Freedom of media is a most significant issue . Fredom & rights are intercepted

1. Freedom of Media Vis-a-Vis
Accountability
Presentation by Dr. Keshav Sathaye
keshavsathaye@gmail.com

2. Freedom of Media
"Right to Freedom of Speech and
Expression"

3. Freedom of Media
a fundamental right of the citizens of
India.

4. Freedom of Media
This is mentioned in Part III of the
Constitution of India - Article 19(1).

5. Freedom of Media
the right of free propagation and free
circulation without any previous
restraint on publication.

6. Freedom of Media
to act as a watch-dog by exercising its
role to warn and curb forces of
repression, corruption and divisiveness

7. Media rights
to ensuring that all people have the
opportunity to tell their stories,
acquire knowledge and actively
participate in society.

8. Media rights
To ask questions & sought
clarification from Govt, Public sector,
private sector etc.

9. Freedom of Media
Article19(2) of the Constitution
imposes reasonable restrictions on
the exercise of the right .

10. Freedom of Media
Restrictions
sovereignty and integrity of India.
The security of the state, friendly relations
with foreign states, public order, decency of
morality or in relation to contempt of court,
defamation or incitement to an offense

11. Freedom of Media
Restrictions
Whenever, emergency is declared in
a country, these rights remain
suspended

12. Freedom of Media ?
Delhi high court suo motu initiated
contempt proceedings against Mid
Day journalists for publishing a story
questioning the acts of former chief justice
of India (CJI) Y K Sabharwal. The message to
the media was loud and clear — you dare
not write anything against the courts.

13. Freedom of Media
September 2013 when Asaram Bapu
was subject to intense media scrutiny
court allowed it,

14. Freedom of Media?
January, 2014 when an ex- SC judge, Justice Swatanter
Kumar, was accused of sexual harassment and subject
to the same intense media scrutiny as Asaram Bapu.
The Delhi High Court, in response to a defamation
lawsuit filed by the ex-SC judge was swift to impose
postponement orders on the media.,

15. Freedom of Media
Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice P B Sawant, had sued Times Now for
mistakenly displaying his photograph in a report on September 10, 2008, about
a person (with a phonetically similar sounding name) allegedly involved in the
multi-crore Provident Fund scam. A Pune trial court had decreed the suit for
Rs100 crore against the TV channel. Times Now had appealed against the trial
court verdict, but the Mumbai HC in September this year had asked the TV
channel to first deposit Rs 20 crore and provide Rs 80 crore as bank guarantee
as a pre-condition for hearing the appeal. Appearing for the TV channel, senior
advocate Harish Salve said the channel had apologized for the mistake and had
run an apology for five continuous days and requested the apex court to relax
the stiff condition of depositing Rs 100 crore as a pre-condition for appeal. .,

16. Freedom of Media?
the contempt case initiated against journalist Madhu Trehan and her colleagues while
she was editor of Wah India. In an audacious attempt at judicial accountability, Trehan
and her colleagues had administered a survey amongst senior advocates in the Delhi
High Court asking them to rate the judges of the Delhi High Court on various factors
including punctuality, integrity, knowledge etc.
The intention was to grade the judges on the basis of the information collected. The
results of the survey were published in the magazine leading to an unprecedented
situation where the Delhi High Court acting on a contempt petition filed by the bar,
ordered the Delhi Police to seize all copies of the magazine and also restrained the
media from reporting on the contempt proceedings.
The ban on the reporting of the contempt petition was lifted only after the editors of
theIndian Express, Hindustan Times, Outlook, Times of India, Punjab Kesari &
Kuldip Nayar moved court opposing the gag order.

17. Freedom of Media
second press commission
advocated
the media should be neither an
adversary nor an ally of the
Government, but a constructive
critic

18. Media Accountability
to serve the entire community of
varying minds

19. Pressures on Media
. The external and internal pressures
such as interference by political and
business leaders, pressure from
advertisers, physical attacks on the
press people, and so on.

20. Freedom of Media?
called "increased interference in content by media
owners.
In 2013 Index, the rank of India was 20 with 38 points.
India's press freedom score declined by a point to 39 "

21. Freedom-World view
Sweden topped the list and belongs to the
world's most independent press.
The world's eight worst-rated countries
remain Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan,
and Uzbekistan.

22. Freedom of Media
Global press freedom has fallen to its
lowest level in over a decade with
India ranked 78th and belonging to
countries with "partially free media".

23. Pressures on Media

24. TV & radio Media Revenue
TV industry –Rs. 50140crore
TV channel 788 ,out of which news
channels 400-Radio Rs. 1540 crore
Internet users more than 15crores

25. TV Media Revenue
Out of total audience 8 to 10 % are
news channel viewers

26. TV Media Revenue
2013-14 news channel revenue
Rs2000cr.
80% share to major 10 news channels

27. • Media’s Responsibilities
• impartiality and objectivity in reporting
• neutrality
• crime and violence are not glorified
• utmost discretion while reporting on violence and crime
against women and children
• Abhor sex and nudity
• privacy
• national security
• Refraining from advocating or encouraging superstition and
occultism
• responsible sting operations
• .

28. • Corrigendum:
• significant mistakes made in the course of any broadcast
is acknowledged and corrected on air
• immediately. Corrections should also be scheduled in
such a way that they attract enough viewer
• Viewer feedback:
• create provision to receive consumer feedback. Further
any
• specific viewer complaints will be responded to. In the
event any news channel gets a specific
• complaint if found to be true it will admit to the same on
air and will respond in fullness and fairness

29. Accountability
• No compromising of the news
• Reject malicious, biased, regressive, knowingly inaccurate,
• hurtful, misleading, or aimed at willfully concealing a conflict
of interest.
• to empower the profession of television
• abiding set of values

30. Media Responsibility
A clear cut line between news &
opinion .
A clear cut distinction between
advertising & editorial
Sponsorship norms
Headline sponsorship
Paid news phenomena

31. Editorial Responsibilities
Balance of content
Political coverage
Power politics emphasis
balance of Visual representation use
of graphics & animation

32. How we can imbibe responsible
media practices ?
syllabus ,teaching modules ,media
ethics to be integral part of course
not just a subject

33. How we can imbibe responsible
media practices ?
Media ownership norms
cross media ownership, professional
outlook

34. How we can have good media
practices ?
Trained personnel
Healthy & free atmosphere
Editorial liberties

35. How we can have good media
practices ?
Audience empowerment
Socio cultural literacy
Audience grievance cell
Ready to pay for balanced stuff

36. Thank You
•