Markandey katju's forthright comments on the state of the Indian news media and the intellectual competence of many journalists have certainly raised many hackles. One does not have to agree with everything the chairman of the Press Council of India diagnoses or prescribes to see that his observations have hit home. Nor are his concerns confined to how and in what respects journalism and many journalists go astray and let...
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Why India needs democracy by Markandey katju
What is our national aim? To my mind, our national aim must be to make India a highly prosperous country for its citizens, and for that it is necessary to have a high degree of industrialization. Even setting up and running a single primary school requires a lot of money, e.g. for buying land, erecting the school building and providing for the recurrent expenditure for salaries of teachers, staff, etc. We...
More »Musings on the media in the dock by Sashi Kumar
The fourth pillar of democracy would cease to be free if it is made accountable to one or more of the other pillars. Much of the media, says Justice Markandey katju, the new Chairman of the Press Council of India, is of very poor intellectual level. That, even for a former judge, would be being judgmental — except that sections of the media concerned seem hell-bent on proving him right. Setting...
More »Justice katju: Media needs to be accountable to people by Anand Sagar
The newly appointed Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) and an eminent former judge of the Supreme Court Justice Markandey katju now faces a somewhat Hamletian dilemma — how best to suit his actions to his words. And, in the process, how best to also diffuse the heated debate and controversy that has followed some of his recent remarks on the state and the functioning of Indian media. Interestingly,...
More »Ambika Soni backs Justice katju on media's self-regulation
-IANS Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Thursday defended Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey katju for initiating a debate on whether to have a regulatory body and asked self-regulatory bodies in the broadcast sector to expand their membership so that they become more effective. Soni also urged advertisers not to create ads which offended the sensibilities of viewers. Increasing the membership of self-regulatory bodies would ensure the proactive and...
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