“A GIRL RAPED OR A MUSLIM KILLED A HINDU” These are the Headlines that we have a tendency to bump into daily!

What is the requirement of constructing these headlines we can frame these headlines in another way which will maintain a decency, so it’s necessity of hour to debate concerning this topic!

It is well said by Jim Morrison,

Whosever controls the media, controls the mind.

 Media terribly plays a vital role and has influence in virtually every aspect of our lives. It greatly affects our lives because media has the power to influence our thoughts.

So who is behind influencing people and providing information to them? so answer to this question is ‘The Journalists’

A journalist is a person who collects information, writes or distributes news or other current information to the public.

TYPES OF JOURNALIST

 Investigating Journalist: – Investigating Journalist are those who thoroughly research the topic with the accurate evidences

Watch Dog Journalist: – Watch Dog Journalist   is a genre intended to get society against illegal activity in efficiency from societal powers.

 Online Journalist: – Online Journalist report facts to edit media such as digital newspaper blogs on social media.

 Broadcast Journalist: – Broadcast Journalist report information to the public to media such as radio and television.

These are the various types of Journalists.

 RESPONSIBILTIES OF MEDIA PROFFESIONALS

*Ethical responsibility: – Journalist must strive to present an accurate well-balanced explanation of the facts they cover.

 *Legal responsibility: -Journalist must follow the law especially regarding the confidentiality and privacy of the people they must also understand the law regarding libel and invasion of privacy.

 *Social responsibility: – They must cover each and every aspect which is required to cover and as their social responsibility they must involve strong people and they must have good communication skills to provide public with best news.

PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA

There are certain norms given by PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA  for journalists which are as follows

The fundamental objective of journalism is to serve the people with news, views, comments and information on matters of public interest in a fair, accurate, unbiased, sober and decent manner. The norms mentioned below and other specific guidelines appended thereafter, will help the journalist to self-regulate his or her conduct.

Accuracy and Fairness

        The utmost duty of them is to provide accurate and transparent news to everyone.

 *The Press shall give up publication of inaccurate, baseless, graceless, misleading or distorted material. Unjustified rumors and surmises should not be set forth as facts.

* It is the duty of the Journalists to expose the wrong doings that come to their notice, such reports need to be backed by irrefutable facts and evidences.

Pre-Publication Verification

Before publishing the article or report, they should check with due care and attention its factual accuracy with due correction in the report where necessary.  In the event of lack or absence of response, a footnote to that effect may be appended to the report.

 Public Interest and Public Bodies

 As a custodian of public interest, they have a right to highlight cases of corruption and irregularities in public bodies but such material should be based on proper evidences and published after due inquiries and verification from the concerned sources.

PRASAR BHARTI ACT

GUIDELINES BY PRASAR BHARATI ACT, 1990 , ARE AS FOLLOWS:

*To promote Research and development activities of radio broadcast and television broadcast technology.

*To provide autonomy to Akashvani and Doordarshan, so that to ensure the function in a fair, objective and creative manner.

*To look after the safeguarding of the citizen’s right to be informed freely, truthfully and objectively

*To ensure the balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television.

CASE LAWS:

TATA PRESS LTD. V. MAHANAGAR TELEPHONE NIGAM LTD.

 The Hon’ble court held that Government could regulate commercial advertisement, which are unfair, misleading and untruthful.

HAMDARD DAWAKHANA V. UNION OF INDIA

The Hon’ble court held that, an advertisement is no doubt a form of speech and expression but every advertisement is not a matter of dealing with expression of ideas and hence advertisement of commercial nature cannot fall within the concept of article 19(1)(a)

Laws Protecting Journalists

Freedom of Speech and Expression in press and media is the part of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India whereby they have a right to express their view. Journalists and Media houses play a significant role in democracy as playing the role of 4th pillar of democracy. It is a well-known fact that journalists face many Harassments. Journalists should be allowed latitude in criticizing persons who are in seats of power because their conduct discloses public interest. Therefore, according to the Norms of journalistic conduct, Journalists has the power to publish any article regarding a public person. Hence, Journalists should not be harassed for their conduct

CASE LAW

In ROMESH HAPAR V. STATE OF MADRAS, PATANJALI SHASTRI ,

The Hon’ble court held that Freedom of speech and of the press lays at the foundation of all democratic organization, for without free political discussion no public education, so essential for the proper functioning of the process of popular government is possible.

So there are many laws which protect the journalists from Harassment.

MEDIA PROFFESIONALS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

Media professionals have provided each and every news when required. They are the ones who provide us with all the current situations happening around us.

These are the testing time for everyone including Media and Government as COVID-19 is spreading at very high rate and this is the challenging time for Journalists. Journalists must provide accurate information and provide all the facts with proper evidences. As these are facts which people can rely on.

Most of the people are at home during the lockdown, it is natural to see a growth in media consumption. People are using various media platforms for Covid-19 related information, as this is the source left for them to have information but what is provided is still lacking in the evidences and true facts. Media professionals must collect all the evidences and before publishing all the facts must be re checked and the facts which are fake must be refrained from publishing and the sources which are unverified must not be used for providing the information.

CONCLUSION

Media is a platform where we come to know about different news, articles, journals etc. Media provide us easy access about everything. Society is affected by media in so many ways. It is the media for the people that helps them to get information about a lot of things and also to form opinions regarding various issues. All the credit for providing us with the information goes to journalists. They are the backbone of the people to engage them with news. Journalists keeps the people refurbish and informed about what is happening around them and the world. Journalists plays a vital role in society. Different journalists have different viewpoints.

“A journalist’s peculiar function is to read the mind of the country and to give definite and fearless expression to that mind”