I.N.D.I Alliance, of 28 opposition parties that have joined hand to fight NDA in upcoming elections, has prepared a list of TV anchors and/or journalists whose show they would boycott by not sending official spokes person. According to congress party spokesperson, this is only the first list, and more is likely to come.
This action makes me wonder, what would Rahul G say in his next foreign visit about press freedom or lack of it in India?
On this topic, I was listening to CPI spokesperson Mr. Vivek Srivastava in Republic TV. Vivek ji defended the ban, by saying that "these anchors never criticised the government. They never questioned policies of the government. So it is OK to ban them." Thus according to supporters of I.N.D.I. Alliance, which Vivek Srivastava's party is one, an anchor has to peddle what certain politicians think. Anything less will be sucking up to the powers that be.
It is nothing new that TV channel owners and journalists working in the channel may harbor views for and against a political ideology. Many a time, journalists have benefited from such inclination. To name a few, but not the only ones.
1. NDTV under Dr Prannoy Roy was left leaning.
2. Arnab Goswami, from his Times Now days to current Republic TV, is openly nationalist as are many others.
3. Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt, as part of NDTV team, got their Padma awards for the post Godhra Gujarat riot coverage.
4. Arnab Goswami, as editor in chief of Republic TV, was sent to jail by MVA government of Maharashtra.
5. Punya Prasoon Bajpai, he was in Aaj Tak channel those days, was caught on camera colluding with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on the content of interview.
6. Nira Radia Tapes clearly established cosy relationship between journalists and politicians.
7. Not to forget Editors Guild of India publishes wrong photo and false news as proof of communal bias in Manipur, in the hope of regime change. In India this is called Press Freedom.
It is also true that political parties pay TV channels as well as fund show of their favorite journalists. No wonder AAP Delhi has a humongous budget for friendly media cultivation.
To counter bias of a journalist it is important to challenge his facts and not his voice. If you do, then do not cry about lack of press freedom in India. That will be hypocrisy. It is ironic that same parties that routinely exploited journalists and curried favor, are now boycotting journalists.
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