Kerala High Court Highlights Need for Caution in Reporting By Media
The court emphasised that in a democratic country, if there is no freedom of the press, that will be the end of democracy itself but the media has to be extremely cautious while reporting
The Kerala High Court has emphasised the importance of media exercising extreme caution in reporting, noting that even minor errors can significantly impact an individual's privacy or the constitutional rights of the public.
The observation was made by Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan, in response to petitions filed by the journalists seeking to dismiss the cases filed against them under Sections 86 and 87 of the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management) Act, 2010.
As per a report by The Hindu, the court ordered the quashing of criminal charges against two journalists who attempted to interview Joppan, a former staff member of ex-Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's office. Joppan was an accused in the solar scam case and was in prison at the time of the attempted interview.
The court noted : "In a democratic country, if there is no freedom of the press, that will be the end of democracy itself. People should be aware of what is true and what is untrue. Only then can they participate in the democratic process of electing a democratic government. Therefore, in a democratic country, the press plays a crucial role.”
Quoting the English author and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton, he added, "The pen is mightier than the sword because it has the power to change minds and shape the world." However, he stressed that the media must exercise extreme caution, as even a tiny error in reporting can affect an individual's privacy or the constitutional rights guaranteed to the populace.