Justice (retired) Madan B. Lokur, addressing at the International Press Institute India award ceremony on Saturday, said that journalists must stand up to safeguard their fundamental rights.
“It is common knowledge that the press is under attack in many ways,” Justice Lokur, the prize jury’s chairman, stated. Many journalists have been detained and held in custody for long periods of time. FIRs have been lodged against many others for the same reason.” He claimed that journalists had to be far more cautious than in the past, and he wondered where this left press freedom.
Godi Media must not become descriptive Identity of Journalists
“We need to think about this, and journalists need to stand up to protect their constitutional and fundamental rights,” Justice Lokur said, adding that accusations of a “godi” media or a “slightly compromised media” should not become descriptive of the print and audio-visual media across the country.
At the event, famous journalist Mark Tully presented Ritika Chopra of The Indian Express with the IPI India award for excellence in journalism for 2020. Sreenivasan Jain and Mariyam Alavi of NDTV and Lakshmi Subramanian and Bhanu Prakash Chandra of The Week shared the 2021 award. Journalists, according to Mr. Tully, should strive for balance in their work.
“What you’re reporting on isn’t your storey; it’s the storey of the person you’re reporting on.” “Look for measures to restore equilibrium,” he advised. He recounted his experiences during the Emergency, when he was forced to flee the nation in less than 24 hours.
“At the time, the information was blocked out. The situation is different today since information is readily available and other sources are available, but this does not negate the reality that the press is under pressure. We must keep the media alive. Mr. Tully stated, “We should keep the flame of information burning.”