The question of what is ‘free media’? It derives its meaning from ‘free thinking’. What is ‘free thinking’ then? It is the possibility of thinking without any ‘blinkers’ on. No inhibitions, no weird opinions, an accurate thinker, if you like. Free media should actually embrace libertarian values. 

Journalists are the fourth estate in line of government that is because they are given the responsibility of being a ‘watchdog’ over the other three tiers of government – the Executive, the Parliament, and the Judiciary. Journalists should criticise or point out wrongs. They act on behalf of the silent reader/viewer. Then a journalist must be straight forward in his thinking, honest, and objective in his writing to earn credibility.

Free media as opposed to fake news. Free media becomes fake when it embraces inaccuracy and hitherto unknown and unconfirmed reports. Journalists to avoid this are always told to check and re-check the story and not with unqualified sources but with qualified sources who are an authority of the subject.

Clause 02. Accurate Reporting

2.1: The media must take all reasonable care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorting news, photographs and other images. Any significant digital manipulation of images should be labelled. 

2.2: Every reasonable attempt should be made by editors and individual journalists to verify the accuracy of reports prior to publication. Where such verification is not practicable, that fact shall be stated in the report. 

2.3: Editors and their staff, including external contributors, shall not publish material in such a way as to endorse any matter which they know or have reason to believe to be false or inaccurate. 

2.4: Plagiarism must be avoided. Legitimate use of other people’s work should be duly attributed. 

2.5: The press must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact. (Courtesy the Code of Professional Practice for Journalists – The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka)

Photo courtesy Andrew Neel