Right from the ‘exposure’ of so-called telecom scam
to the conduct of the media corps at the Press Meet in DMK headquarters in
Chennai addressed by Kalaignar on June 3 after the meeting of high-level
committee of the Party and the hype over the customary visit of Chief Minister
Jayalalitha to New Delhi
for meeting with the Prime Minister, the media, both print and electronic at
the national level and English and Tamil newspapers and periodicals in Tamil
Nadu, systematically worked with a clean political agenda, perversive of
course. The agenda of the national media, especially the English news channels
is clearly set on discrediting the DMK and thereby the UPA government at the
Centre through disinformation in the guise of investigative journalism and
promoting the cause of the disgruntled BJP. The English dailies and Tamil
newspapers ‘Dinamani’ and ‘Dinamalar’ and Tamil periodicals ‘Ananda Vikatan’, ‘Junior Vikatan’, ‘Kumudam
Reporter’, ‘Tuglaq’, ‘India Today’ and a host of others
virtually indulged in campaign journalism, carrying out a vicious propaganda
against the DMK, its rule, Kalaignar and his family members. In the last six months,
they were patronizing Jayalalitha who was sojourning in Kodanad Estate,
Nilgiris during the past four and half years. Absolutely baseless defamatory
stories and character assassination were the order of the media in the name of
sensationalism.
The media, particularly the electronic media, have
failed to perform their duty of creating public opinion for promoting democracy
and social justice. In the name of freedom, they sensationalize the trivial and
trivialize what is of vital importance. Ethical responsibility is the casualty
in the largely corporate and private media with their emphasis on TRP ratings
and commercial consideration.
The English news channels and newspapers started
their slander campaign with highlighting the CAG report on the allocation of 2G
spectrum. While the report itself quoted four different calculations for the
‘presumed loss’ to the exchequer ranging from Rs.40,000 crore to Rs.1,70,000
crore, which was based on auction method, clearly ruled out by the policy of
the government, the media systematically propagated the figure of Rs.1,76,000
crore and turned ‘the presumed loss’ (which even the CAG report said was
subject to debate) into a scam. By their relentless campaign round the clock
they created an impression among the people as though this mind-boggling amount
was squandered by the DMK leadership. People of Tamil Nadu yielded to the Goebbelsian
propaganda of Jayalalitha & company in concert with the pervert media and
committed a self-destructive mistake by reelecting the twice-proven notorious
Jayalalitha to power. They have started paying dividends for their costly
mistake within a month – 1.2 crore school going children, their parents
numbering 2.4 crore and more and over 10 lakh teachers left in agony and
uncertainty by the authoritarian regime unmindful of the plight of people.
The English News channels have taken upon
themselves the roles of investigating agency, prosecution jurisdiction and even
judicial authority. The anchors and news readers, assuming themselves as jacks
of all jobs, assisted by unbaked spot reporters blare everything except factual
news report. They engage services of willing ‘experts’, ‘commentators’ and ‘analysts’
to reel out opinions buttressing the story of the channel. The only
qualification for the jobs of anchors and reporters is nothing but chattering
in English ad nauseum. It is widely
known among journalist circles that the editors of some channels function as
brokers for industrialists to get their work done with Ministers, Secretaries
and officials through them. It is also said that if any minister or official
refused to budge to their recommendation they were being harassed and
threatened. Without knowing their motive, there are certain advertisements –
crazy politicians who oblige them by giving ‘bites.’
Even while the 2G spectrum case is being conducted
under the monitoring of the Supreme Court, these channels, unbothered about
judicial stipulations, carry out parallel trial day in and day out and air all
kinds of speculations, rumours and grapevines about persons connected with the
case and not at all connected with it. In order to escape from contempt of
court proceedings for discussing matters subjudice, they end the rumours and
speculations spread by them with a question mark, or take cover pleading
‘according to sources’. The safeguard given to the media that the source of
news need not be disclosed is being misused as a rule than exception.
In the process of disinformation, rumour-mongering,
speculating and character assassination, they are so insensitive to the
feelings of their ‘victims’, leading to the suicide of Sadiq Basha, a friend of
former Minister A.Raja, whose name was dragged by the media in the ‘scam’ and
canards spread about him. The infuriated wife of Basha blamed the media for her
husband’s death. Still the media was so dehumanized that even while his body
was lying in the house, they started airing doubts over the death – whether
suicide or murder. The women reporters on the spot outside the residence of the
deceased were seen casually chatting with the anchors of the channel airing
‘live telecast’. Competing for TRP ratings, the channels compete with each
other in spreading rumours and speculations.
