Learn from US media

Will India ever have an Acosta moment? Jim Acosta was the CNN journalist whose White House press accreditation was taken away from him after he asked US President Donald Trump unwelcome questions at a press conference. His press pass was, however, restored by a US federal judge citing America’s First Amendment, that protects the right to freedom of expression. Acosta also had the support of not only his employers, CNN, but of the entire media. In India, freedom of speech is guaranteed by our Constitution but it is said that in this country this freedom is really of the owners of the media. There was a recent case of two television channel journalists having to resign after they had exposed the ground situation over the implementation of a government scheme, that turned out to be a sham. This angered the government and the journalists had to resign as they didn’t get the backing of the owners, who feared the wrath of the government. Significantly, other sections of the media didn’t show much concern or support.

Perhaps these owners acted in haste and were more loyal than the king. In this context, it might be appropriate to quote Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 had talked of this country’s basic values like freedom of expression that were threatened by the Emergency. He referred to his book Apatkalme Gujarat (Gujarat during the Emergency), where he had mapped out the mass movements and other heroic deeds of those in Gujarat who opposed the Emergency.