National Press Day: When Will Quality Match Freedom?
Today we mark National Press Day, commemorating the establishment of the Press Council of India in 1966, the body entrusted with safeguarding standards of reportage across Indian media. Its mandate is simple but vital: to uphold ethical journalism and check the quality of the news that reaches citizens. Yet, anyone following Indian media closely will agree that a gulf persists between that mandate and reality, especially in broadcast and digital outlets. Freedom of expression is a universal right. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts the right to hold opinions and to seek, receive and impart information. And yet journalists worldwide, including in India, face growing pressure: editorial interference from corporate owners, intimidation from state actors, legal harassment, and even violence. The statistics are grim. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, dozens of journalists have been killed in India since the early 1990s while reporting. In many...