The Constitution of India guarantees Right to Freedom of
Speech and Expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution. This
right within its ambit includes the Right to Press and Right to Information.
Press is considered as a watchdog and the fourth pillar of
democracy as it keeps a check on the functioning of the three organs of the
government that are Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. The freedom given to
the press is for the benefit of the public because if it is not free from the
interference of the governmental bodies then they shall not be able to provide
objective, factual, critically analysed information free from any prejudices or
biases.
India is a democratic country where people choose their
representatives so, it is necessary for the people to have correct and truthful
information regarding the functioning of the government so that they can decide
whether the government is keeping their promises as they made in their election
manifesto or if there is a need to change the existing government in power.
Thus, Right to Information plays an integral part.
Right to Press and Right to Information go hand in hand.
Media in a democratic country has a huge responsibility. It has to maintain
transparency in the government. The common people don’t have the resources to
get factually correct and all the information about the political sphere of the
country on their own. Therefore, media through their power reach to ministers,
government officials and governmental organisations to collect information
about any concerned topic to later present it to the people in a simple as well
as understandable manner. The role that media plays in a democracy is no child
play especially in a country like India which is very diversified in all the
aspects which includes but is not limited to religion, caste, language, race
etc. Media also has to ensure that they present the truth in a manner which
does not hurt the feelings of any sections of the community as it might lead to
social unrest and undermine public order.
The extent to which a country gives freedom to its press
indicates its democratic nature and the role that media plays during the time
of crisis shows its credibility. All the countries across the globe are fighting
against the deadly pandemic COVID-19 and India is no exception to it. Various
measures have been taken in response to the spread of disease. Government has
announced nationwide lockdown, travel bans have been announced, contracts have
been suspended or terminated.
In a situation where people are locked inside their house
with no connection outside they are dependent on the press and media to gather
information about the pandemic. Media houses are playing a vital role by
providing imperative information to the people. Safety measures, factual data
of patients diagnosed and recovered, success stories etc. are re-printed and
re-telecasted on various platforms to motivate people and aware them about the
existing situation. They are trying their best to provide insight which can
help citizens keep a positive outlook, but there is a difference between the
positive outlook and foolishness. The politicians always want the media to act
as a lapdog rather than a watchdog and it is no surprise but in the present
scenario, it has been seen that even the public does not want the media to
convey any gloomy information. This sense of perspective is not right because
if the media is silenced then no problems will ever be resolved.
One more issue that exists is the way corporate media houses
are presenting news for their interest. Many of the news channels during the
time of lockdown criticised the movement of poor migrant workers to reach their
home rather than focusing and questioning the government and its lack of
arrangement for these sections of people in India. No private-owned media
platform discussed and debated the failure of the government to take radical
measures to combat this pandemic earlier even after finding out about the first
case of Coronavirus in the month of January in India. Instead of deliberating
on these necessary issues, the media was only busy covering the festivities
people made when instead of staying at their places and clapping hands or
lighting diyas for appreciating medical staff they went on the streets to do
the same which led to an increase in the number of cases.
With the invention of the Internet and its counterpart
social media, the scope of communications has changed a lot. Social media has
transformed the lives of each and every individual. Expressing ideas, thoughts
and views is no longer a luxury available only to elected representatives, rich
businessmen, famous personalities and public servants; with the innovation of
social media, every person is able to express themselves freely. Social media
ensures that the voice of every individual is heard. Today, there is no field
which is not using social media for its benefits. Like, various business
ventures use social media platforms to understand the interest of the audience
and use the same information to target them. There are 483 million internet
users and 326.1 million social media users in India[1].Social
media is not less than a blessing but no blessing comes without any
difficulties. Increase in the use of social media by every group of people has
led to the rise in fake news which has created disharmony, hatred, ill- will,
violence etc.
Director-General of
the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
“We
are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an infodemic. Fake news
spreads faster and more easily than a virus, and is just as dangerous.”
Many news pieces have been circulated online on various
social media platforms regarding the origin of the virus. Some said that the
virus originated due to a lady eating a specific gene of the bat in China and
their government acting negligently which led to its spread in its country and
globally. Some stated that the coronavirus (SARS – COV-2) was intentionally
created by scientists in a laboratory of Wuhan, China to use it as a biological
weapon against other countries too would ensure the downfall of power and
economy of other countries and rise for China. None of the statements has yet
been proved but it has surely made people of other countries discriminatory
towards the people living in Wuhan.
Many other fake news are also in circulation like recently,
an audio clip was viral which delivered the message that Muslims are licking
vegetables and utensils to spread coronavirus. A textual message was in circulation
on WhatsApp which stated that the Government has decided to deduct 30% pension
during this time. These messages created panic and tension among people.
Recently, a video of Muslim individual beating a Hindu priest created
differences among people of the respective religion.[2]
The cyber wing of Maharashtra has constantly been keeping an
eye on the online activities and till now they have registered 363 cases of
misinformation, rumours and fake news regarding COVID -19. One of the
registered cases was of Sangli district where some people were arrested for
making a TikTok video where they blamed a particular community for the spread
of this deadly virus and abused some social reformers. Out of 363 registered
cases, 155 cases were of WhatsApp and 140 were of Facebook. [3]15
people have been arrested in Mizoram for sharing the news that the lockdown
shall extend for a longer period of time therefore, the locals living outside
should return home. A man was arrested in Odisha because he disseminated the
message that an infected person from outside the state has come to Odisha with
an intention to spread the virus. [4]
Media can either help in the growth of the country by
providing information that is true and free from prejudice or can blind side
people by working for their personal interest. India shall cease to exist as
democracy the day media becomes corrupt, fickle and servants of wealthy and
powerful people.
[1] “Number of internet users in India 2015-2013
published by Sanika Diwanji (Statista, 26 May 2020)
[2] “Spreading Rumours And Fake
News Can Land You In Trouble Here’s How” by ABP Bureau (ABP LIVE, 10 April
2020) https://news.abplive.com/news/india/coronavirus-fake-news-covid-19-rumours-can-land-you-in-trouble-1194709/amp
[3] 2020 “Maharashtra: 363 cases registered over
social media posts on COVID-19” by PTI
(Economic Times,9 May) http://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/maharashtra-363-cases-registered-over-social-media-posts-on-covid-19/articleshow/75641622.cms
[4] “Fake News, Real
Arrests” by Bhavya Dore (Foreign Policy, 17 April 2020) <https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/17/fake-news-real-arrests/ >
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