Tamil dailies ‘Dinamani’
and ‘Dinamalar’ and periodicals mentioned
above descend to any mean level in spreading canards against the DMK. For instance,
the cover story and poster of an issue of ‘Junior
Vikatan’ screamed ‘ég¤Âš kªÂç kuz«: khí kªÂç fhuzkh? (Death of Minister in mishap:
Is the ex-Minister the reason?), carrying the portrait of a former DMK
Minister. Even in casual conversation, no sane person can stoop to such a mean
level. But in the name of Press freedom those journals and dailies carry on
their ‘business.’
With the resignation of A.Raja, his arrest, filing
of chargesheet, CBI investigation in the office of Kalaignar TV, filing of second
chargesheet, Kanimozhi summoned to the Special Court and her arrest, dismissal
of her bail and so on - at every stage flash news of news channels and
headlines of newspapers were speculating break of Congress-DMK ties, DMK
quitting UPA, ‘DMK to withdraw its ministers’, ‘rift in DMK-Congress
relations’. There were hours of discussions in channels and pages of reports
and articles in dailies.
That is why disgusted with the perverse attitude of
the media and 22 of the 31 questions asked at the Press meet revolving around
the same issue of their political agenda of creating rift between the DMK and
Congress, Kalaignar laid bare their design and questioned their ethics. He was
not telling without basis that the dailies were appeasing Jayalalitha in order
to get advertisements from the government. As five-time Chief Minister he was
authentic. During DMK rules, the government advertisements were given
impartially to all newspapers. During ADMK regimes it was selective. Even on
publication of remotely anti-government report on a day, advertisements will be
immediately stopped to the daily concerned in the past. The government tender
ads, were being given to a Chennai-based English national daily in
consideration of their circulation. Suddenly on some days another Chennai-based
pro-ADMK evening daily with absolutely no circulation, would receive a call
from the Secretariat alerting them for issue of tender ads, which would pour in
then, defeating the very public purpose of tender notices. The reason: the
morning national daily would have published on the day some report against the
government. Then one of the proprietrix, who has good rapport with Jayalalitha,
would rush to Poes
Garden with some reports
received from their staff reporters critical of the government, and plead with
Jayalalitha that they had rejected all of them and had to publish the
controversial report in order to accommodate their staff. Thereafter ads would
be resumed to the national daily. That is the ‘carrot and stick policy’ adopted
by Jaya regime.
The news channels and newspapers blew out of
proportion the customary visit of Jayalalitha to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister. They
flashed repeatedly ‘Jaya’s Delhi visit jittering DMK’, ‘Jayalalitha meets PM,
worried DMK looks on’ etc., They published exhilarating reports on her Delhi
visit.
They have to show off lest their credibility will
be at stake from the point of viewership/ readership. During the past 7-8
months they had been predicting realignment of UPA with the exit of DMK and
induction of ADMK. Since the Assembly election result, they went vociferous
with stories of political realignment, beginning with the ‘scoop’ of Sonia
Gandhi extending invite to Jayalalitha for a tea at her residence during her Delhi visit. They aroused
expectations among people expending reels of newsprint and hours of telecast –
all ending in a damp squib. In order to put up brave face, they had to knit
stories around the customary gestures extended by the Prime Minister and PMO to
any visiting Chief Ministers. ‘More than a red carpet welcome’, ‘taking by
storm’ and pages/ hours extolling her politically insignificant visit are
nothing but literary exercises and journalistic jargons of building castles in
air. ‘The New Indian Express’ has
acknowledged their servility by giving the headline ‘Jayalalitha shows who is
the Boss’ to one of their stories.
On the same day of her visit, the Supreme Court
delivered its verdict on the appeal of ADMK government against Madras High
Court order on Samacheer Kalvi. Already the opening of schools had been delayed
by 15 days. Now an expert panel will examine the syllabus/ text books and
submit a report to HC in three weeks whereafter the HC will depose of it
expeditiously on day-to-day hearing. Then according to the revised syllabus
text books have to be prepared, approved and then printed. Nobody can ascertain
how many months it will take.
Sheerly for the ego and arrogance of one person,
the future of 1.20 crore school going children is at stake, causing agony to
2.40 crore parents of these children, and confusion for over 10 lakh teachers.
Those problems and agony of nearly four crores people are of no concern for
these subservient media, proving what SC judge Markandey Katju said, ‘India now
has a disconnect between ‘mass media’ and ‘mass reality.
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