DNA Special: Free and fair journalism under threat?

In a democratic country like India freedom of speech and expression is the fundamental right of every citizen. Unfortunately, this very base of a strong democracy is in question. On Wednesday, Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was arrested by the Raigadh police from his residence. 

And the arrest has nothing to do with the TRP controversy or the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Neither it has anything to do with the police commissioner of Mumbai with whom he was locked in a war of words. The arrest is made in a 2-year-old case relating to abetment of suicide of a person named Anvay and her mother.

Interestingly the Raigadh police closed the case in 2019 without any summons or arrests in the case. But after the daughter of the victim again made a complaint in this case the police arrested Goswami from his residence.

Several questions are being raised on the nature of arrest by the Raigadh police as it had filed a closure report in the case after a year citing non-evidence. 

Questions are also being raised on why didn't the police summon Goswami and made a forced entry in his house to arrest him?

A custodial enquiry is only done under special circumstances. If the police have a feeling that the accused can flee the country or has the ability to tamper with evidence then only an enquiry of this nature is done.

Surprisingly Goswamy was not allowed by the police to talk to his lawyers either.

The job of a journalist is to give news, to present a story in its true form without any biases and fear. But this fearless journalism has cost the media fraternity, dear.

Eight years ago a similar case was registered against Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary. In fact, several cases are still lodged against Chaudhary in different parts of the country for merely showing the truth. For instance, an FIR has been lodged in Kerala against Chaudhary for bringing up the Land Jihad case in Jammu another case has been lodged in West Bengal for showing the Dhulagarh riots incident.

A case involves a lot of hardships and your family is also dragged into it at least emotionally. 

Immense pressure is built on a journalist to show a piece of news in a particular way but if denied FIRs are used to deter him. In fact, the help of corporate houses is sought to bully the media.

People forget that journalism is not about making money but sheer passion drives them to take up this profession. According to a survey released in 2013 a PR agent in America earns more than a Journalist; forget the plight of Indian scribes.

Today journalists are on the crossroads from where the community needs to decide what it wants in terms of news. Does it want to play into the hands of fake and hollow news and keep entertaining the viewers and readers or abide by the basic tenets of Journalism?

Is real journalism being forced to die a slow death? If yes then that time is not far when parents will never look up to journalists and their work with respect and encourage their children to take up this profession. And this will spell doom for a vibrant democracy like India.  

It is also not about what Arnab Goswami has or has not done. But the manner in which the arrest has taken place in the case is not justifiable. It should certainly ring a bell in everyone's mind for the free and fair functioning of the media. In a democracy, the media is its fourth pillar which should be equally safeguarded.