Media silence should not be construed as Truth! Falsehood and Fabrication can never triumph over Truth!
Media silence should not be construed as Truth! Falsehood and Fabrication can never triumph over Truth!
By Advocate M.N. Ahmed Sahib
Chennai, Oct 118
The press is the fourth pillar of democracy. Journalism and media serve as mirrors reflecting the face of society. They bear a sacred responsibility — to stand firmly on the side of justice and public welfare.
Journalists have both the right and the duty to question everyone — governments, corporations, political parties, and social institutions alike. It is their role to expose abuses of power and to hold the mighty accountable. Above all, journalists are bound by their conscience to speak only the truth, reporting facts based on solid evidence — not rumour, hearsay, or partisan manipulation.
Yet, today, journalism faces unprecedented pressures. Political and corporate influences are choking its integrity. Sensationalism spreads fast, while the truth is pushed into the shadows.
Television networks, driven by advertisement revenue, have lost their ethical backbone. Courageous and honest journalists face threats, lawsuits, arrests, and intimidation — a direct assault on the freedom of the press itself.
This alarming reality was acknowledged at the National Executive Meeting of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) held on October 4–5 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The IJU noted with grief that since October 2023, over 240 international journalists have been killed by Israeli forces. In India too, the silence of journalists over state-sponsored repression in Kashmir and Ladakh is a national shame. This concern was strongly voiced by IJU General Secretary Mr. Balwinder Singh Jammu in his official report to the committee.
The Lost Priorities of the Media
The media has forgotten what it must focus on. Instead of addressing the issues that shape people’s lives, it now thrives on celebrity obsessions. When a Tamil actor’s vehicle moves a few kilometers, cameras follow breathlessly — “Actor Vijay has boarded his caravan! Vijay is just a kilometer away! Vijay has arrived!” The hysteria such coverage created has cost 41 young Tamil lives in the Karur tragedy. And yet, when it comes to political manipulation, certain parties — particularly the TVK (Thamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam) — enjoy undue media attention. Can we deny that political pressure lies behind this?
Recently, a television channel irresponsibly spread a false report claiming that “VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan’s car hit a lawyer’s two-wheeler,” turning it into a divisive controversy among lawyers. That channel is now caught in its own web — its owner’s secret dealings, the criminal background of a few employees, and reports of women exploited within its premises are gradually surfacing, shocking the public conscience.
The Poison of Hate Politics
In this same atmosphere, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made yet another inflammatory statement — that India’s Muslim population is rising because of infiltrations from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Such divisive rhetoric is nothing new for him. Spreading communal hatred for political gain has become his trademark.
To describe any religious community as “infiltrators” endangers the unity and secular fabric of the nation. Where is the evidence for such claims? If infiltration truly occurs, is not the Home Minister himself responsible for it? Were the brave soldiers guarding our borders simply watching as intruders crossed over? By making such remarks, Amit Shah not only insults India’s citizens but also belittles the sacrifice of our armed forces.
Who crossed the Khyber and Bolan passes a thousand years ago? From where did the forefathers of BJP leaders like L.K. Advani come? Hiding such truths, Amit Shah seeks to divide the country for political survival.
The Home Minister’s office is not just about security — it symbolizes secularism, equality, and constitutional responsibility. Yet Amit Shah stands accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Fake Encounter Case, implicated in the 2023 Canada violence controversy, and even criticized Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Parliament in 2024.
Should the press not question whether such a person is fit to hold that position? But the press remains silent.
From Uri, Pathankot, Pulwama, and Pahalgam attacks upto the two-year-long Manipur violence, the evidence of his failure as Home Minister is clear.
Religious hatred is a poison that destroys nations. Exposing those who feed that poison is the primary duty of the media. Yet the media today has chosen silence — silenced not by conscience, but by fear and power.
Thus, I say again:
“Media silence should not be construed as truth! Falsehood and fabrication can never triumph over truth!”
The Forgotten Mission of Journalism
In today’s world, media holds enormous power to shape minds. But most mainstream outlets now glorify idle gossip, shallow entertainment, and film trivialities, abandoning the deeper cause of national progress.
While they covered the Karur tragedy and its CBI probe in detail, these same outlets ignored the historic Gaza Peace Accord, signed by global leaders to end years of suffering. The Nobel laureates who contributed to world economics received barely one-tenth of the attention given to a movie star’s public appearance.
Such misplaced priorities distort the thinking of our youth. The true growth of a nation lies in its intellect, ethics, and social consciousness — not in the noise of celebrity worship.
The media must, therefore, return to its noble calling: to focus on national development, youth empowerment, educational progress, and economic growth.
It must inspire young citizens to act with social responsibility, to inform them about government initiatives, job opportunities, and scientific innovations. On issues like social justice, environmental protection, women’s education, and minority rights, the media must lead from the front.
The media is not a business — it is a responsibility. Journalists possess the power to shape public thought. Let that power not be wasted on meaningless entertainment, but used for the progress, peace, and moral awakening of our nation.
(The writer Advocate M.N. Ahmed Sahib is a National Council Member, Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and member State Campaign Committee, VCK – Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Tamilnadu. The views are personal.)
