Fake news creates tension, undermines democracy: CJI Chandrachud

New Delhi: Fake news could create tensions between communities, endangering democratic values, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 16th Ramnath Goenka awards ceremony, the CJI said that responsible journalism is the engine that drives democracy to a better future, PTI reported.

"Responsible journalism is the engine that drives democracy forward to a better tomorrow. In a digital age, it is more important than ever for journalists to be accurate, impartial, responsible and fearless in their reporting," he said.

The CJI recalled the Emergency era when the Indian Express carried blank op-ed pages and said that it was a reminder of how powerful silence is.

"It was a fearful time, but fearless time also gives rise to fearless journalism," he said, adding that June 25, 1975, is a defining moment in our history."

"One proclamation defined and redefined our perceptions of liberty and threats to it and how tenuous it can be," he said, adding that is "why we celebrate these awards as symbolising our eternal sense of optimism on which we hope the nation will continue."

According to him, there is a need to bridge the gap between truth and lie.

"Fake news has the capability of creating tensions between communities, thereby endangering democratic values of fraternity," he said, adding that "journalists and lawyers (or judges in my case) share something in common. Both share a belief in the saying 'pen is mightier than the sword," he said. When the press is stopped from speaking the truth, the vibrancy of democracy is compromised.

"The press must remain free if the country is to remain a democracy. Newspapers have historically acted as catalysts for social and political change", he said. He called for a comprehensive fact-checking mechanism, which he thinks is imperative since fake news can guide or misguide millions at once in contradiction to the fundamentals of democracy.

Then he talked about media trials. He said that there had been instances where the media toned an accused guilty before the public before a court decision.

"It is the job of the media to convey information to the public without violating the rights of the innocents. Responsible journalism is the beacon of truth, and it drives democracy forward. We at present navigate challenges of the digital age, and journalists have to maintain accuracy, impartiality and fearlessness in their reporting," he said.