INTERPRETING THE NUANCES OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP IN LIGHT OF CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTY AND DEMOCRACY

Abstract

Freedom of the Press was and is considered to be fundamental for a democratic nation. Our forefathers advocated for freedom of the press and wanted it to be a separate right within the Constitution of India, but it was interpreted by the Indian Courts within Article 19(1)(a) as intended by the Constituent assembly members. Since independence, this freedom has attained new dimensions and to protect the independence of media, it is very less regulated by the legal framework. Enormous autonomy is given to the stakeholders to regulate themselves, which has been going on for years now. But then self-regulation has proved to be a failure as in the past decade various problems like paid news, sensationalism, formation of cartels, and other unethical practices done by the media houses have come to light which is upsetting the various fundamental rights of the citizens like right to information, right to expression etc. The researchers in this paper intend to discuss the challenging media ownership structure and the oligopolistic practices that are prominent in the media industry affecting others' interests and undermining the basic principles of democracy and liberty. The researchers are trying to showcase a pattern of big corporate houses or people having political connections owning different media houses and using the media to influence the decision-making of the readers and viewers. Then the researchers in this paper pinpoint the legal framework that governs the different segments of media and keeps a check on the media ownership structure. Finally, the researchers provide some suggestions that must be considered for better regulation of the media industry.