Public Relations Society of India on panel discussion on Freedom of Expression

The Public Relations Society of India, Delhi Chapter has hosted a panel discussion on Freedom of Expression: Government and concerns at the Indraprastha Literary festival organised by the Karuna Foundation at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi Today.

The discussion was moderated by Smt. Anshu Mahajan, Deputy Manager, Corporate Communications, Indian Oil and President, PRSI. The panel consisted of Sri Shishir Sinha, Associate Editor, Business line, The Hindu, Dr. Sanjay Rajpal, Country Manager, YPsomed, Dr. Charu Latha Singh, Professor and Dean, Vivekananda School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Sri Alok Srivastava, General Manager (Retail Sales), Indian Oil.

With reference to Indian culture and the oldest civilization in the world, the panel has concentrated on the constitutional component of freedom of expression. Understanding how the first amendment’s modified definition of “reasonable” was used was one of the discussion’s notable high points. The individual must comprehend how morals and decency differ across international borders. One of the panellists emphasised how the context of each person’s experience and knowledge varies and influences how they express themselves. A person may accept or reject another person’s expression for a variety of reasons. In the end, it is up to the person to exercise self-control and extreme caution when expressing themselves in public.

Of course, language is never neutral; it is always prejudiced. In the newly developed social media platforms, the right to express oneself has become a significant challenge. The panellists have made the point that where people are generating, consuming, and disseminating content, there is no gatekeeping or filtration of the content. Moral principles must be instilled in the next generation, and they must be made aware of the value of expression freedom. There was also a brief mention of sedition and related issues.

The Executive members of PRSI Delhi Chapter, Karuna Foundation and students representing various universities.