By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Concerned with the fact that the media – newspapers and television channels – is now being offered “packages” by corporate houses and political parties for the coverage of elections, veteran journalists sat in New Delhi yesterday to discuss ways to curb the trend to protect the freedom and independence of the press.
Though unanimous in offering concerns over the development, the speakers – many of them former editors with several decades in the media – presented different solutions to the menace with one pitching for disclosure of assets by editors, another for legislation to control monopoly in the media and another one for a serious look into the corruption prevailing in the media.
L-R: Praful Bidwai, Alok Mehta, Kuldeep Nayar, Saeed Naqvi, Bharat Bhushan
Chairing the seminar on The Role of the Media: Where Do We Go From Here, organized by the Centre for Policy Analysis at India International Centre, veteran journalist and columnist Kuldeep Nayar demanded disclosure of assets by editors, their spouses and families. “When it (disclosure) is applicable to MPs and judges why not editors who are not less vulnerable to be influenced by others,” said Nayar while emphasizing that the press should be independent and free.
“In recent Lok Sabha elections the best paper in the country sold its space to political parties and candidates. Today advertisement is being presented in the shape of news. This never happened earlier,” Nayar said. He informed that the Press Council has set a two-member committee to look into the “packages” report. He also said he along with a team of senior journalists will soon approach the Election Commission of India in this regard.
Senior journalist and Executive Editor of Mail Today daily, Bharat Bhushan, threw light on the factors that are driving the media today. “Rapid expansion of audience and market are driving media today. Editors have little control on how media is being run,” Bhushan said while making it a point that only his paper resisted the temptation by business houses and political parties.
Outlook weekly editor Vinod Mehta, however, was of the view that editors have little control on market aspects of a media organization, and so they have to live with the fact. Highlighting the power of the market he said, only last week in the last 10 years his magazine succumbed to the pressure by advertiser to put their ad on the cover page of the magazine. He said though he did not like it, he could not do much.
Columnist and author Praful Bidwai suggested some concrete solutions. He demanded legislation to control monopoly of one or two media houses in the entire news and entertainment media industry in the country. He also called for control on price of a newspaper. Most often it is far less from the real cost, and to make up the loss the owners had to give in to advertisers and other forces. He demanded strengthening of the Press Council.
Senior journalist and Television commentator Saeed Naqvi strongly commented on the clout media houses and authorities use against each other. He questioned the counting of votes of recent Maharashtra Assembly elections full 10 days after the polling. Was it to facilitate some anchors who were not around? He asked. He also wondered why all global media are being allowed in India but Al-Jazeerah TV plea is being rejected.