts through print, television, radio or
Internet.
According to the first Press Commission in India freedom of the Press refers
to hold opinions, to receive and to impart information through the printed
word without any interference from any public authority. Thus it is the right
of the citizen o publish without any prior permission from the government
or any other public authority, subject only to the legal liability for what he
has chosen to publish. Freedom of press has three essential features; namely
freedom of publication, freedom of access to all sources of information and
freedom of circulation. Press freedom, thus plays a vital role in the
formulation of public opinion on issues of public importance.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru called media ‘the watch dog of our democracy’. This
handed the media a huge responsibility in the functioning of our society.
Thus media plays the role of communicator in democracy. They make
people aware and conscious of their state of a!airs by providing them with in
depth insight on important issues concerning people. Though freedom of
press is essential and indispensable for the successful functioning of the Indian
democracy, it is very often silenced by the executive, gagged by the
legislature, suppressed by judiciary, repressed and muzzled by the pressure
groups.
CONCLUSION
The role of media in India, the largest democracy of the world is di!erent
from merely disseminating information and entertainment. Educating the
masses for their social upliftment needs to be in its ambit as well. In a country
where there is large scale poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment
media has a responsibility towards developmental journalism. It has a role to
play behind the formation of public opinion which can force the political
parties to address the core issues haunting the country’s progress. It is thus
referred to as the fourth pillar of democracy. However; public opinion can be
manipulated by vested interests to serve their own goals.
[2]Lovell v. City of Gri"n, 303 US 444; Sakal Papers(P) Ltd v. Union of India,
AIR 1962 SC 305.
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