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Freedom of Press

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The most important ingredient of democracy is the existence of free and fearless press. In a democracy, the press must enjoy complete freedom and should not be subjected to any restriction. The voice of the press is the voice of the people. Censoring the press means the suppression of people’s voice. So the very survival of democracy inevitably depends on the freedom of the press. But at the same time, the press must not fail to follow its code of conduct and misuse the freedom.
The press plays a very positive and constructive role in a democracy. It keeps the people informed of the national and international news and happenings. It brings to the notice of people the programmes, policies and activities of the government. Similarly, it keeps the Government in the know of the people’s problems, difficulties, hopes and aspirations. Thus the press plays a dual role. It serves as a bridge between the Government on the one hand and the people on the other.
Of course, the role of the press cannot be minimized even in a dictatorship, because a dictator also needs the press for reflecting his ideology and policies. A dictator uses the press to prop up his image by highlighting his achievements. But in this case the press gives very little feedback to the dictator.
Another crucial difference between the press in a democracy and the press in a dictatorship is that while the press in a democracy is free, frank and fearless, the press in a dictatorship is subservient to the whims and fancies of the dictator. It does not enjoy freedom of expression.
The primary duty of the press is objective reporting of the news and views in a calm and dispassionate manner. Sometimes certain newspapers indulge in ‘Yellow Journalism.” They give out biased and coloured news. Their aim is simply to indulge in sensationalism. Sometimes they also spread rumours. They go to the extent of indulging

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