In an age of endless information, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between journalism and propaganda. News outlets have multiplied, social media has given everyone a platform, and information reaches us faster than ever. Yet one fundamental question remains: Is journalism still a means of questioning power, or is it becoming an extension of political and ideological camps?
This is not a question about any one journalist, channel, organisation or ideology. It is a question about the credibility of journalism itself and its place in a democracy.
Today, the media is often perceived as divided into two camps. One appears to defend almost every policy and decision of the government, while the other seems determined to find fault with nearly everything it does. Both have audiences, arguments and ideological supporters. Criticism of a government is legitimate, just as reporting its achievements is legitimate. The problem begins when journalism becomes defined by loyalty or hostility towards a political party.
The journalist's duty is neither to support power blindly nor to oppose it automatically. It is to question power.
Government decisions deserve scrutiny: Why was a decision taken? Who benefits? Who may be affected? What will it cost the public? How will its results be measured? The opposition, too, must face questions: What is the evidence behind its allegations? What alternatives does it offer? Are its promises practical?
The standard must remain the same—facts, evidence and public interest.
The challenge, however, does not come only from political pressure. Audiences themselves increasingly seek information that confirms what they already believe. This creates pressure on media organisations to produce content that satisfies their respective audiences. That is where journalism can slowly drift towards propaganda.
The difference lies largely in methodology. Journalism verifies sources, checks claims, provides context and gives relevant parties an opportunity to respond. Propaganda begins with a conclusion and selects information to reinforce it. A credible journalist can make mistakes, but credibility also means correcting errors, revisiting sources and acknowledging what was missed.
Fairness, meanwhile, does not mean giving equal weight to unequal claims. If evidence strongly supports one side while another claim lacks credible evidence, journalism must reflect that difference. Balance should never become a disguise for false equivalence.
Questioning the government is not the same as opposing it. Likewise, reporting a government's achievement does not make a journalist its supporter. Yet journalists are increasingly judged by perceived political loyalties rather than by the quality of their questions. The question itself gets lost while the journalist's supposed allegiance becomes the subject of debate.
A healthy media must do both: scrutinise the government and report its legitimate achievements. It must question the opposition while giving space to its legitimate concerns. Its responsibility is not to please either side, but to give citizens enough verified information to make their own judgments.
That requires courage. Governments may be unhappy. Opposition parties may object. Advertisers may be uncomfortable. Social media audiences may react harshly. But the real test of journalism comes when a reporter is willing to publish facts that challenge even their own assumptions and their audience's expectations.
Journalism is neither subservience to power nor opposition for opposition's sake. It is not propaganda, vengeance or ideological loyalty. Its foundation is facts, questions, context and public interest.
Elections belong to citizens. The decision to change or retain a government belongs to the voter. The journalist's role is different: to ask those in power what they did, why they did it, who benefits and who bears the consequences. The same questions must be asked of those seeking power.
A journalist should be neither a friend nor an enemy of power. A journalist should be a medium through which citizens question power.
When journalists stop asking questions, information may remain abundant, but journalism begins to disappear. Its true identity lies not in choosing a camp, but in having the courage to question every camp.
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