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