Obstacles faced by journalists

“In the first amendment the founding fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfil its essential role in our democracy. The free press was to serve the governed, not the governors”.    – The Post

Practicing journalism is not a cakewalk. Apart from violence and threats there are numerous botheration’s that acts as hindrance in order to pressurize you. The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg has not only beautifully portrayed the corporate culture of media industry, on the other hand it is an epitome of the hardships a media professional undergoes so as to justify the freedom of press. 

Following are the pressure experienced by journalists:

1 Political pressure: News channels owned by government will always result in biased information, this can contribute in biased, unfair and dishonest reporting. These organizations emphasize on highlighting and focusing on certain aspects, ignoring the negative news as well as working in the favour of the government.

2 Death threats and attacks: Demise of Gauri Lankesh bewildered the nation. An article by Firtspost says that India has lost 48 Journalists since 1992. Murdered outside office, attack in Public Park or shot dead outside their residence. The safety and security of their lives is always in question.

3 Employer pressure: Owner of media organization will always want you to report according to their conditions, for instance if they have good relations with the government in power they will avoid broadcasting or publishing stories which criticize the policies of government or hampers their image in any way. The owner has the authority and power to influence the news according to their needs,

4 Strain from the advertisers: It is evident that media organizations cannot survive without the advertisers, they have an inevitable and imperative part in the revenue generation. In case any advertiser undergoes a major mishap or crisis, it becomes problematic for the reporter to bring this issue into limelight because these unfavourable information about the advertiser can lead to ending their business with your organization.

5 Reporting on intense issues: reporting on intense issues related to national security and war need to be dealt with utmost caution. In several cases, journalists have undergone experiences where they have been constantly forced to elucidate stories with the angle and version of those in power.

Media role on foreign policy:

• Media is considered to be the fourth estate in the society and people have enormous faith entrusted and associated with it. Therefore, it is the moral obligation of media professionals to report foreign policy in fair, honest and accurate manner.

• Illustrating the foreign policies and its impacts on our livelihoods will build an aware citizen who have the potential to recognize agenda, decide which policies will benefit them, is the current government actually progressing the country on the right path, exposing the loopholes of the policies etc.

• The perfect example can be taken of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, international visits to 54 countries like US, UK, China, Russia, Germany, France, Sri Lanka, Pakistan etc. has been covered by several online portals and newspapers. These reports have depicted who he met and why! This makes it possible for the citizens to garner a fair understanding about how these visits are going to impact their lives in the near future. Media has an indispensable role in shaping the opinion of the masses.