US President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr discussed the importance of secure Human Rights, an Empowered Civil Society and a Free Press in building a strong and prosperous nation during his meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the September 9-10 (2023) G20 Summit in New Delhi. Interestingly, President Biden informed the media about his meeting with PM Modi in Hanoi, and not in Delhi. He got no opportunity to meet the press in the Indian capital. In fact, the global community is well aware of Prime Minister Modi’s reluctance to answer open-ended questions from journalists. Perhaps, President Biden and other G20 leaders did not feel free to meet the press in a media-unfriendly environment in the South Asian nation created by the Indian PM.

The discomfort of people who control the State Power to face free and independent-minded journalists is quite natural (especially in an Authoritarian State). In a free society, media persons play the role of a watchman, as they keep a strict and sharp eye on the performance of government officials. It is the duty of the Fourth Pillar of Democracy to reveal the nature of deviations in the behaviour of the powerful people in any matter. A Democratic State has a duty to ensure that the press can function in a free and fearless manner. It is one of the main conditions of Democracy.

Statesmen, who truly respect Democracy, not only protect the basic Rights of the Press and allow journalists to work independently, but also encourage them to fully exercise their Rights. Wise rulers accept their criticism by the press, prepare a favourable environment for the media to criticise them, and even call upon journalists to criticise the Government. In case of wrong or ill-motivated criticism, the State must counter it with proper facts, logic and arguments. The State can also opt for legal remedies, if necessary. However, it should not misuse the laws of the land against the press. This is the essence of Democracy.

Meanwhile, the scenario is completely different in India. The Freedom of Press has been under constant attack in this country over the past decade. The place of India is gradually declining in various global indices. While the honest journalists are facing the ire of the Indian State, the pro-government media have surrendered to the State Power. Hence, the Indian news media are in a sorry state. What the Indian rulers want is fearful journalism, and not fearless journalism.

Needless to say, this sort of behaviour would not have been necessary, had the Government of India have the courage to properly respond to criticism. Had the ruling party and administration have guts, will and ability to punish the corrupt people at various levels, they would not have to silence the media by using the State Power. The Indian State does not want journalists to ask questions, reveal the truth, and uncover injustice. It seems that President Biden is aware of all these.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das