Journal of the Institute of
Communication & Journalism

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Editor: N. P. Chekkutty
Executive Editor: Dr. J. Geetha

The Humanist Agenda

From the Desk

The Images

Politics of Culture

The Mixed Menu

Post-script

Media Focus
Calicut Press Club
Kozhikode - 673 001
e-mail: icjclt@vsnl.com

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From the Editor

The question what is truth has agonised humankind for generations. It still does. For mediapersons this is not only a philosophical question, it torments us in our day-to-day life. Every day, conscientious practitioners of the profession do face similar questions, often with no answers forthcoming.

And what is freedom ?

The Indian media works in an atmosphere of freedom, we are the purveyors of free thoughts and opinions, we do reflect the freedom of expression the Constitution guarantees to our citizens and we, therefore, are the epitome of a free, liberal society.

Or are we?

This again is proving to be a difficult question to answer. Everytime we confront the complex social reality the limits to freedom, the widening expanses of unfreedom, those invisible walls that separate the country and its people into different and often mutually antagonistic and oppressive camps, is bared in front of our eyes. The freedom we seemingly enjoy is perhaps a freedom to chose unfreedom willingly, consciously. We are free to live in this atmosphere of a ‘manufactured consent’ and forget those faceless multitudes crying out somewhere in the dark, where the searchlights of our media do not dare to enter.

Or we can reject this unfreedom in our souls, question the basics of this social mechanics passionately and hope for a day when we will live in a different world.

The Media Focus, in this issue, brings together a collective of the best Indian minds discussing and debating this fundamental question of freedom in our society and media. We are conscious these are difficult times and we see the looming clouds that threaten the key principles that shaped our destiny for the past half a century. Though international in its outlook, the Media Focus draws its strength and sustenance from the liberal democratic culture that used to enliven our society and we look up to these sections for support in our continued struggles.

N P Chekkutty