National Press Day: Big Speeches in Delhi and in Shimla and Dehradun and Chandigarh, 'Empty Stomachs' in Newsrooms and on ground zero.
The Fourth Pillar of Democracy Is Cracking. Journalists are Languishing, Media Houses Flourish.
New Delhi/Shimla, November 16:
Every year, National Press Day comes and goes with panel discussions, hashtags, and the usual chest-thumping on freedom of Press.
But out in the real world — in newsrooms of Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and across India, the picture is woefully different.
The working journalists are sinking deeper into an abyss of lean salaries, court notices, job insecurity, and total policy neglect.
The AI-generated content, hybrid influencers, YouTubers, “Godi media,” ideological warriors, urban-naxal commentators, and an entire circus of fake-hybrid news creators are now literally eating up the information ecosystem.
But the real journalist — the reporter on the ground — is fighting to feed a family on a salary that hasn't increased in 10 to 20 years.
At National Press Day in Delhi, Chief guest was Ashwini Vaishnaw, IB Minister, but he didn't address the gathering.
Press Council of India Chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai spoke about preserving ethics and press freedom, saying:
“Journalism is not merely a profession; it is a pursuit of truth… accuracy must be valued over speed.”
Powerful line. But outside the auditorium, thousands of working journalists across India are wondering if accuracy can pay rent or school fees.
Justice Desai highlighted Press Council’s studies, guidelines, and committees for improving standards.
But none of these touch the lived reality of the average reporter in Bilaspur, Mandi, Dehradun, Kangra, Patiala or Sirsa — who has no pension, no insurance, no job security, no wage board implementation, and no safety net.
While she spoke of “financial independence being essential for press freedom,” neither the Centre nor the states have implemented even a basic universal welfare policy covering all journalists in the country.
In Himachal Pradesh, for instance, the much-promised Digital Media Policy and other related measures are literally gathering dust in a corner in the PR department because “the Director and secretary have no time to address the problems and demands of the journalists.”
Showing their protest, Digital media persons boycotted the National Press Day in Shimla as their demands and issues remained unresolved by the Sukhu government over the years.
The dozens even hundreds across the region, of journalists who dared media house and moved the labour courts are languishing as the state government is not clear on the Majithia Wage Board implementation.
This is the level of seriousness the governments attach to the fourth pillar.
PTI CEO Vijay Joshi: Sharp Words, Sharper Irony
PTI CEO Vijay Joshi, delivering the keynote address in Delhi, admitted:
“News is cracking under the weight of fake news… aided by the slow creep of artificial intelligence.”
He also slammed the mad rush to break news: “We shoot ourselves in the foot… we throw verification out of the window.”
He was referring to the shameful “death news” flash of a legendary actor, which several channels aired without attribution, later forcing the actor's family to deny it while their loved one fought for life in the ICU.
But none of the speeches touched the core crisis. Why are Indian newsrooms forced to run like this?
Because journalists have no bargaining power. Because Majithia Wage Board recommendations lie dumped in the trash.
Both English and Hindi Media Houses run by Businessmen have come out the new mode of recruitment for the news reporters.
They have done it shrewdly so that they are weeded out from the definition of the working journalists as defined in the Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees(Condition of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955.
Because media houses can fire reporters at will.
Because only a tiny circle of accredited, politically patronised journalists get government housing, benefits, and power access — while the rest struggle even for EPF or health insurance.
Even Joshi’s own remark about the “erosion of trust” inadvertently revealed the problem:
“People want bragging rights to share breaking news first… media prioritises speed over substance.”
But why does the media chase clicks?
Because digital journalism in India has been abandoned by policymakers.
It has been left to survive in a revenue desert controlled by Big Tech and Media Houses and government advertising whims.
Fourth Pillar is a Falling Pillar?
Across India, the bureaucracy, judiciary, legislating political class, and even whistleblowers rush to the media when they need to reach the public.
