The Editors Guild of India recently issued a sharp condemnation of attempts by officials to justify the Prime Minister’s continued avoidance of unscripted, open press conferences. The Guild deplored the narrative that one-way, scripted social media broadcasts are an acceptable substitute for direct public interaction with independent media.
The Bharat Media Association fully endorses this stance. A functional democracy demands that top elected leaders routinely face rigorous, unscripted questioning from the press. Ignoring the media deliberately weakens the Fourth Estate and shields the executive branch from necessary democratic accountability and public scrutiny.
