Resist Being Co-opted By An Ideology Or The State; News Mixed With Views A Dangerous Cocktail : CJI Ramana To Journalists

Delivering the keynote address while awarding the Mumbai Press Club's RedInk Awards, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana spoke about the pressures faced by journalists in the age of cut-throat competition and social media amplification. Underscoring that press freedom was integral for the proper functioning of democracy, CJI Ramana reminded that journalists should resist being co-opted by an ideology or the State."Allowing yourself to be co-opted by an ideology or the State is a recipe for disaster. Journalists are like judges in one sense. Regardless of the ideology you profess and the beliefs you hold dear, you must do your duty without being influenced by them. You must report only the facts, with a view to give a complete and accurate picture", he said.The CJI commented that the deadly combination of confrontational polity and competitive journalism can be lethal to democracy. He also expressed concerns about the seeping of ideological stances and biases into the news story. "Interpretation and opinions are colouring what should be factual reports. News mixed with views is a dangerous cocktail. Connected to this is the problem of partial reporting, of cherry-picking facts to give it a particular colour. For instance, select portions of a speech get highlighted – mostly out of context - to suit a certain agenda".Commenting about the pressures exerted by "attention economy", CJI said :"In the hope of grabbing the eyeballs, the headlines that are given for news reports are catchy, but misleading. The headline is often unreflective of the actual content of the reports. It is interpretative and imaginary. The headlines are then shared widely on social media, and become the news. The content is forgotten".Follow principles of natural justice before making adverse comments against anyoneCJI Ramana advised journalists to follow the principles of natural justice before making adverse comments against someone who is not in a position to defend himself. He commented about the trend of publishing news before verification in the race for ratings, which leads to incorrect reporting. "The social media amplifies that incorrect news in a matter of seconds. Once published it is difficult to take back. Unlike print and electronic media, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to hold the social media platforms such as youtube accountable even after they host most derogatory and defamatory stuff which has potential to ruin careers and lives", he added.Journalist's job integral to democracySaying that he had pursued the profession of journalism first, CJI said that it can be an extremely satisfying profession."It is often said that the legal profession is a noble profession. I can state that the journalist's job is as noble and is an integral pillar of democracy. Like the legal professional, a journalist also needs to have a strong moral fibre and moral compass. Your conscience is your guide in this profession", he said.A journalist's profession is as noble as the legal profession and an integral part of democracy. Like a legal professional, a journalist also needs a strong moral fibre: CJI NV Ramana pic.twitter.com/20v3t4ImFC— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) December 29, 2021 He underscored that free and fearless press is essential for an efficient democracy and that press freedom is enshrined in the Constitution."The freedom of the press is a valuable and sacred right enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Without such a freedom, there cannot be discussion and debate that is essential for the growth of a democracy. There can be no flow of information that the public requires, and that a democracy demands".Media must defend judiciary from motivated attacks"Let me simply say that the judiciary is a robust pillar. Despite all the constraints, it is working to further Constitutional goals. The recent trend to sermonize about judgments, and villainise judges, needs to be checked. The media must have belief and trust in the judiciary. As a key stakeholder in democracy, media has the duty to defend and protect the judiciary from motivated attacks by evil forces. We are together in the Mission Democracy and in promoting national interest. We have to sail together".The "Journalist of the Year-2020" award was posthumously presented to Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed in the Afghanistan war in July this year."He was a man with a magical eye. If a picture can convey a thousand words, his photos were novels" : CJI NV Ramana pays tribute to late photojournalist Danish Siddiqui.#DanishSiddiqui— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) December 29, 2021 Full text of CJI's speech :It gives me immense pleasure to be here with you at the Red Ink Awards for Excellence in Journalism, to celebrate outstanding contributions by journalists in various categories. This initiative by the Mumbai Press Club, which was first started in 2011, is praiseworthy.The city of Mumbai has been at the forefront of protecting the freedom of speech and expression....

Resist Being Co-opted By An Ideology Or The State; News Mixed With Views A Dangerous Cocktail : CJI Ramana To Journalists

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