SAVE ETHICS SAVE MEDIA By Sekhar Datta

(Editor's Note : The following is the speech delivered by Shri Sekhar Datta, eminent journalist and Special Correspondent of The Telegraph at a seminar organized by Tripura Journalists' Union on December 26, 2010. We produce the speech as it was.)

This seminar is a very timely response to the sequence of shady events that have cast a shadow over the functioning of the media in the country over the past few years. It is also being organised at a time when the constituency of hope or optimism over the media seems to be shrinking fast all around us. This is a time for introspection and self-criticism and let today's seminar be a precursor of countless similar debates, discourses and seminars across the nation.

Turning to the theme of discussion, I would like to state that media-quite contrary to popular perception-was never really a paragon of virtue but minor vices of the past have now graduated to the level of major scams and scandals because of the phenomenal increase in opportunities spawned by our three-lane fast highway of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.There is, however, no justification for corrupt practices and brazen violation of ethical standards. Gone are the days when a crusading editor would risk his job for exposing the murky world of the high and mighty or a lay journalist would risk even his life for bringing shady deals involving the political class and corporate mafia into sharp focus. The proprietors of media houses have arrogated to themselves the sole right of becoming self-appointed editors.

In the Indian media's twilight world now the buzz word is 'Paid News'. This pernicious phenomenon called 'Paid News' had come into being before the last Loksabha elections and elections to the Maharashtra state assembly as a large number of media-houses had practically extorted hefty amounts of money from political leaders and parties in exchange for large spaces in Print and slots in TV news channels, exclusively devoted to candidates for elections and parties for larger than life coverage. The arrangement worked to perfection as politicians reaped the benefit of hugely undeserved coverage and media house owners earned proportionately huge sums of money. Significantly, it was not an act of seduction on the part of the politicians or parties but a deliberate courtship of the devil by the media. The casualty of this dark manipulation was the media's all-important credibility, democratic norms and peoples right to free choice in an election based on universal adult suffrage.

The evil fall-out of such "Paid News" through a redefined process of presenting political news is too obvious for our democracy and public interest to be glossed over. In a detailed report the Press Council of India after obtaining report furnished by a sub-committee condemned such acts and urged upon the Election Commission to 'set up a special cell to receive complaint about paid news in the run-up to the conduct of elections and initiate a process through which expeditious action could be taken on the basis of such complaints'. The Council also laid stress on self-regulation to keep this growing menace in check, besides making other recommendations including a suggestion for amending the Representation of Peoples Act-1951.

If an article authored by veteran journalist P.Sainath in 'The Hindu' on August 5 this year is to be believed one media house had in fact apologised to the investigators for having printed "Paid News'. But in this context I must mention that the Press Council had earlier made an extensive review of corrupt practices of journalists and inducements offered to them by political leaders and parties between 1985 and 1995 in UP and some other states of north India and identified 23 means of offering inducements by which the media could be corrupted by the parties and leaders and put a ban on them. It is however crystal clears that this has not worked up to the desired level.

Now the prioritisation of news presentation is entirely an internal issue of the media and the Press Council can not possibly do anything about this but it can set in motion a process of rethinking through its moral intervention. Apart from this, at least a section of the Indian media, specially the Electronic media indulge in subtle acts of subversion by their presentation of news copies. This comes to the fore whenever an act of terrorist attack takes place: in their misguided enthusiasm for TRP and possibly shady gains this section of media goes on a safari to establish victimhood equivalence between the victims and perpetrators at the cost of national interest.

I have already taken much time and I do not wish to tax your patience and endurance further. Before I conclude I would say that corruption or immoral practices of media can not be wholly neutralised but can only be minimised and for this purpose the Press Council must be empowered and given more teeth so that its decisions, observations and verdicts become mandatorily enforceable by any state or central government. When the Press Council Act was passed in 1965 the Council was given a twelve-point charter or mandate. The point-VI in the charter mandates the Council "to keep under review such cases of assistance received by any newspaper or news agency in India from foreign sources, as are referred to by the central government". The scope of this point may be further broadened to include internal 'assistance' also. More so, because media in India is now in a fairly strong position after the Right to Information act legislation. Though it is only a legal right, not a constitutional right, the media is better off now because earlier we had only Article 19 of the constitution and judgments passed by the Supreme Court on it to fall back upon for protecting our rigths. But with every right there is a corresponding duty which must be performed to enjoy the right in perpetuity.

Apart from this, there is now talk of judicial accountability and proposals for putting in place a mechanism for this. If judiciary, the third pillar of democracy, be fettered by questions of accountability why not the media, the fourth pillar which is accountable to readers and, inter alia, the people in general. I am also of the considered view that ways and means must be devised to rid the Press Council of the owners or proprietors of Print and Electronics media because in the ultimate analysis it is the owners and proprietors who pull the strings and indulge in manipulations for pecuniary gains. My last submission is that the Press Council within the constraints of its limited mandate can kindly initiate a process of debate and discussions over a changed pattern of ownership or proprietorship of the media. At present any Tom, Dick or Harry can launch a newspaper or TV channel provided he can shell out the requisite money.

In our state of late chit funds or a number of non-Banking financial companys have started bringing out newspapers, presumably to serve their own ends. Since the media is allowed to enjoy important legal and constitutional rights over and above their high level of access, it is an imperative that the ownership pattern of media is given a relook and a mechanism evolved so that authentic and bon fide media persons enjoy the important rights in professional and public interest.

Published on 26 Dec, 2010 Readers can send their comments on this feature to : feature@tripurainfo.in