Former SC judge flags ‘silence’ of journalists over media laws

Former Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy has expressed dismay and concern over what he described as the “silence” of the journalistic fraternity to the Union government’s attempts to introduce laws governing the media. He called upon journalists to mount a collective fight to protect their rights by seeking wider support from society.

Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Protection of Journalists: The Need for Collectivisation to Protect Journalists from Coercion by the State’ at a national conclave organised by the Federation of Press Clubs in Hyderabad on Sunday, Justice Sudarshan Reddy said attempts to dilute laws intended to protect journalists were a matter of concern.

He attributed journalists’ growing vulnerabilities to neoliberal economic policies and divisions within the journalistic community. Justice Sudarshan Reddy said the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 alone could not protect journalists. A proper understanding of the prevailing socio-economic and political conditions was necessary to effectively safeguard their rights, he said.

Executive Editor of The Caravan Hartosh Singh Bal, a member of the seven-member committee that drafted the Media Transparency (And Accountability) Bill, voiced concern over the growing prevalence of contractual employment in journalism and the weakening of journalists’ unions.

He stressed the need for journalists to unite and collectively resist attempts by media managements to weaken trade unions and undermine workers’ rights.

Telangana Media Academy chairman K. Sreenivas Reddy expressed concern over the declining standards of news reporting. Press Club of India president Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty moderated the discussion.