MUMBAI: Chief Justice of India NV Ramana virtually graced the Red Ink Awards for Excellence in Journalism on Wednesday. He said that ideological stances and biases are seeping in news reporting.
The CJI said interpretation and opinion are colouring what should be factual reports.
“News mixed with views is a dangerous cocktail. Connected to this is the problem of partial reporting, of cherry-picking facts to give it a particular colour. For instance, select portions of a speech get highlighted — mostly out of context — to suit a certain agenda.”
He also said a healthy democracy can thrive and survive only with a fearless and independent press. For that, journalists need to grow in number.
“As someone who started his professional career as a journalist, I can understand your difficulties and struggles. Speaking truth to power and holding up a mirror to society is an immense responsibility that is difficult to fulfil,” he added.
“It is often said that legal profession is a noble profession. I can state that a journalist’s job is 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. Freedom of the press is a valuable and sacred right enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Without such freedom, there cannot be discussion and debate that is essential for the growth of democracy.,” the CJI said.
“Every moment is available to the scrutiny of millions as things get reported 24x7. This places pressure not only on the person or professional being reported about but also on the journalist. In the race for ratings, the important journalistic tenet of verification before publishing is not being followed. Social media amplifies that incorrect news in seconds,” he mentioned.
The CJI cautioned journalists against the trend of seeping of ideological biases into news stories and said factual reports must keep aside interpretations and opinions.
"Another trend that I witness in reporting nowadays, is the seeping of ideological stances and biases into the news story. Interpretation and opinions are colouring what should be factual reports," he said.
Underscoring the need for unbiased, fact-based reportage, particularly during the current 24×7 news cycle, and the vast reach of social media, the CJI said that journalists must resist being "co-opted by an ideology or by the state".
"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," CJI Ramana said.
"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," he said.
The CJI was speaking at the 'Red Inks Award' organised online by the Mumbai Press Club in the through a virtual interface.
The top-most Supreme Court judge lamented the increasing trend of "mixing views with news," and publishing defamatory content without due verification.
He said journalists must follow the principles of natural justice before making adverse comments against someone who was not in a position to defend himself.
"Allowing yourself to be co-opted by an ideology or the state is a recipe for disaster. Journalists are like judges in one sense," CJI Ramana said.
"Regardless of the ideology you profess and the beliefs you hold dear, you must do your duty without being influenced by them," he said.
The Chief Justice of India also congratulated all the winners of the Red Ink Awards.
He said Mumbai had been at the "forefront of protecting the freedom of speech and expression," and added the city had been home to some great patriots, freedom fighters, human rights activists and journalists.
It was, therefore, apt that the Mumbai Press Club organised the awards for fearless journalism, the CJI said.
"The media must have belief and trust in the judiciary. As a key stakeholder in democracy, the media has the duty to defend and protect the judiciary from motivated attacks by evil forces," he said.
"We are together in the Mission Democracy and in promoting national interest. We have to sail together," the CJI said.
He added that the trend to "sermonise about judgments, and villainise judges," needed to be checked.
In his keynote address delivered during the event, CJI Ramana also paid tributes to late photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed earlier this year in Afghanistan, where he was on an assignment when foreign troops were withdrawing from the war-torn country.
Siddiqui was named posthumously as the 'Journalist of the Year - 2020' at the Red Ink Awards.
"He (Siddiqui) was a man with a magical eye. If a picture can convey a thousand words, his photos were novels" CJI Ramana said.
He also paid a tribute to all journalists who had lost their lives while reporting during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Their reporting was integral for highlighting issues and to bring much needed attention to the plight of our citizens," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)