India is a democratic country. Journalism is considered to be the fourth pillar of democracy because here people have freedom of expression. The freedom of the press in India is ensured by the fundamental right of ‘Freedom of Expression’ given to Indians in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
The First Press Commission had envisioned a ‘Press Council’ with the aim of protecting the freedom of the press in India and setting high ideals in journalism. As a result, the Press Council was established in India on 4 July 1966, which started its formal work on 16 November 1966. Since then, every year 16 November is celebrated as ‘National Press Day’.
Why is it celebrated after all? National Press Day
The basic objective of this day is to spread awareness about the importance of ‘Freedom of the Press’. Also, this day talks about the commitment to uphold and respect the freedom of expression. This day, which warns the world about the importance of freedom of the press, shows that the media plays an important role in protecting and restoring the values of democracy. For this reason, governments should also ensure the safety of journalists. Whereas in the present times, due to the lack of security of journalists, the news of the murder of journalists is seen in the headlines of the newspaper every day. Which is a matter of shame for the civilized society.
Today the field of journalism has become wider. Journalism is the art and mode of conveying informational, educative, and entertaining messages to the masses. A newspaper is like an answer book with lakhs of examiners and countless reviewers. The examiners and reviewers of other mediums are also their target group.
Factuality, realism, balance, and objectivity are its basic elements. But their shortcomings have proved to be a big tragedy in the field of journalism today. Whether a journalist is trained or untrained, it is known to all that there should be factuality in journalism. But the tendency to create a sensation by distorting, exaggerating, or reducing facts has started increasing in journalism today.
Partisanship and imbalance are also often seen in the news. In this way, vested interests in the news are clearly visible. Thoughts are being mixed in the news today. Newspapers are being editorialized. The number of the news based on ideas has started increasing. This has led to the development of an unhealthy trend in journalism. News is the mother of ideas. So ideas based on news can be welcome, but news based on ideas is like a curse.
