Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said free media is the cornerstone of democracy and it can actually be a force multiplier to sustain democracy. Delivering the first Atal Behari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture at Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi, Naidu said media should play a pivotal role in spreading correct and credible information and the news and views should not be mixed. The Vice President said, an unbiased media ensures that people are well informed and media should take care of facts and the opinion must be expressed without any fear.
Naidu expressed concern over the menace of paid news saying the people should come and vote in large number in the Lok Sabha elections as voting is not just a right, it is about duty and people must perform their duty by casting their vote. He said during elections, political parties tend to make “popularistic promises” and the media should play the role of questioning the basis of these promises. Terming voting a “national call of duty”, he said voting in every election needs to be made a habit. “The media has an important role in promoting participatory democracy through enhanced voter turnout which in turn broad bases the foundation of democratic governance,” Naidu said.
The vice president asked media organisations to devote space and time to report on the antecedents of politicians, their past work, participation in debates in state legislatures and Parliament. “These facts should be reminded to the people so that they can make an informed choice,” he said in his lecture on the ‘Role of Media in Moulding an Enlightened Electorate’.
Expressing concern over the “unhealthy” trend of politicians switching from one party to another after being elected, Naidu opined that defections were making a mockery of democracy. Defectors must resign from the post and seek reelection, he said.
Naidu stressed on the need for speedy disposal of election cases pending before various courts and time-bound disposal of cases by presiding officers of legislative bodies. The vice president asked people to elect leaders based on their character, caliber, capacity and conduct, but warned that some people were trying to replace these qualities with cash, community, caste and criminality (4Cs).
Referring to the efforts of the Election Commission to combat fake news, Naidu said the media’s role is extremely important during elections as the chances of people propagating fake news increases.
“It is the responsibility of the media to act like myth-busters in such sensitive times, and report the absolute, undiluted truth,” he said.
