Media credibility under cloud: Arun Shourie

NAGPUR: Award winning journalist and editor Arun Shourie has warned that media credibility is under severe threat because not much is being done to take on the government that wants to pass on its convictions to people without being checked. A known critic of Narendra Modi government, Shourie feels it will be fatal for the media houses and personally for journalists if they do not demolish the facade created by government that is mediocre and wants only its word to prevail.

Speaking as chief guest at Arvindbabu Deshmukh journalism awards function here on Friday, the former minister in Vajpayee government who has fallen apart from the BJP and Modi regime, said except a few individual journalists and a couple of media entities, no one is bothered to expose the government which is thriving on mediocrity, ad hocism and breeding incompetence.

“The question is whose freedom of speech is being compromised. The media house owners, journalists or that of the rulers. The government of the day believes that people have no business to know what rulers do not want them to know. If the media group owners strike a compromise for some benefits... it reflects in denials from the government getting more space than the actual facts, you just become instruments for government’s information management,” he said.

Citing incidents of GDP figures getting revised or National Statistical Survey figures on employment being held back for “finalization,” he said the government was getting away because journalists these days do not even bother to go through documents available in public domain be it on defence matters or judicial appointments.

He said the judiciary was also compromised. He said in these challenging times only a media person who stands against ‘price’ on him can make a mark. “A dog with a bone in its mouth cannot bark,” he said quoting a Zulu proverb.

“Remember, these challenging times also provide opportunity to make you winners. The oppression you suffer and cases slapped against you can be your badges of honour tomorrow,” he said.