By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Amidst hot debate on media turning middleman in the wake of the Nira Radia tapes controversy involving senior journalists Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi, eminent RTI activist Afroz Alam Sahil has demanded that media be brought under the purview of the revolutionary RTI Act in order to bring transparency in the fourth pillar of democracy.
Sahil, who recently got TwoCircles.net Person of the Year Award for his untiring efforts to bring transparency in the government and society, has launched a campaign with the demand. And as part of this campaign he has written letters to all the MPs of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Chief Information Commissioner of India (CIC) and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi among others appealing to them to bring the media under the RTI Act.
Media at Lok Jan Shakti Party rally on Muslims at Gandhi Maindan, Patna, Bihar on 4th March 2010 [TCN Photo]
Nira Radia tapes controversy stands for the telephonic conversations between Nira Radia, a professional lobbyist and an acquaintance of recently removed Indian telecom minister A. Raja, and senior journalists Vir Sanghvi and Barkha Dutt. They are heard on the tapes discussing allotment of the telecom ministry portfolio to DMK MP A Raja in 2009 when the UPA-II was assuming office.
“Bringing the media under the domain of RTI will only strengthen the democratic structure and bring about transparency and accountability in the media,” said Sahil while talking to TwoCircles.net.
The 22-year-old journalism graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia finds this demand all the more relevant in the context of the recent allegations of lobbying against several media houses and journalists and with several journalists having properties much more than their known source of income; facts which have brought the credibility of the entire media into question.
“Now when the same media advocates transparency and accountability in executive, judiciary and legislature then why it should isolate itself from the same standards of transparency and accountability?” questioned Sahil.
Talking to TCN, he put a pointed question before both Dutt and Sanghvi: “Why shouldn’t Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi disclose their asset when they have reportedly been found involved in the telecom scandal?”
According to Sahil, the media fraternity should demand both Barkha and Vir to declare their assets because it will clear the air and doubt about their honesty.
“If they don’t have anything to hide, then why shouldn’t they disclose their property details?” he questioned.
“Media is hardly accountable to anybody, and that’s why many journalists and media houses have excelled in the art of corruption,” said Sahil adding: “RTI will, to a large extent, curb corruption in media.”