Media, government and people

Dear Editor,
Recently, NDTV’s senior journalist, Ravish Kumar, was chosen for the Ramon Magsaysay Award-2019.
It is a proud moment for him as well as the country that he has won the coveted international award. The award committee considered him the ‘voice for voiceless’.
The media is considered as the fourth pillar of a democracy. Unfortunately, the country is witnessing a low press freedom index. TV debates show that the media works to spread government propaganda.
In 2019, Reporters Sans Frontiers ranked India 140 in the press freedom index, which is very low.
The print and electronic media should stick to ethics. The mainstream media seems to have become propaganda machinery in the country. The polarization of media houses is unhealthy for the growth of democracy.
Although some media houses work for the government, the contributors of true journalism can’t be ignored in the country. They have been doing commendable work.
The government should encourage the media for good governance and the journalists should maintain ethics for the sake of journalism.
Sincerely,
Opang Padung
Bilat,
East Siang