Press clubs must become institutional force to defend media freedom: N. Ram

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The Hindu Group Director, N. Ram, delivers the keynote address during first national conference of the Federation of Press Clubs, organised by Hyderabad Press Club in Hyderabad on August 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Prominent media figure and Director of The Hindu Group N. Ram identified two interconnected challenges confronting journalism—an erosion of public trust in the media and growing threats to its freedom and independence—and called for press clubs across the country to play a proactive role in restoring credibility.

Speaking at the National Conclave of the Federation of Press Clubs in Hyderabad on Saturday (August 22, 2026), he said the credibility crisis could not be attributed entirely to forces outside journalism. Political propaganda, misinformation and disinformation on social media had contributed to the trust deficit, but sections of the media had also contributed to the problem through sensationalism, inadequate verification, communal rhetoric and excessive proximity to political and corporate interests.

“When journalism becomes indistinguishable from political propaganda” and when television debates substitute “noise for information”, public trust inevitably suffers, he said, stressing that credibility could neither be taken for granted nor demanded from the public.

Mr. Ram argued that a free press could not survive on constitutional and legal safeguards alone, and that public trust was equally crucial to its remaining an effective democratic institution.

Against the backdrop of the media’s dwindling credibility, he said press clubs had an important role in rebuilding that trust by promoting professional ethics and independence.

On threats to media freedom, he said coercive tactics against journalists were not confined to any one political party or government. State governments of different political affiliations had also resorted to measures such as filing criminal cases, police action and attempts to arrest journalists.

He recalled how a collective effort could force a government to take corrective measures, citing the Rajiv Gandhi government’s unconditional withdrawal of the Defamation Bill in 1988 after protests by journalists.

The modern State had formidable instruments at its disposal, including criminal prosecution, police investigations, raids, seizure of electronic devices and surveillance. However, pluralistic media environment made it difficult for any government to completely control the press, he felt.

The Federation of Press Clubs in India, Mr. Ram said, could establish a national network capable of responding quickly whenever journalists faced threats anywhere in the country. It could create a rapid-response mechanism, document attacks on journalists, coordinate legal assistance, and issue verified statements on incidents involving journalists.

Mr.