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Press freedom does not mean press infallibility
Dear Editor,
Everybody agrees that journalists must hold governments to account. The slightly more uncomfortable question is: Who holds the journalists to account?
If politicians must answer difficult questions, journalists should occasionally be required to answer a few themselves. Press freedom does not mean press infallibility. A journalist is free to criticise government, expose wrongdoing and ask uncomfortable questions. But he or she is not free from the obligation to be accurate, fair, non-partisan and intellectually honest.
If journalists demand accountability from politicians, then they must accept accountability for their own reporting. Were both sides heard? Were inconvenient facts omitted? Were allegations presented as facts? Was context sacrificed for drama? Was the headline more sensational than the story warranted?
These are not attacks on press freedom. They are the price of preserving its credibility.
So yes, governments must be challenged. Presidents must answer questions. Ministers must explain themselves.
But journalists should occasionally turn the microphone around. It may be uncomfortable. And if they object, someone should gently remind them: “Welcome to the job!”
Regards,
Roopnauth Hardyal
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