Media must do honest journalism: CJI Ramana

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that the media must confine itself to honest journalism and not use it as a tool to expand its influence and business interests. Ramana said a media house with other business interests becomes vulnerable to external pressures and often business interests overcome the spirit of independent journalism compromising democracy.

CJI Ramana also said there was no systemic support for journalists in the country and neither was there an award which was comparable to the Pulitzer or many Pulitzer winning journalists.

Ramana said, “Journalists are the eyes and the ears of the people. It is the responsibility of media houses to present facts. Especially in the Indian social scenario, people still believe that whatever is printed is true. All I want to say is that the media must confine itself to honest journalism without using it as a tool to expand its influence and business interests.”

While the country’s senior-most judge acknowledged the presence of “journalists who are equally enthused in today’s media”, he remarked that when a brilliant story filed by a journalist is killed at the desk, it is thoroughly demoralising.

Asserting that independent journalism is the “backbone of democracy”, the CJI, a former journalist, also urged the stakeholders to introspect why the standards here are not considered good enough for international recognition and laurel in the field of journalism.