Article 19(1)(a) in The Constitution Of India 1949 (1) All citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression. Media helps the common people to understand the ongoing affairs of the state. It helps them to question the authority, which helps to maintain the check and the balance in the state. But a media can be regulated by the way of censorship which says that there might be some work of the media that might be regulated. The forms of media are newspapers, film, radio, television, computer software, communications network, and so forth. Jim Morrison stated that the “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” Therefore if there is a control of the media then the rule of law and the true essence of democracy can’t exist. Media helps to counter the issue of social evils which exist in a society like it can highlight the issues in front of the government. The media plays a major role in portraying the government to the general mass. Sometimes the media appear willing or unwitting participants in chasing stories the government wants them to chase; other times politicians find themselves chasing issues that the media has enlarged by its coverage. Over the decades, political scientists, journalists, politicians, and political pundits have put forth many arguments about the media’s power in influencing the government and politicians (Willis, 2007).https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/15-7-media-influence-on-laws-and-government/
A free press serves four essential purposes:
- Holding government leaders accountable to the people.
- Publicizing issues that need attention.
- Educating citizens so they can make informed decisions, and
- Connecting people with each other in civil societyhttps://www.ethicssage.com/2016/10/the-role-of-the-media-in-politics.html
Kuldip Nayar, a veteran journalist wrote to Mrs. Gandhi soon after she imposed the emergency, “if the newspaper has criticized the government, it is largely because of its sluggish administration, slow progress in the economy field and the gap between promise and performance. My concept of a free press is to ferret out the truth and let the public know.”At the time of the emergency, there was much ambiguity relating to the power of the press, its freedom, and what is its position in the context of the government.http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/1847/Freedom-of-Press—Article-19(1)(a).html The free press helps in keeping the check and the balance of the government and it also tries to make the people aware of the situation and the policies of the government. In the case of the Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) (P) Ltd. v. Union of India has stated: “In today’s free world freedom of the press is the heart of social and political intercourse. The press has now assumed the role of the public educator making formal and non-formal education possible on a large scale particularly in the developing world, where television and other kinds of modern communication are not still available for all sections of society. The purpose of the press is to advance the public interest by publishing facts and opinions without which a democratic electorate [Government] cannot make responsible judgments. Newspapers being purveyors of news and views having a bearing on public administration very often carry material which would not be palatable to Governments and other authorities.”http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/1847/Freedom-of-Press—Article-19(1)(a).html
