Defence and
Media
“The Press is primarily and properly concerned with providing information
to the public at home. Civilians are entitled to know everything about war and
its peacetime preparation that need not remain a secret through the overriding
requirements of military security.”
General Dwight Eisenhower
India is a
big country and requires a sustained effort to take care of its enormous
defence and security needs. The defence of the nation or preparing for it
cannot, however, be the responsibility of the three services only. Parliament
and the entire people of the country have to be involved in it. The support
from Parliament and the people can be enthusiastic if they are kept informed
about what our forces are doing to accomplish the task assigned to them.
The
government’s defence information policy is unfortunately restrictive. While a
major chunk of the national budget is meant for defence, Parliament, the press
and the people don’t really know how wisely this money is spent. Parliament and
the media can also be faulted for not giving due importance to defence and for
their failure to put sufficient pressure on the government to give more
information than it has been doing since Independence. Ignorance and a lack of
understanding have thus marked the discussions on the defence-related issues in
Parliament and the Press. The debates in Parliament on defence are as sketchy
as the reporting in the newspapers. The government’s policy of giving limited
information about defence as well as the failure of the Press and Parliament to
bring defence under greater scrutiny can prove costly.
Defence
is one of the most important aspects of every nation. Before moving forward to
Defence one must know what nation is? ‘Nation’ means ‘born’. People born out of
the same race came to be known as a Nation. Any nation will be counted as
powerful only if it has strong security forces. National security, therefore,
implies the security of the nation as a whole. Thinking of security at the
national level involves a combination of varied factors. It doesn’t remain
confined to a single factor or aspect. A thorough analysis of geographic,
political, economics, technological and strategic factors is required to be
undertaken while considering national security.
If law of any country is not strong then crime may increase. Similarly if
the country doesn’t have enough arms then the country can’t be secure. However,
just the arms only do not make the country secure but the public support also
make them strong. Public support is ensured when it is adequately informed.
Though all the planning can’t be available for public due to safety point of
view, still news items related to Defence do appear in newspapers.
During
a time of moment worldwide correspondence, governments have refined their open
strategy; especially in the manner in which defence issues are shrouded in the
media, to advertise their variant of occasions successfully to their
residential just as the universal public. For sure, numbness and falsehood are
definitely more hazardous for the military than is informed reporting, however
critical in tone. In any case, the media need assistance here. Since the press
is divided, aggressive, now and again insensible of military substances, and
continually whiplashed between the requests of the market and those of
journalistic morals, however defined, the nature of inclusion of military
activities or events is definitely uneven, best case scenario.
The
inclination of ill-equipped journalists, charging from emergency to emergency,
unconscious of the issues in question or of how the military capacities, is to
outline complex issues in shortsighted ways. As far as concerns its, the
military owes access to data both to media and the Indian public. Besides, it
needs to get its story out for the military will rival different groups, and
foes, anxious to put their "turn" on occasions. To do this, it needs
the media.
The
government and the armed forces are still ultra conservative about defence
information in India. The deep divide between the armed forces and the average
civilian debars them from the understanding of the defence of the nation, which
is the necessity of the day. To bridge the gap, the press in India, today,
needs greater insight into the requirement of defence services and the facts
which a reader wants to know from them. After all, news pertaining to defence
cover important and major portions of our newspapers. To bring to light the
subject in both its pros and cons, neither an army general nor a general
reporter can suffice the purpose. This is where a specialist defence journalist
steps in.
The
comprehension and backing of educated natives is the premise of public trust in
the military. Such certainty is fundamental to the successful execution of
their military mission to preserve peace and repulse animosity. People in
general have to right to complete information about the plans and advancement
of the military, subject just to constraints of fundamental security. A learned
and unflinching citizenry is as imperative as an exceptionally energetic
military force in meeting an animosity. Public comprehend of the consistently
changing military circumstance is reliant upon truthful and current status of
their defence force. And this understanding can be got about only by an efficient
defence journalist.
In
India, as elsewhere, the public understanding of the activities of the armed
forces is also essential in overcoming the traditional resistance of public to
a large military establishment. The need for a strong military force and the
funds to support it is not universally accepted by the public. There is a
natural desire on the part of tax payers to reduce expenditure on defence. The
interest of a military service as a career is not valued by many young men and
women. These reasons further emphasize the importance of defence journalism and
role in keeping the public informed of the contribution of the services to the
peace and prosperity of the nation. The expectations of the public from the
media to be its eyes, ears and brains in matters of supreme importance for the
stability and life of the nation, are fulfilled by the specialist defence
writer.
The
defence of India is vital to the lives of millions of men, women and children,
to its existence as a nation and to the people of all countries allied with us
in the preservation of the freedom throughout the world. Hence it is very
essential to feel the pulse of its public on issues pertaining to the armed
forces. What does the common man feel about the giant corporation owned by over
900 million citizen shareholders, who are investing their rupees as tax in
equipping and operating this largest enterprise in the country?
Not
only has the Indian Public its billions at stake in the business of national
defence, but thousands have also chosen to make substantial investments of
their time and effort serving in the armed forces. So don’t they play an
important role in nation building? If
they do, then it gives them the right to get an insight into what is actually
‘Defence of the Nation’.
But
this is not the end of the story. In a field where every step forward is
followed by two steps backward, it is very difficult for the defence writer to
come out with a write up on his own. In the defence set up, where censorship
reigns supreme and the press is treated as an unnecessary encumbrance and a
necessary evil, to be a good investigative reporter and a prolific writer is
not sufficient. Cooperation from the Ministry of Defence and its various
establishments and formations is absolutely essential.
So
perform his duty of bridging the gap between the armed forces and the public,
the press correspondent needs the defence sources to be more communicative.
Keeping this in mind and to propagate authentic and objective defence writing,
Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has established a Directorate of
Public Relations. Official information on matters related to defence policies,
goals and interests is provided to the press by its headquarters at New Delhi
and the various public relations officers stationed at cantonments and command
headquarters.
In
Contras, civilians who write on military matters have shown more imagination
and perspective than our intellectual generals. The defence journalist has a
very significant role in building up the society’s trust in armed forces. Since
understanding the basis of trust, the writer can foster this through his
writings which enable people to understand the various facets of defence.
Mr. Sunny Gupta
Assistant Professor
Department of Media & Communication Studies