From the four Supreme Court judges’ historic press meet to opposition leaders to scam whistleblowers, everyone uses the press as their oxygen.
But when journalists ask for basic rights? Silence. Shrugs. And in many cases, termination notices.
Look at salaries: Judges, IAS/IPS bureaucrats → DA, HRA, perks skyrocketing. MPs/MLAs/Ministers → hefty allowances, pensions, travel, staff. Journalists → still stuck at pre-2000 wage levels, if employed at all.
And the irony is that the central government actually constituted the Majithia Wage Board, but never ensured its implementation.
In Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana, working journalists' unions have repeatedly raised their voice, but media houses simply fire them the moment they speak up.
The Press Council of India Act, meant to safeguard journalists, is reduced to moral advice and annual speeches.
Meanwhile, the Threat of AI Looms Large
Today AI-driven deepfakes, misinformation storms, and hybrid content creators are destroying credibility.
But credibility wasn’t lost to AI. It was lost because the real journalist was never protected or valued.
If the fourth pillar is collapsing, it’s not because of AI alone. It’s because the pillar was hollowed out long ago by negligence.
India Needs One Thing: A Universal Journalist Welfare Policy. Not selective accreditation. Not political patronage. Not ceremonial Press Day speeches.
A unified national welfare framework for all journalists —print, digital, electronic, freelance, rural, desk, ground reporters
that includes: pension, group insurance, minimum wage guarantee, quick legal aid, safety and harassment protection, compulsory Majithia compliance, digital media accreditation.
India pays lip service to journalism but refuses to pay journalists.
As governments celebrate National Press Day with big speeches in Delhi’s hall or elsewhere in state capitals, thousands of reporters in Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and the rest of India stare at uncertain or lean salaries.
They have been shunted out from the definition of the working journalist by the shrewd "media houses" to avoid the wrath of the Supreme Court of India which has uphold the Majithia Wage Board recommendations.
The day India truly honours the press will not be the day someone delivers a great speech.
It will be the day the reporter in Shimla, Kullu, Nahan, Solan, Dharamshala, Ludhiana, or Rohtak gets a stable job, a pension, and the dignity of a secure life.
Until then, National Press Day remains what it has become: A ritual of rhetoric over a collapsing Fourth pillar.
National Press Day — Quick Facts
November 16 Marks the establishment of the Press Council of India (PCI) in 1966.
Media Boom: Registered publications grew from 60,143 (2004-05) to 1.54 lakh (2024-25).
Press Reforms:
PRP Act 2023 replaces colonial-era law; fully digitises registration.
Press Sewa Portal: 40,000 publishers onboarded, 3,000 presses registered in six months.
PCI’s Role: Safeguards press freedom, enforces ethical standards, issues norms, and takes suo motu action.
Recent PCI Initiatives: LGBTQ+ representation report, disaster reporting guidelines, updated ethical norms.
PRGI (formerly RNI): Statutory body managing periodical registration under PRP Act 2023.
Journalist Welfare Scheme: Financial aid up to ₹5 lakh for death/disability; up to ₹3 lakh for major ailments, only for accredited journalists.
Skill Building: IIMC—now a Deemed-to-be University—has trained 15,000+ media professionals.
Why It Matters: Reinforces press freedom, accountability, ethical journalism, and a modern media ecosystem.
READERS REACTIONS:
1. Your deeply insightful article on National Press Day highlighted the painful realities of journalism , low pay, the absence of pension and insurance, intense professional pressures etc. I read your writings regularly, and they are consistently thought-provoking, courageous, and rooted in truth.
In my opinion, in today’s environment, where anyone with minimal education can claim the title of “journalist,” it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish true professionals from the rest.
Establishing clear professional qualifications is essential to safeguard the integrity of journalism.
Yes, the Majithia Commission’s recommendations should be implemented in full spirit.
-FORMER DIRECTOR, HPR, Mrs. AARTI GUPTA.