TABLE OF CONTENTS
500+ Words Essay on Freedom of the Press
Freedom of the press is the principle of communication & expression through media, including both printed & electronic means. It is one of the fundamentals & essential step stone for any democratic government. It is said that without a free press, democracy cannot exist; it is one of the wheels of democracy. In India, freedom of the press is protected by the constitution. The press is supposed to act as the acting link between its government & the people in a democratic country. It helps in exposing the truth & brings transparency in the systems. It acts as a mirror to citizens of a country.
Importance of Freedom of the Press
People of a democratic country have the right to speech & expression under fundamental rights. So it becomes the duty of the press to keep the people always updated, educated & alert. The press collects the facts & figures on different levels. They verify that & present them to the people.
The expression of the press has a high impact on public opinions. It plays a significant role to pass the right information in the right platform to the right people. However, the press is not allowed to blackmail people, character assassination, or to indulge in any cheap sensualisation.
Press has helped people to connect to the world by passing on the essential inventions, technologies, advancement in the globe. It has also helped to realise the issues we are facing globally as humankind, for example, global warming, ozone layer depletion, pollution, etc. It has also enlightened us with & has helped us to fight natural disasters from time to time, for example, Tsunami, Kerala Flood, etc. It is promoting information which has built up a humanitarian feeling among the people across the world.
Press has also promoted sports, craft & culture at a different level. It has helped us broadcasting the information over the seas, for example, the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Cricket World Cup, Football champion leagues, Beauty pageants events, Oscars etc. It has helped to develop a sense of healthy competitiveness among people by promotion.
It has also helped people to highlight their problems from very grass root level to the present government. There have been several debates on unemployment, poverty, religious riots, education system, health care system, the safety of women etc. It highlighted the problem of people & helped them to express their views directly to the government.
They also have the responsibility to check & balance the administration & government. Whenever there is any corruption, misuse of power or oppression of thoughts, press acts as the first whistle-blower in the system. It can raise voice against any activity which is against law & order.
Press is not the enemy of government not acts so. It also helps the government’s efforts by recognising their work done for the benefits of citizens. It helps in promoting government policies & work by educating people regarding the same. It creates a healthy environment in the society. The press is not there to add to people’s problem; it works to promote the collective well being of the nation.
The press must be honest & vigilant. Media can play around in any government. When they have such power, they must try their best to come up with the best output of the nation. It plays a significant role in shaping the opinion of the people about the government. They have peoples trust & support. However, such type of power proves quite dangerous sometimes.
How can it go wrong?
The press in India has been enjoying complete freedom since independence. However, sometimes it seems that the press is not responsibly playing its due part. The power given to the press is misused to a large extent.
At times, the press is found to refuse to look at things objectively. It looks at things through the tinted glasses of prejudice & indulges is baseless criticisms. It has also been found that sometimes they openly promote communal hatred & create an unnecessary nationally unhealthy environment.
In the recent year’s press has been found under the influence of powerful & political groups. Some influential groups start their newspaper also. They have their cell in government to bags a big chunk of hefty advertisement & money. They create a permanent nexus with a particular group & party by giving headlines in their newspaper. It has misguided people to shape their opinions. The government must come up with some policies to check such kind of practice.
Conclusion
As we can conclude that press has a huge responsibility towards the people & nation on its shoulder. They must try to all possible things so that people can blindly rely on them. A vigilant, fearless media is the requirement of any democratic setup. Freedom of the press has always been considered essential. Press has always helped in safeguarding the fundamental rights of the people.
However, any media without restraint can prove to be hazardous. As they have the power & freedom to showcase anything, sometimes it has been found misleading the people with their facts & agendas. So the need for responsible journalism is a basic necessity.