By Shalini Singh

Press freedom is universally recognised as the cornerstone of human rights and an invaluable pillar of any democratic system of government. However, impediments to press freedom, including threats to life, livelihood and reputation, led to the United Nations General Assembly declaring May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to remind governments of their duty to uphold freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration Of Human Rights as also to generate awareness about the importance of media freedom.

In an ideal world, information is a public good and it is the responsibility of journalists to obtain vital information that the wealthy and powerful do not want placed in the public domain, and to act as intelligent and impartial disseminators of the information in the public interest.

The most important function of the media is disseminating and analysing information. In doing so, the media must also inevitably play a crucial role in holding the government and other figureheads of authority accountable, acting as watchdogs to check corruption and abuse of power, advocating transparency, safeguarding democratic principles, setting the agenda for meaningful change, promoting political participation and fostering public awareness and discourse.

Since it is not an ideal world, press freedom comes under savage attack from governments, corporations, the mafia and other vested interests, but the worst and most unexpected ambushes come from within the media organisation itself.

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