From Walter Cronkite's fearless Vietnam reporting to the spread of sensationalism and misinformation in India: Why journalism must reclaim its role as the Fourth Estate
Can journalism still challenge power and earn public trust? Justice Markandey Katju revisits the legacy of legendary American journalist Walter Cronkite, whose reporting on the Vietnam War reshaped public opinion, and contrasts it with the growing crisis of credibility in Indian media. Examining sensationalism, misinformation, and the erosion of journalistic ethics, Katju argues that the media must return to its constitutional role of informing citizens with truth, fairness, and independence. A compelling commentary on democracy, media accountability, and the future of the Fourth Estate.
Walter Cronkite and the Indian media
By Justice Markandey Katju
People want to know what is going on in their country and in the world, so that they may get enlightened, and form rational opinions. But obviously they cannot go personally all over the country and the world for getting this information. It is here that that the role of the media becomes important.
The duty of the media is to present facts truthfully and objectively to the public, not to falsify or distort them.
One of the best examples of a good journalist was Walter Cronkite.
Walter Cronkite was a famous American journalist working for CBS news, who was often described in the 1960s and 1970s as ” the most trusted man in America ” due to his fair and unbiased reporting.
He went to Vietnam in February 1968 during the Tet offensive to learn at first hand what was happening there. He came back to America and gave his opinion in a telecast on 27.2.1968.
In this telecast, he said,''To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honourable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.”
This telecast contradicted the President Lyndon Johnson government's optimistic claim that a US victory was imminent.
This telecast, watched by millions of Americans, reportedly made US President Lyndon Johnson, who also saw it, say ” If I have lost Cronkite, I have lost middle America ”, and he announced his refusal to stand for a second term as President a few days later. His successor, President Nixon, thereafter began the gradual withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, which resulted in the end of the war.
Some people have said that this was the first time in history that a journalist ended a war.
This was journalism at its purest, and exemplified what a true journalist should do.
We may contrast this with how the media in India is behaving today. A large section of it, known in India as the 'godi media', instead of acting as the fourth estate and representing the people, has become part of the first estate, and represents the government, in a Goebbelsian manner.
But even the so-called 'independent' Indian media often presents distorted or fake news. It thrives on sensationalism, regardless of truth, obviously to increase circulation and rating, and thus make money.
A recent example is of a large section of the 'independent' Indian media falsely reporting that 75 Indian Supreme Court and High Court judges went on government expense to London to play badminton.
Judges who do something wrong should certainly be criticized, and I have often strongly criticized them myself. But that is different from fake news.
I made personal enquiries from several Indian Supreme and High Court judges, and came to know that no Supreme Judge went to London to play badminton. Only 2 Allahabad High Court judges, who are themselves good badminton players, went there, that too at their own expense. So it was fake new peddled by the journalists, as mentioned in the articles and video below :
Instances of 'selective secularism' by some Indian journalists is given in the article below :
The Indian media has thus no credibility today.
I, for one, doubt whether the Indian media (even its so-called 'independent' section ) will ever get over its disgraceful blemishes and malaise, and perform its duty properly of giving truthful, unbiased information to the people, and thus truly becomes the fourth estate representing the people, but one can only hope that this miraculous transformation will happen someday.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
