Notion that any institution should be above criticism corrosive to democratic values: N Ravi

The notion that any institution should be above criticism and the dignity and authority of judges need to be upheld by shielding them from normal scrutiny and critical remarks are "corrosive" to democratic values, veteran journalist N Ravi said on Friday. Ravi, who is a publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, said the rationale that public trust in the judiciary would somehow be shaken by public criticism reflects poorly on the strength and confidence of the judiciary whose authority has to rest on its obvious fairness and the quality of its judgements.

"Contempt charges have been brought for criticism of the judicial system, and the courts themselves have started contempt action over reports on the personal conduct of judges and criticism of their administrative actions. "The larger issue is whether the offence of scandalising the court should remain in the statute book. The notion that any institution should be above criticism and that the dignity and authority of judges need to be upheld by shielding them from normal scrutiny and critical remarks is corrosive of democratic values," said Ravi while delivering a lecture on "Freedom, responsibility and accountability of the Indian media".

He said it is important in this context to avoid an impression of conflict with the institution of the judiciary as a whole, even while pushing for more liberal laws and liberal interpretation. Ravi, who is also the Chairman of news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), was speaking at the Tenth Anniversary Jindal Global Lecture Series.

"The judiciary through its various decisions has helped strengthen the basic framework of media freedom. It is equally true that during an earlier era before the judiciary fortified itself through judicial fiat, when the executive was dominant and arbitrary appointments, supersessions, transfers and the talk of a committed judiciary prevailed, the media by and large helped shape public opinion in favour of the independence of the judiciary," Ravi said. He said that another law that is often invoked with reference to speech or expression is sedition, and while this colonial-era law continues in the statute book, the courts have restricted its application to an intention to create hatred and incite violence or create public disorder.

"Other offences relating to the security of the state that restricts freedom of expression include the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 that deals with terrorism and organised crime and the Official Secrets Act that prohibits the publication of certain information deemed secret," he said. Speaking on the state of the media in the country, he noted that India is one of the largest media markets in the world with over 70,000 registered newspapers in various languages, 1600 cable television stations and 384 million active internet users.

"According to the Indian Readership Survey 2019, 39 per cent of the people read newspapers, 77 per cent watch television and 24 per cent access the Internet. While elsewhere the digital revolution has seen newspaper circulations drop sharply, India is one of the few markets where with growing literacy and incomes print readership is also growing and according to the Survey, newspaper readership grew from 407 million to 425 million between 2017 and 2019. "While the Indian media market is diverse and offers a wide range of news and opinion, the digital revolution is fast catching up. This would have three major consequences.

"First, the traditional business model in which advertising used to pay for quality journalism that could be brought to readers at a relatively low price is collapsing with advertising moving online and to television. Newspapers and television stations are still groping to find a viable business model for online publications," he said. Ravi said that business publications have been successful in getting readers to pay for online content and a few general newspapers such as the New York Times launched commercially viable online editions.

While the Indian media market is still growing, it is a question of "maybe five years" before the global trend catches up and a new quest for a viable business model for journalism will begin, he said. "Secondly, with the growing use of the internet and with the spread of smartphones across the country including the rural areas, the way people access news is fast changing. Mobile phones are increasingly becoming the points of access to news and entertainment...

"Thirdly, the growing use of the social media has been a force for the good in that it has democratised access to the media and to a wide range of news and entertainment. "Yet, the proliferation of online content and the absence of gate-keeping have enabled the rapid spread of even fake news and the planting of stories that could shape public opinion and even determine electoral outcomes. Fake news that could spark violence and conflict among different religious, caste or ethnic groups has been a matter of concern in India as well," he said.

Ravi praised the evolution of the O P Jindal Global University under the leadership of Founding Vice Chancellor C Raj Kumar who said the veteran journalist was one among the many individuals who encouraged him in his initiative to set up the varsity of global stature.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)