The ‘Mighty Thor’ we call press freedom

WE all know that press freedom is sacred and consistently enshrined in almost all charters of the democratic world. Yes, press freedom is the “Mighty Thor” of the cosmos and any government that gets in its way risks being vaporized to oblivion.

The problem with press freedom lies in “lies.”

I’ve spent most of my life so far being employed in this “select” group called the press. One thing we, and that includes me, often forget in the process of doing our job is to be determined to cater to the need of our readers for factual and truthful information at all cost.

Journalist or not, we all have the same responsibility toward society in general: we have to observe and practice the same ethical standards that we demand of our subject. Disrespect from either side could ruin our forum for any healthy discussion.

Code of ethics you say? All media entities for that matter should abide by this code; it is not as complicated or mysterious as the Da Vinci code. news should be based on facts and information where truthfulness can be thoroughly checked. Another important aspect is that every journalist should do his/ her best to obtain information from all possible sources and make sure it is complete, truthful and unbiased.

Now hear this: “Information which may offend or humiliate a person should be checked especially carefully. Information should be obtained in legal and ethical ways ... Trust must not be abused. Journalists may not misrepresent themselves.”

Freedom of the press is partly good and partly bad. Sometimes the mere utterance of the term “press freedom” comes with an indication of its importance. Sadly, the same significance is not given to the responsibility that comes with it. This awesome power makes it susceptible to abuse by any institution or by the media itself.

While we all agree that a truly free press would be free from intervention not just by the state, but also by market forces and ownership bonds, many powerful bodies use the press for their private interests in order to make propaganda that may be harmful to the public.

Nowadays, some media outlets publish stories just to denigrate someone ( like an opponent in politics or a hated politician). In such cases, the press loses its function as a free institution, and becomes a tool to abuse the constitutional freedom of expression and of speech at the same time.

This is often seen where a political party controls a newspaper, with the objective of influencing a reader’s way of thinking. This is a form of abuse of this freedom. So, the press must check its facts before publishing any report in order to avoid stories based on half- truths, but instead, present unbiased information.

To quote Lord Denning:

“The freedom of the press is heralded as one of the great bulwarks of liberty. It is duly entrenched in the constitutions of the world. It can publish whatever it chooses to publish. But it does so at its own risk. Afterwards, after the publication, if the press has done anything unlawful, it can be dealt with by the courts. If they should damage the reputation of innocent people, they may be made liable in damages. The press is not always above the law.”

It is the court which maintains a balance between the civic interest and other competing interests. While some media men will cry in desperation that in today’s world there is no absolute freedom, we are forced to ask ourselves where does a journalist draw the line when disseminating information? What part of any speech should and should not be covered by the law?

Freedom of the press is considered a cornerstone of a democratic society. What is not always considered is the possibility of abuse of that freedom. Reports must be warranted by facts.

As Abraham Lincoln once articulated:

“Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.

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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.