Launch of a Manual of Human Rights Reporting in India
On 20 August 2001, Justice J.S. Verma, Chairperson, NHRC launched “Press and People: A Manual of Human Rights Reporting in India”. This publication is the result of a partnership involving the Press Institute of India, the Thomson Foundation, Cardiff, UK and the British Council. It seeks to increase awareness of human rights amongst journalists and other media practitioners. The project aims to spread the message of human rights to decision-makers, the public at large, and those at a disadvantage.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Verma stated that the right to freedom of the Press emanated from the right of the people to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under article 19 (a) of the Indian Constitution. The Press should thus work to enable the people of the country to discharge their responsibilities, as citizens in a participatory democracy, by providing them with the information that they needed to make informed choices. He said that the creation of a human rights culture and respect for human rights depended, in part, on the proper functioning of the instruments of governance and it was the Press that should help to keep these instruments on a tight leash.
Speaking about the Emergency in 1975, he said that that year constituted a watershed, when the value of the Press was truly realized. It is now commonly felt that had the Press not been gagged and the doors of the courts not been closed – things would not have come to such a pass.
The period after the Emergency, he said, saw a number of good measures being adopted that resulted in the promotion of human rights in the country. People became vigilant and started demanding their rights, the media highlighted wrongs, the courts stepped in and Public Interest Litigation (PIL) began. A partnership developed between the media, social activists and the courts and a new kind of jurisprudence started. It was due to the media that grave incidents of human rights violation like the Bhagalpur blindings came to be highlighted and that issues like prison and police reform were taken up. In the 90s, the media focused on probity in public life and accountability in the lives of public persons. Further, the judiciary started taking suo-motu cognizance of wrongs and that led to greater respect for human rights.
The Chairperson, however, cautioned that the greater the strength the greater the danger of misuse. He, therefore, urged the media to continue to use its strength with circumspection, adding that ”Information should be spread, but not disinformation”.
Referring to the Manual, the Chairperson said that it would help to control the Press from within: it was an internal control mechanism, which was always better than an external one.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Verma stated that the right to freedom of the Press emanated from the right of the people to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under article 19 (a) of the Indian Constitution. The Press should thus work to enable the people of the country to discharge their responsibilities, as citizens in a participatory democracy, by providing them with the information that they needed to make informed choices. He said that the creation of a human rights culture and respect for human rights depended, in part, on the proper functioning of the instruments of governance and it was the Press that should help to keep these instruments on a tight leash.
Speaking about the Emergency in 1975, he said that that year constituted a watershed, when the value of the Press was truly realized. It is now commonly felt that had the Press not been gagged and the doors of the courts not been closed – things would not have come to such a pass.
The period after the Emergency, he said, saw a number of good measures being adopted that resulted in the promotion of human rights in the country. People became vigilant and started demanding their rights, the media highlighted wrongs, the courts stepped in and Public Interest Litigation (PIL) began. A partnership developed between the media, social activists and the courts and a new kind of jurisprudence started. It was due to the media that grave incidents of human rights violation like the Bhagalpur blindings came to be highlighted and that issues like prison and police reform were taken up. In the 90s, the media focused on probity in public life and accountability in the lives of public persons. Further, the judiciary started taking suo-motu cognizance of wrongs and that led to greater respect for human rights.
The Chairperson, however, cautioned that the greater the strength the greater the danger of misuse. He, therefore, urged the media to continue to use its strength with circumspection, adding that ”Information should be spread, but not disinformation”.
Referring to the Manual, the Chairperson said that it would help to control the Press from within: it was an internal control mechanism, which was always better than an external one.