The government's credibility is badly dented thanks to the flip-flops on media policy. A month ago Sushma Swaraj, the new minister for Information and Broadcasting, surprised everyone by saying the government was considering opening up the print media to foreign direct investment (FDI). There was no indication until then that the issue was back on the official agenda, so it was taken to mean that in light of changed circumstances, the revolutions in information and communications, the Vajpayee government wanted to examine the question afresh. It was a welcome sign of aforward-looking, pragmatic government committed to an open door policy in trade and investment. Now, just as suddenly, the door has been slammed shut again. It is hard to say why because there is a remarkable lack of transparency in the way the government has come to its decision not to grant permission for FDI in the print media. It is an inglorious retreat.Swaraj volunteers explanations which are not very persuasive. That the prime minister believes the resolution of 1955 is relevant today is not helpful. It is an assertion without any attempt to explain why the print media needs protection not accorded to other industries. Citing prime ministerial authority does not make up for the absence of the public debate Swaraj promised. Perhaps the government will do better in Parliament. By far the most influential factor in the government's decision has been what Swaraj claims is ``80 per cent'' of opinion opposed to FDI in the print media. For obvious reasons many in the print media do not welcome the competition that new investment will inevitably lead to. And yet a multiplicity of voices in a competitive media industry is precisely what guarantees press freedom, the bedrock of democracy.Is there to be policy-making by ``referendum'' or does the government have clear goals which it intends to pursue in the interests of the country? Governments usually cannot discern the greater good by being overly concerned about sectoral interests. For example, Indian industry would prefer to live behind protectionist walls. But the test of good government is looking ahead, knowing how to lead and how to persuade. It takes courage and wisdom to bring down trade and investment barriers and thereby compel business and industry to become competitive and stoke faster economic growth. What gets in the way of similar treatment of the print media is the old chestnut about ``politically sensitive'' information. Thus Swaraj says the print media cannot blindly be opened up. However, in today's global village, governments cannot exercise very much control over the transmission of what they might consider politically sensitive material. The answer is not to shut people away from information but educate them and trustthem to distinguish good from bad for themselves. There are workable methods of preventing the misuse of news media for propaganda purposes by interests hostile to the country. All this is very well known. There is evidently no real justification for banning FDI. By bowing to lobbies the Vajpayee government has not done the print media a favour.
