John Yearwood, Chairman of the International Press Institute, tellsthe author on the sidelines of The Huddle that despite conflict between governments and the media worldwide, it’s the best time for journalism.
How worried are you about the state of the media, given the conflict between the press and governments around the world?
You can definitely draw a link between the way several governments around the world see the media, and it’s very disturbing. In the U.S., [President Donald] Trump sees the media as a hindrance. The deep concern I have is when it has happened in other parts of the world, first the leader criticises the media and then the leader’s supporters go and physically attack the media organisation or journalists.
But there is also public criticism of the press, that they have taken sides politically, particularly in the U.S., and thus deserve this.
That’s not true. If you go back to previous elections, this is not about taking sides politically, as many of the newspapers that didn’t endorse Trump, have supported Republican candidates in the past. But what President Trump is trying to show is that the large majority of media is Left-leaning and therefore, are the “enemy”.
People also say “the media” quite mistakenly as one entity. So somebody will see a story on a website, and judge it to represent all media.
How should the press react to such attacks from their governments? There is one school of thought that says the press must continue to do its job, and not get diverted by attacks. There are others that say the press should stand united, and if someone is denied access, consider boycotting the event…
The media does need to think about this. After all, when President Trump calls someone “fake news” and denies them a question at his press conference, I don’t think the rest of the media can walk out or boycott a presidential event. The President has a right to express himself, and the press has the responsibility to show up and record what he wishes to speak about.
Many of these are shared concerns around the world … including here in India.
The sad part about this is that countries with authoritarian regimes are watching what is happening in the U.S., and this gives them cover to play with democratic principles and attacking the press.
Given all these pressures, including on the commercial viability of the media and from advertisers, do you fear for the future of journalism?
Not at all. I think these times will make journalism better, more creative and more innovative. I agree that we hear a lot of criticism of the media, but equally, we see that people are consuming the news more than ever before. Look, the press has been around for hundreds of years. And both in India and the U.S., it is considered so important that press freedoms are constitutionally guaranteed. I think the reports of our media’s death are greatly exaggerated, as the saying goes. In fact I think this is the best time to be a journalist, and these times we live in are the best for journalism.
