News Reporting Shapes Public Thinking and Behavior: Ex-CJI Sanjiv Khanna

quick Summary

• Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Sanjiv Khanna delivered a speech titled “Judiciary and media: Shared principles,similarities and dissimilarities” at the Prem Bhatia journalism Awards organized by the Editors guild of India.
• He highlighted how news reporting can significantly shape societal thinking, behavior, and perceptions.
• Justice Khanna described the judiciary and press as key watchdogs that safeguard democracy by checking executive and legislative power.
• He emphasized that responsible journalism should avoid bias, prejudice, misinformation, or polarisation to maintain public trust akin to judicial proceedings.
• Comparing media dynamics wiht judiciary processes, he explained their differences-media creates opinions while courts respond to evidence-based cases without external commentary or subjectivity.
• He warned against sensationalism in journalism (yellow journalism) and noted concerns about social media’s impact on cognitive reasoning among youth. Fast news can diminish deep thinking capacity for complex topics.
• Justice Khanna stressed neutrality as foundational for both professions in preserving democracy and upholding freedom of speech amidst challenges like digital distortion or political influence.

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