Press Law and Liberties

         Today every country has its own Mass Media and press laws  in the world  . In fact India is not exception to the very fact. It has its own a very vibrant, diverse, at present completely dominated and   restricted  form of mass media and press.if one goes back in the past  and check out the history of Indian press law and liberty, he/she will definitely come to know the kind freedom it enjoyed in the past and as-of its status now.It was very much unbiased and liberated from all other political forces.They enjoyed absolute freedom from anti national elements.But now scenario of Indian  mass media is completely  changed. It has become absolute  powers of political parties to publish their own agendas through their own newspapers. 

Similarly , this modern mass media of India  lacks ethics which they must follow as a part of protocol. But, unfortunately , Indian political parties and its leaders have made the channels and publication houses their own monopolies and official platforms to express their irrelevant policies forcibly upon the public.In short, they are absolute commercial houses of publication which have not got anything with the grievances of common  people.so lets view Indian mass media agencies projecting varied ideologies of  Indian politics.

                  Let’s study the core principles of mass media and press set out below provide an excellent base for everyone who aspires to launch themselves into the public information sphere to show responsibility in how they use information.There are hundreds of codes of conduct ,charters ,and statements made by media and professional group outlining and principles, values and obligations of the craft of mass media and press.

           India’s vibrant media are the freest in south Asia, but journalists, particularly those in rural areas and certain conflict –racked states, faced a number of challenges in 2012, including  legal actions , occasional violence, and  the expansion of internet censorship.In short Indian mass media follows a  set of  ethics which are set by Indian Constitution. In fact, Indian constitution is supreme in nature . Similarly media freedom in India is  also under political system.The constitution of India provides for freedoms of speech and expression , subject to some legal limitations, though these rights are not consistently upheld.  For instance , the 1923 Official Secret Act gives  authorities the power to censor security – related  articles and prosecute members of the press.In India, state and national authorities ,along with the India Courts, have no occasion used other security  laws,sedition statutes , criminal defamation legislation , puts ban on blasphemy and hate speech, contempt –of –court charges to control highly sensitive reporting.

                The Press council of India is an independent and self- regulatory  organization for the print media which is composed of the journalists,publishers,and political leaders.This agency probes into the matters of local ,  state, national, and international  issues.It also investigates complaints of misconduct or  irresponsible  reporting, but it possess no punitive powers.Let’s  take  an example of Indian based business tycoon and liquor baron, king fisher airlines managing director Vijay Mallya who borrowed unlimited , illegal  loans from the Indian  banks and went bankrupt. So the banks too went bankrupt urging Mallya to come back to India and repay the loans taken from them..Even ,the government did not check him when did so. The same matter was brought into limelight by Indian print media and electronic media. The news has been hitting all the channels of television quite for some time and it formed a very strong opinion among Indian masses and international masses as well. But then all of sudden the news headlines, channel headlines vanished which a very at once exposed loan scam of Vijay Mallya. So here the media which dealt with a very significant ,national issue with  very effectively and on which a proper government reaction or you may say a proper legal action was expected by Indian govt . Even there was a public rage ,fuming and seething public opinion which was rising beyond the patience of it,expected the govt  tackle the case effectively but did not happen so .so what exactly happened Vijay Mallya has remained a top secret.So the question arises that here a scam was revealed by media at full fledged but it then stopped news about the scam , who made it and why ?It means it is sure that media has lost its freedom and liberty which can only bring the scams ,scandals into limelight but can not make govt to punish the defaulters .Similarly , the case of top Nationalist congress party leader Chagan Bhujbal, a prominent politician and one time state minister involved in the case of possession of  unlimited  legal and illegal wealth. So the media is threatened by so called people which do not allow the press to expose the facts.They are beaten up by political activists.They are humiliated, slapped, digital instruments like mikes ,camera are broken.so this is a very  pathetic to say that India which unbiased, undoubtedly the largest democracy in the world, has no media freedom. In fact it is  just the pawn in hands of state and nation.

                Despite increasing diversity in the print media  and online media landscapes ,outlets have difficulty accessing official information, and some self- censor   to avoid losing state government advertising, which is a key source of revenue. Foreign journalists occasionally have trouble obtaining visas to report from within the country ,particularly if their prior reporting has been critical.India has been one of the few countries in the world where the print as well as electronic media has been a immensely vibrant and financially sustainable growth industry.The private and self financed media houses been coming up like Mushrooms leaps and bounds.so these broadcasting channels have been functioning in different languages.In fact there are newspapers which are printed and sold at much cheaper rates.Actually, they are sold at a very cheaper cost than its production cost. So there have been a immense cut- throat competition among the media houses.The broadcast media is predominantly in private hands , and  diversity in the television sector has expanded exponentially. More than 800 television channels are in operation with significant proportion focused on news and current events.India’s state controlled television station Doordarshan, has been accused of manipulating the news in favour of the government.Some private satellite television channels provide coverage that reflects the political affiliations of their owners , according to the U.S. State Department.The state  retains a sole broad casting rights on AM radio broadcasting , and private FM radio stations are not allowed  to air news content.

                 In short, I would say that the mass media and press law are vary  country to country in the world. And it largely depends upon its political, social, economical and cultural factors. Its nature, scope, and liberty  too gets affected by state and nation.So the discussion on this topic would endless, hence, better conclude over here.