That Jayalalitha took oath as member of the Assembly or inaugurated Metro Rail through video-conference facility, announced some schemes/projects and all news about her engagements are very, very important news for dailies in Tamil Nadu, some of which are exhilarated enough to carry them on their first pages, even as banner reports.
But how do they gather the reports? Usually newspapers and television channels have their own reporters and photographers/camera crew to gather the news and scenes. But for statements from leaders of political parties and institutions, the normal practice of the media is to collect information only through their dedicated staff members, so as to ensure credibility of their reports and to present their own perspective to their trusted readers/viewers.
Almost all dailies/ television channels have their own reporters/photographers/camera crew looking after the Secretariat beat. But are they getting reports on the affairs of Chief Minister Jayalalitha from their staff reporters? No.
For instance, ‘The Times of India’ on July 5 reported: “Chief Minister Jayalalitha on July 4 morning took oath as member of Legislative Assembly, a few days after being declared the winner in the by-poll to Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency in north Chennai. The ADMK leader was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 23 after acquittal in a disproportionate assets case and needed to be re-elected to the assembly within six months.
Sources said Jayalalitha, who was to proceed to Kodanad for a brief stay after the swearing-in, postponed her trip.
Reporters and photographers, were neither allowed close to the CM portico nor speaker P Dhanapal’s chamber, where she took oath at 11am. “Media entry is prohibited,” security guards said despite the Directorate of Information and Public Relations inviting the media on July 3 evening.
Party MLAs and a few senior functionaries assembled at Fort St George around 10 am. Jayalalitha’s Cabinet colleagues O Panneerselvam, Natham R Viswanathan, R Vaithilingam, Edappadi K Palanisamy and P Palaniappan were among the few who attended the simple ceremony held in Dhanapal’s office in the eastern wing of the main secretariat building. “She took oath and signed the papers amid loud applause from the Ministers,” sources said.
Jayalalitha, who was expected to drop in at Raj Bhavan to greet Governor K Rosaiah on his 82nd birthday, telephoned him and sent greetings with a bouquet”.
At least this newspaper honestly reported that the entry of media persons was prohibited whenever Jayalalitha arrives at the Secretariat and leaves and for her engagements there. But the rest enthusiastically report as if their own staff reporters/photographers covered the events. All that the dailies/television channels receive are press releases from the State government. They can be truthful to their readers/viewers at least by adding the sentences ‘according to a government press release’ in their reports, as they do in other such circumstances.
Two prominent personalities in power who abhor and shun media, but get the maximum positive and uncritical coverage are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha. It was the practice of Prime Ministers to interact with senior correspondents of the media accompanying them on board of the aircraft during their official trips abroad. But Modi has not so far met the media persons in entourage during his frequent foreign jaunts. At least the Prime Minister attends many public events and addressed from the dais.
But Jayalalitha is of late is conspicuous by her absence in public events/functions.
Immediately after assuming office in May, 2011, Jayalalitha assured the media that she would meet them once in a week and hence they need not wait for or chase her vehicle to get an audience with her. It is now more than four years since that assurance was given, but she did not keep her promise.
The only two occasions she met the media persons, first to stake claim for the notification of the final award of the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal in the Central Gazette and secondly, to take pains to ‘clarify’ that she or the television channel owned by her clan had no role in the protests against Kamalhaasan’s film ‘Viswaroopam’, which drew international criticism against her regime. Besides these two meets with the Press, Jayalalitha was never available for even comments for the Press.
Unlike Jayalalitha, DMK President Kalaignar regularly meets media, whether he is in power or not, and he is always accessible to reporters. But invariably, his interactions with the media are not truthfully reported, at least in English dailies, and their own perspectives are presented misrepresenting his views and misleading the people and their readers/viewers. Every utterance of Kalaignar in meetings/statements is subjected to analyses in print media and debates in television channels, the objective of which are mostly attempt to discredit him in the eyes of people.
But on the other hand, the media adopts such uncritical and adulatory attitude towards Jayalalitha in spite of the snubs they invariably face! She cares two hoots for the ‘pillars of democracy’-the executive, the judiciary, the legislature and the media!
Why both of them (Modi and Jaya) shun the media? Because, they have so much to explain about the affairs of their regimes/Ministers./party functionaries! But at least in the case of Modi, sections of the media are presenting critical reports. But here in Tamil Nadu in the case of Jayalalitha, the media is hesitant to report even damning matters about this regime very well known to the people. Why are they so many protectionists even at the cost of offence to their self-respect and dignity? Should not they be honest to their trusted readers/viewers and present the truth?
