Threat to media will continue

It must address credibility issues

The Indian media had their wings clipped — briefly — during the dark days of the Emergency. Another attempt has now been made — it was aborted with lightning speed — to shackle the fourth estate, supposedly one of the pillars of a vibrant democracy. A circular issued by the information and broadcasting ministry announced stringent punishment for journalists disseminating “fake news”. The circular had to be withdrawn after an intervention by a “miffed” prime minister. The government may have retreated — for the moment — but political interventions to tame the media, or, for that matter, other institutions integral to the functioning of a democracy, are likely to continue. The BJP, in fact, has special expertise when it comes to diluting the integrity of such institutions. Fake news is not the creation of or is endorsed by the media alone. Political functionaries, especially those who lean to the right ideologically, have been accused of profiting by peddling distorted information.

What is apparent is that the media’s failings — the penchant for sensationalising content is an example — are being used by governments the world over as a means to harness the press. If anything, the traditional media, their digital counterpart and politicians are complicit in the genesis of fake news. The battle against the menace is thus a shared responsibility.

The Telegraph, April 6