On Defning Press Freedom

Teotonio R. de Souza
I would suggest to the readers of my op-ed columns in Herald to look up or
google for the writings of Steven Pinker Harvard Professor and a leading
authority on language and mind. He has devoted himself to the study of the
evolution of the human !rain through a concept of cognitive niche a
mechanism which he de"nes as characteristic of humans as they learnt to
handle the surrounding world and prevent threats to their survival. In short
cognitive niche gave rise to cultures.
#ultural evolution may !e de"ned as a characteristic that distinguishes
humans from the physical evolution studied !y #harles $arwin who
formulated the principle of the survival of the "ttest. It is the culture that
permitted humans to take care and seek to control their evolution unlike
other living !eings. #ulture permits humans to !ypass $arwin%s law of
survival of the "ttest. The children !orn de"cient and many others would !e
doomed to e&tinction if culture and its calls for the protection of the helpless
did not give many a chance of survival.
'y monthly column ()nwinding #ulture* in The Goan weekly has !een
re+ecting upon the power of culture including its fragilities and
contradictions. ,ll cultures have a strong environmental !ase !ecause they
have all evolved with the e&perience of dealing with the physical
surroundings. Human diaspora that is also necessitated !y the physical
needs throughout history has !rought a!out imposition and con+ict of
cultures outside their native milieu.
'y re+ections upon #ulture are intimately connected with the much de!ated
theme of Human Rights including the Press -reedom. These realities have
to !e understood in the conte&t of the cultural con+icts and the pressures of
glo!alization. Incidentally the western powers started talking a!out
international law and the policy of .pen Seas when the Portuguese were
trying to enforce their policy of Mare Clausum /#losed Seas0 with their
Cartaz system and restricting it only to the #atholic !elievers and those
who fell in line with them. It took a $utch Hugo 1rotius to counter the
Portuguese claims with the doctrine of the .pen Seas.
1oa e&perienced a lively press since the "rst 2uarter of the 34
th
century or
to !e very precise 55 $ecem!er 3653 when the "rst num!er of Gazeta de
Goa was pu!lished as a tool of the li!eral politics and propaganda of its
ideals or rather the ideals of the upcoming middle class.
The new press in 1oa under the direction of a 7razillian ultra-li!eral e&iled
to 1oa defended freedom of e&pression against the a!use of power !y
(descendentes* of 1oa who controlled the local State militia. They did not
take it kindly and !ayonetted 8uis Prates the editor of the 1azeta the "rst
known victim of Press -reedom in 1oa. The recently defended doctoral
thesis of Sandra 8o!o in Portugal traced the evolution of the press in 1oa
during a century until Salazar%s Acto Colonial. $r. Sushila 'endes has also
studied 8uis de 'enezes 7ragan9a and his e&periments with press freedom
until he tasted the violence of the censorship of Salazar%s Estado Novo.
There has always !een freedom for those who had the in+uence and power
to e&ercise it. The struggle for decolonization saw multiple e&amples of
press censorship enforced !y the colonial powers which otherwise present
themselves as pioneers and defenders of human rights and freedoms.
7ehind all such claims History has umpteen e&amples of !rutal suppression
of human rights. :e also know that political wisdom recommends that to
protect its freedom a country needs to !e prepared for war.
The Herald daily represents a long and glorious tradition of active press in
1oa and its own history should illustrate the am!iguity of Press -reedom as
no e&ception from the reality anywhere else in the world. It is not surprising
that there should appear a Stephen $ias advising the ;ditor that he should
not pu!lish articles of opinion < comments that do not interest the 1oan
pu!lic or letters to the ;ditor e&pressing fears a!out ;!ola entering 1oa via
the pilgrims attracted !y the e&position of St -rancis =avier. :riting on
1oanet forum he called it (1utter Press in 1oa* >http?<<!it.ly<3t!@$n2 A. The
fact that Stephen $ias gets to write so fre2uently in the Herald is a sign of
the vitality of the Press -reedom in 1oa.
To conclude it is with much reluctance that I had to (honour* Stephen $ias
in this comment !ecause he invited it with the contentious letter he
admittedly sent to the ;ditor of 1oan .!server on @B
th
Septem!er 5B3C. ,t
least the 1oanet forum was kind /or unkind D0 to divulge his full letter with a
reference to me as sustaining (petty "ghts* with Eason F. -ernandes in the
Herald on insigni"cant issues >http?<<!it.ly<3t!@$n2 A.
There are also few disgruntled 1oans a!road who seemingly do not get a
hearing in the 1oa press neither in some decent internet forum and choose
the medium of unsolicited e-mails for trolling and to convey how much they
hate the (invasion* of 1oa !y IndiaG ,t least one such case originating from
)F seems to !e presently under investigation !y its Police for #riminal
Investigation. The )F legislation can punish such violators with two years in
Hail. It could serve to tame some wild de"nitions of Press -reedom.
Historical ;&plorations