Professional editors must seriously introspect

He blamed the Fourth Estate for the perception that the government was not able to implement its agenda. In such a situation, no democracy can function especially when decisions had to be taken when one was not aware of all the facts but post mortems were conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the media which had more facts than those who took the decisions.

If the government is besieged with continuous cynicism, then it would result in the growth impulses getting weak, he observed extremely worried about the increasing trend of sensational journalism. That this serious issue involving individual rights and privacy is posing a grave threat to the credibility of the media cannot be brushed under the carpet. Nobody is against exposure where the facts are indisputable and in larger public interest.

With Britain being transfixed by the phone hacking scam which has shaken the media worldwide and laid bare the vulnerability of the people at large, it is time that professional editors do some serious introspection aimed at curbing this menace adversely affecting society at large. It is one thing to expose scams and wrong doing by public figures and others in public interest and quite another to invade their privacy as evidenced in the case filed by industrialist Ratan Tata. One of the main culprits here is the electronic media’s bid to garner attention and push up its TRPs.  It is apparent that with tremendous pressure to produce stories, reporters are taking short cuts.

Paid news and stings

Coupled with paid news in the print media, there is the dangerous trend among certain TV channels anxious to gain attention, indulging in unscrupulous methods in so called pursuit of an exclusive story to titilate the imagination of the viewers. These are through sting operations which are not always above board but stage managed. The journalist in question who undertook one such sting operation was charged with impersonation, criminal conspiracy and creating false evidence. The hidden camera cannot be allowed to depict something which is not true and correct. The alleged incident of a teacher inducing a girl student into the world's oldest trade of prostitution was nothing but a fabricated sting operation grossly violating a person's right to privacy. It is the responsibility of the media to present the news in an accurate manner serving the interest of the people. The damage done in this instance as in several others pertaining to character assassination was irreparable.

There is no denying that some of the laws in this country are archaic having been scripted by the colonial rulers. It is widely acknowledged that a large number of laws require to be amended for keeping pace with the present day ground realities and highly changed circumstances. The Press Council of India as the media watchdog is hampered in discharging its functions because of lack of teeth.

Its Chairperson, Justice Jayachandra Reddy, advocated more powers to equip the institution in tackling fresh and emerging situations. He maintained that the PCI is not a punitive body. It was an apparent reference to a section of the press brazenly flouting the directions and adjudication of the institution. While living in an era of sensationalism, the sprouting of TV channels and newspapers did not necessarily mean a better media. He condemned the media for declaring people guilty even before any court had done so.

Self-regulation

In all such instances the problem lies with the people at the top in news organisations, be it the print or the audio-visual media. Similar to individual rights of expression, the media in this country is barred from reporting an incident or expressing an idea if it violates the integrity and sovereignty of the country. The bar also applies in instances where it amounts to (a) jeopardising India's friendly ties with foreign countries; (b) disrupts public order; and (c) is capable of inciting an offence. The media is also governed by the laws of the Official Secrets Act.

With journalism struggling with credibility ratings, the Editors Guild of India has advocated a code of self conduct. The Press Council of India is a mechanism for the entire media to regulate itself. It underscores that in a democratic society the press at once needs to be free and responsible as well as being a watchdog of public interest. The PCI code is essentially to facilitate the newspapers to maintain their independence and ensure high standards of public taste. In the case of paid news, Editors have been impressed upon to curb this practice.

The country needs a legal framework for protecting domestic data. Only a handful of countries like Argentina, Canada, Australia and Switzerland have such a measure in place. Creating a good Data Protection Law could extend beyond the mere supplier of services to the multinational corporations. The PCI is categorical that the media should not intrude into the privacy of an individual unless it is outweighed by genuine overriding public interest. At the same time it should steer clear of being a prurient or morbid curiosity.  The PCI has its limitations and various Chairpersons have sought enlargement of its powers. The other aspect is for journalists themselves to draw upon agreed guidelines rather than dabble in sensationalism or yellow journalism.

(The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist.)