Journalists are like judges, they mustn’t let prejudices affect reportage: CJI

Nothing can be more lethal to democracy than the “deadly combination of confrontational polity and competitive journalism. Tragically they feed on each other,” Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said calling upon journalists to not allow their political ideology and beliefs affect their work.

Speaking at the prestigious RedInk Awards organized by the Mumbai Press Club on Wednesday, CJI Ramana said given the powerful institution that the press is, it becomes a journalist’s esteemed responsibility to set aside his or her personal likes, dislikes or prejudices while presenting news to the public.

“Journalists are like judges in one sense. Regardless of the ideology you profess and the beliefs you hold dear, you must do your duty without being influenced by them. You must report only the facts, with a view to give a complete and accurate picture,” he said.

“Nowadays, everything is subject to reporting. Every moment is available to the scrutiny of millions as things get reported 24×7. This places an enormous pressure not only on the person or professional being reported about, but also on the journalist doing the reporting. In the race for ratings, the important journalistic tenet of verification before publishing is not being followed. This leads to incorrect reporting,” CJI Ramana said, highlighting the issues in journalism.

Stressing how dangerous the publication of fake news can be, the CJI said such news doesn’t take time to amplify on the social media and once out there, it is almost impossible to take it down.

“Unlike print and electronic media, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to hold the social media platforms such as YouTube accountable even after they host most derogatory and defamatory stuff which has potential to ruin careers and lives,” he said.

“I advise all of you to follow the principles of natural justice before making adverse comments against someone who is not in a position to defend himself,” the CJI added.

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CJI Ramana said that the problem of partial reporting and “cherry-picking facts to give it a particular colour” was also another problem. “For instance, select portions of a speech get highlighted – mostly out of context – to suit a certain agenda,” he said.

The CJI also highlighted the issue of “attention economy” and said that in the hope of “grabbing the eyeballs,” the headlines that are given for news reports are “catchy, but misleading,” and that the headline is “interpretative and imaginary” and often “unreflective of the actual content of the reports.” “The headlines are then shared widely on social media, and become the news. The content is forgotten,” he said.

“I can empathise with the pressures journalists are operating under. Experience and reflections suggest that the media organisations run by independent and exclusive Trusts and by the companies which are only into the business of news are still in a position to ward off the pressures of various kinds to a great extent,” the CJI said.

Talking about the challenges of the profession, the CJI said journalists are constantly faced with the difficult job of speaking the truth and “holding up a mirror to society”.

“There is enormous pressure and stress upon you. In the contemporary world, performing your duty as a journalist is akin to dancing on razor’s edge,” he said.

The CJI said that now even the journalists on regular beats are also no longer safe. “Some of those in powerful positions, both political leaders and bureaucracy, mafia of all shades and those on the wrong side of the law – none of them are comfortable with a professional journalist. As a result, you keep getting unpleasant and disturbing messages. I know it is not easy for you and your families to deal with such threats,” he added.

“Another worrisome trend is the concerted effort to bracket journalists into a particular category. I can imagine how painful it is,” the CJI said.

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Revealing that he himself started out as a journalist, the CJI said even though brief, it was an “extremely satisfying profession” to pursue.

“It is often said that the legal profession is a noble profession. I can state that the journalist’s job is as noble and is an integral pillar of democracy. Like the legal professional, a journalist also needs to have a strong moral fibre and moral compass. Your conscience is your guide in this profession,” the CJI said.

Calling the freedom of press a sacred right enshrined in the Indian Constitution, the CJI said discussion and debate, which the press facilitates, are vital for the growth of a democracy.

“The freedom of the press is a sacrosanct Constitutional right. From the very beginning, the Supreme Court of India has upheld the freedom of the press as an important facet of our Constitution, from Sakal Papers and R. Rajagopal to Anuradha Bhasin. However, this freedom comes with an enormous responsibility that must be borne by every individual who is part of the journalistic enterprise, the journalists, editors, and management,” the CJI said.

The CJI also said that the media needs to invest on specialists to be able to inform the readers and viewers accurately. “I think it might be necessary for working journalists’ unions to organise training camps and orientation programmes for journalists like what we do for judges,” he said.

The CJI also said that the recent trend to “sermonise about judgments, and villainise judges,” should be checked.

“The media must have belief and trust in the judiciary. As a key stakeholder in democracy, media has the duty to defend and protect the judiciary from motivated attacks by evil forces. We are together in the Mission Democracy and in promoting national interest. We have to sail together,” CJI Ramana added.

The CJI congratulated senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha for receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at the RedInk Awards.

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The CJI also paid his respects to photo journalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed in Afghanistan this year. Siddiqui was honoured with the “Journalist of the Year” award posthumously. The award was received by his wife Rike Siddiqui.

“He was a man with a magical eye and was rightly regarded as one of the foremost photo-journalists of this era. If a picture can tell a thousand words, his photos were novels,” CJI Ramana said about Siddiqui.

The Federal’s Prabhakar Tamilarasu won the RedInk Awards under the Human Rights Print category for his incisive reporting on the horrific custodial deaths at Santhankulam in Tamil Nadu.