Media and Democracy in Bhutan

A democracy is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Thus, the public opinion is an important aspect. The people in turn could hold the government accountable and change it, if they knew what it was doing. So, there is a need to inform the people of things around them so that there is a check on the government. And media is the one who informs them.

Democracy requires the active participation of citizens. Ideally, the media should  keep  citizens  engaged  in  the  business  of  governance  by  informing,  educating  and  mobilizing  the  public.  In Bhutanese democratization process, radio has become the medium of choice, as it is less expensive and more accessible. It has been more effective instruments   for   promoting   grassroots   democracy   by   airing   local   issues.

The  media  can  play  a  positive  role  in  democracy  only  if  there  is  an  enabling environment that allows them to do so.  They need the requisite skills for the kind of in-depth reporting that a new democracy requires.  There should also be mechanisms to ensure they are held accountable to the public and that ethical and professional standards are upheld.  Media  independence  is  guaranteed  if  media  organizations  are  financially  viable, free from intervention of media owners and the state, and operate in a competitive  environment.  The  media  should  also  be  accessible  to  as  wide  a  segment  of  society  as  possible.  Efforts  to  help  the  media  should  be  directed  toward:  the  protection  of  press  rights, enhancing media accountability, building media capacity and democratizing media  access.

The reality, however, is that the media in new and restored democracies are not always up to the task. For sure, democracy has been a boon to the press. The constitution of Bhutan provide guarantees of press freedom and the right to information, allowing journalists to report on areas that were previously taboo. In addition, democratically elected legislatures have enacted laws that allow both journalists and ordinary citizens much more access to information on government policy and the actions of politicians than in the past. For  us  in  Bhutan  we  understand  that  the  ultimate purpose of these rights is not to benefit journalists but that they are rights  bestowed  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  The media, like the government, is mandated to serve the people those rights.  The  media  plays  a  vital  role  in  educating,  not  just  the  young,  but  the  entire population.