‘Fourth Estate must have its freedom’

Self-regulation by the media – is it necessary? Or do we require an independent body with a statutory underpinning to oversee the working of the media? Perhaps not. The Fourth Estate must always have its independence and freedom. Speaking at the Press Institute of India, B.S. Raghavan, former civil servant and veteran columnist, spoke from his own experience of handling media in various capacities for 40 years, as chief secretary, secretary to state and Union governments, as CMD of PSUs, and as an international civil servant. His key words were “tolerance”, “truth-telling”, and “trust”. Picture shows Raghavan releasing a book by senior freelance writer Meera Rao, and Sashi Kumar, head of the Asian College of Journalism, receiving the first copy.