This is the land of Thanthai Periyar who taught even lay people first to develop self-respect. It is high time for the media in Tamil Nadu, which preach high-sounding ethics and morality to others, to develop self-respect, truthfulness and honesty! (12-07-15)
But how do they gather the reports? Usually newspapers and television channels have their own reporters and photographers/camera crew to gather the news and scenes. But for statements from leaders of political parties and institutions, the normal practice of the media is to collect information only through their dedicated staff members, so as to ensure credibility of their reports and to present their own perspective to their trusted readers/viewers.
Almost all dailies/ television channels have their own reporters/photographers/camera crew looking after the Secretariat beat. But are they getting reports on the affairs of Chief Minister Jayalalitha from their staff reporters? No.
For instance, ‘The Times of India’ on July 5 reported: “Chief Minister Jayalalitha on July 4 morning took oath as member of Legislative Assembly, a few days after being declared the winner in the by-poll to Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency in north Chennai. The ADMK leader was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 23 after acquittal in a disproportionate assets case and needed to be re-elected to the assembly within six months.
Sources said Jayalalitha, who was to proceed to Kodanad for a brief stay after the swearing-in, postponed her trip.
Reporters and photographers, were neither allowed close to the CM portico nor speaker P Dhanapal’s chamber, where she took oath at 11am. “Media entry is prohibited,” security guards said despite the Directorate of Information and Public Relations inviting the media on July 3 evening.
Party MLAs and a few senior functionaries assembled at Fort St George around 10 am. Jayalalitha’s Cabinet colleagues O Panneerselvam, Natham R Viswanathan, R Vaithilingam, Edappadi K Palanisamy and P Palaniappan were among the few who attended the simple ceremony held in Dhanapal’s office in the eastern wing of the main secretariat building. “She took oath and signed the papers amid loud applause from the Ministers,” sources said.
Jayalalitha, who was expected to drop in at Raj Bhavan to greet Governor K Rosaiah on his 82nd birthday, telephoned him and sent greetings with a bouquet”.
At least this newspaper honestly reported that the entry of media persons was prohibited whenever Jayalalitha arrives at the Secretariat and leaves and for her engagements there. But the rest enthusiastically report as if their own staff reporters/photographers covered the events. All that the dailies/television channels receive are press releases from the State government. They can be truthful to their readers/viewers at least by adding the sentences ‘according to a government press release’ in their reports, as they do in other such circumstances.
Two prominent personalities in power who abhor and shun media, but get the maximum positive and uncritical coverage are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha. It was the practice of Prime Ministers to interact with senior correspondents of the media accompanying them on board of the aircraft during their official trips abroad. But Modi has not so far met the media persons in entourage during his frequent foreign jaunts. At least the Prime Minister attends many public events and addressed from the dais.
But Jayalalitha is of late is conspicuous by her absence in public events/functions.
Immediately after assuming office in May, 2011, Jayalalitha assured the media that she would meet them once in a week and hence they need not wait for or chase her vehicle to get an audience with her. It is now more than four years since that assurance was given, but she did not keep her promise.
The only two occasions she met the media persons, first to stake claim for the notification of the final award of the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal in the Central Gazette and secondly, to take pains to ‘clarify’ that she or the television channel owned by her clan had no role in the protests against Kamalhaasan’s film ‘Viswaroopam’, which drew international criticism against her regime. Besides these two meets with the Press, Jayalalitha was never available for even comments for the Press.
Unlike Jayalalitha, DMK President Kalaignar regularly meets media, whether he is in power or not, and he is always accessible to reporters. But invariably, his interactions with the media are not truthfully reported, at least in English dailies, and their own perspectives are presented misrepresenting his views and misleading the people and their readers/viewers. Every utterance of Kalaignar in meetings/statements is subjected to analyses in print media and debates in television channels, the objective of which are mostly attempt to discredit him in the eyes of people.
But on the other hand, the media adopts such uncritical and adulatory attitude towards Jayalalitha in spite of the snubs they invariably face! She cares two hoots for the ‘pillars of democracy’-the executive, the judiciary, the legislature and the media!
Why both of them (Modi and Jaya) shun the media? Because, they have so much to explain about the affairs of their regimes/Ministers./party functionaries! But at least in the case of Modi, sections of the media are presenting critical reports. But here in Tamil Nadu in the case of Jayalalitha, the media is hesitant to report even damning matters about this regime very well known to the people. Why are they so many protectionists even at the cost of offence to their self-respect and dignity? Should not they be honest to their trusted readers/viewers and present the truth?
This is the land of Thanthai Periyar who taught even lay people first to develop self-respect. It is high time for the media in Tamil Nadu, which preach high-sounding ethics and morality to others, to develop self-respect, truthfulness and honesty! (12-07-15)
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