Sir,

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which we never knew existed until the media broadcasted it; I have a few points to share.

It isn’t clear what this ‘Freedom of the Press’ is supposed to mean. Every country in the world says that in theory their newspapers and press is free. But there are other laws which can be used to stop news from being published, or to stop journalists.

All newspapers, TV news channels and Radio channels aren’t the same. Quite a few of them may have political bias, others may have religious bias, still others may be in the rabble-rousing business.

In these days of home-grown TV channels, many of us complain of more sensation than sense in the news.

In India, journalists do get jailed, beaten up, threatened, and bumped off. So do journalists in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and elsewhere. That is one of the hazards of the profession.

Like soldiers, journalists also struggle for the people’s freedom to be kept alive. In that sense, it’s part of the job, and they should be ready to be sacrificed for their truth.

Like terrorists, journalists may also  sow seeds of hatred, discord, ultra-religious ideology. In that sense it’s part of their job, and they should be ready to face the consequences.

The point is that one man’s soldier may be another man’s terrorist.

And that is what makes this whole issue very complicated.

Yours Truly,

Samantha John, Whitefield, Bangalore

  letters, World Press