Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's remarks on receiving the first copy of the DNA newspaper

"I am delighted to accept the first copy of the newspaper Daily News and Analysis. I compliment the publishers, Shri Subhash Chandraji and Dr Bharat Agarwalji for launching a new publication. I hope it will add to the variety and vibrancy of our media.

Our democracy has been made richer and more participative by our free and varied press. That newspapers and television channels of varying size and scope are able to compete and operate testifies to the complexity of our market for information and entertainment. In a diverse nation of a billion and more people there are bound to be differences in taste and opinion. Differences in attitude and ideology. Differences in linguistic and political preferences.

It is because of this plurality of our society that we have such a diverse media. This is the strength of our democracy. As my friend Amartya Sen has written in his new book on "The Argumentative Indian", skepticism and pluralism are two important defining elements of our national culture. The media must be imbued by both these characteristics. Scepticism is healthy as long as it does not breed cynicism but contributes to an informed debate.

Pluralism is intrinsically valuable because it breeds creativity by creating space for a contest of ideas. I welcome new publications and new channels in the hope that they will contribute to this pluralism by giving voice to all opinions. However, numbers alone do not ensure pluralism or variety. Moreover, the convergence of corporate interests and the control that marketmen have come to acquire on editorial policy can militate against pluralism and even the freedom of the press.

Indeed, freedom of the press is not automatically ensured by multiplicity of publications. It has to be nurtured by society, by the State, and its institutions, and by the corporate interests that invest in media. It is necessary to have professional codes, rules of the game and institutional frameworks that guarantee the freedom of press. A vibrant Press Council, an active association of journalists, a watchdog Ombudsman, and a transparent editorial policy are all instruments through which freedom of the press can be secured and ensured.

One often finds that those who most jealously guard the freedom of press from any form of social or public audit or regulation, deny that freedom internally within the organization. I have often heard people complain about internal censorship, about articles being rejected merely because the "editor did not like it". I wonder if this can be defended as the assertion of the freedom of press? Or is it editorial tyranny or corporate censorship? Is it necessary and possible for editors and publishers to be more transparent as to why they hold the views they do, or publish or refuse to publish, broadcast or refuse to broadcast specific news and articles? How does one distinguish between freedom, license and prejudice?

I hope such questions engage professional journalists. The media is an important institution of democracy. Like all other institutions it must also stand up to public scrutiny. If it ceases to carry conviction then it will be diminished in the eyes of the citizen, even if it continues to yield revenues for the investors.

I like to pay tribute to our media men and women for their courage and objectivity. And what we saw yesterday in Srinagar where camera men from Zee and Sahara were the subject matter of the brutal assault. It is a measure of the risks our journalists take in order to carry the news to all corners of the country. I thank and pay tribute to the gallantry of these media persons.

I hope your newspaper will strengthen the sinews of our democracy and empower our citizens so that they can take more informed decisions in life. I appreciate the fact that you must entertain even as you inform. Indeed, there is nothing wrong in being both informative and entertaining. The iron law of the corporate bottomline must be respected. But, the information and opinion you purvey should be credible and the entertainment you provide should be wholesome.

I also urge you to invest in your professional staff. Indian journalism must aspire to compete with the best talent in the world. Its professional standards must be benchmarked against the best in the world. I hope you will aim high. I wish you well in your endeavours.

Thank you."