Freedom Of press...do we have one?????
This question is raised once again as a journalist was arrested under 'Official Secrets act' (OSA) for exposing a serious dereliction of duty by the government official.
Tarakant Dwivedi aka 'Akela' writes for Mid-day. He used to write for Mumbai Mirror when he reported about the weapons lying beneath the leaking roofs of Railway Protection Force Armory at CST in 2010 June. He is arrested on the charges of trespassing and spying on railway property.
Investigative journalism is on stake at every point of time. OSA is a relic of British rule which the government is still using to curb the voice of press. This act should be scraped or amended. The government has always used this act to sew the mouth of the populi. Even the Tehelka journalist was arrested under OSA for carrying out 'Operation WESTEND'.
Editor's Guild Of India has condemned the action of government in both cases but it failed to do anything more than that. EGI should be given some authoritative power or else this institution will just remain 'all-talk-no-show'.
It is the job of the media to expose wrong-doings in public institutions and the reporter should not be penalised for acting in the best tradition of journalism, said the Guild. The incident has sparked outrage in media and journalists are marching to the state govt. headquaters and demanding Akela's release.
Government Raliway police is silence on the whole incident and are not coming forward to justify themselves. The dont have much to say, infact. They know that they are doing wrong but they are just not ready to accept.
Reporters works to fulfill the right to information of the 'common man' and hence is the voice of them. Curbing their freedom directly curb the freedom of the citizen. We have to raise our voice in order to safeguard this much needed right in a democratic nation. Freedom of speech and expression and the right to know is what constitutes 'freedom of press' in India.
Lets take our first step by demanding the amendment or scraping of Official Secrets Act where the official secrecy is not even defined.
Tarakant Dwivedi aka 'Akela' writes for Mid-day. He used to write for Mumbai Mirror when he reported about the weapons lying beneath the leaking roofs of Railway Protection Force Armory at CST in 2010 June. He is arrested on the charges of trespassing and spying on railway property.
Investigative journalism is on stake at every point of time. OSA is a relic of British rule which the government is still using to curb the voice of press. This act should be scraped or amended. The government has always used this act to sew the mouth of the populi. Even the Tehelka journalist was arrested under OSA for carrying out 'Operation WESTEND'.
Editor's Guild Of India has condemned the action of government in both cases but it failed to do anything more than that. EGI should be given some authoritative power or else this institution will just remain 'all-talk-no-show'.
It is the job of the media to expose wrong-doings in public institutions and the reporter should not be penalised for acting in the best tradition of journalism, said the Guild. The incident has sparked outrage in media and journalists are marching to the state govt. headquaters and demanding Akela's release.
Government Raliway police is silence on the whole incident and are not coming forward to justify themselves. The dont have much to say, infact. They know that they are doing wrong but they are just not ready to accept.
Reporters works to fulfill the right to information of the 'common man' and hence is the voice of them. Curbing their freedom directly curb the freedom of the citizen. We have to raise our voice in order to safeguard this much needed right in a democratic nation. Freedom of speech and expression and the right to know is what constitutes 'freedom of press' in India.
Lets take our first step by demanding the amendment or scraping of Official Secrets Act where the official secrecy is not even defined.
