the goan I network
PANAJI
Democracy can never be based on individuals. It has to be based on institutions. It requires a strong civil service which focuses on citizens, a strong legal system where citizens can go to get their grievances redressed, and a vigilant watchdog in the form of media.”
These were the opening remarks made by Adv Cleofato Almeida Coutinho who was delivering the keynote address at the awards function organised by the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
Coutinho was speaking on the theme “Media for Democracy - Journalism and elections in times of disinformation.” He said that democracy, development and press freedom are all inter-linked and that the UN had enough studies to show that wherever journalists have freedom, there is less (government) corruption.
“If the government is strong but not accountable, it would be highly undemocratic,” said Coutinho. The Margao based advocate also spoke of the consistent decline of the freedom of the press in the last few years in India which had brought down India’s ranking in the world for press freedom to 140.
Further, he spoke on how Prime Minister Modi in 2014, when the media was hostile to him, won the elections through social media. In the last two elections, more Indians were consumers of social media than consumers of mainstream media.
Coutinho went on to chastise mainstream media for not doing its job. “People have to make informed decisions during elections. This can be done only by knowing what is correct. If you don’t know what is correct, you make a wrong decision. We expect journalists to put up important issues before the public, and this is how people will make an informed decision,” he said.
