Seven Deadly Sins and the Sinners

By SR Ramanujan

Should there be a "Lakshman Rekha" for Media and if the answer is "yes", who should draw this "Rekha"? This was the subject of a round-table organized recently by Andhra Pradesh Press Academy in collaboration with the Delhi-based Center for Media Studies in Hyderabad. There was a good collection of media honchos both from the print and television for round table. Except one or two participants like Rajdeep Sardesai of India Broadcast News, there was a chorus in favor of "self-code" from the top dogs of the media like Ramoji Rao of Eenadu group, MJ Akbar of Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle and the old war horse Kuldip Nayar.

As if setting the cat among the pigeons, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy, in his inaugural address, announced that the government might set up a media regulatory authority. This should not have been a revelation for the participants at the round table since it has been in the air for quite some time and the minister unsuccessfully tried to introduce the bill in the last parliament session. But there was a howl of protest and the redoubtable Nayar said in a threatening tone "I will go to the Supreme Court if you constitute it".

The round table, in fact, exposed how hollow the editors and media barons are despite the grand-standing they do on various issues in their columns and editorials. Akbar suggested to the media-men covering the proceedings "Look gentlemen, here is your lead story for tomorrow". He did not stop at that. He urged the Minister to clarify whether such a body was being set up. Apparently, Akbar mistook it for an omnibus body covering both newspapers and television channels. The Minister had to intervene to say that there was nothing new about it and the bill has been pending from the days of NDA. He also clarified that the proposed Authority will not go into the news content, but only monitor obscenity in the channels, since some other participants also thought that the Regulatory Authority might as well pry into the print.

Though the market leaders of the media like Ramoji Rao were vehemently opposed to any regulation from the government as it would only bring back the Emergency days, none was clear as to how to evolve the "self code". Who will take the initiative to bring together all the media men for this exercise? The Minister said as a "Nehruvian liberal" he would have nothing to do with such an exercise and the government would keep a safe distance. Sardesai was quite emphatic that in these days of cut-throat competition for TRPs and ABC figures, it would be difficult to have a "self code".

Even if the media develops a "self code" who is going to monitor the violations and who will award punishments for violation of the code? It is only the government that can take punitive action against channels like India TV for showing pornographic clippings during the prime time by canceling the license or some such thing. In Tamil Nadu, both the important channels- SUN TV and Jaya TV- are nothing but propaganda tools for DMK and AIADMK respectively. What sort of code will bind them? First of all, will they sit together to evolve a code? Journalistic ethics is something that both the channels have kept at a respectable distance.

There was also a talk of autonomous body to draw the "Lakshman Rekha". But, who will constitute this body? Will it be like the Censor Board or Prasar Bharati which are also autonomous bodies, but the composition changes with the change of government. Rao was firm. There should be no government hand in this. The Chairman of the Press Council, Justice JN Ray was quite candid. He said that the media had shied away from constituting a regulatory authority.

Akbar was in his element despite his ignorance of the Ramayana which is understandable. He attributed the "Lakshman Rekha" to the ‘dhobi’ who questioned the integrity of Rama. That is beside the point. He listed out 7 sins routinely committed by media-men which is eroding the credibility of the media. He posed an interesting question: When "Sita" (journalists) has already been abducted by Ravana (Proprietors), where is the need for a "Lakshman Rekha"? This is in keeping with Akbar’s inimitable style. But, let us come to the sins he listed though he was also guilty of committing some of the sins: * Media owners, journalists becoming players in the game of business and politics. * Bias in various guises *Pomposity of journalists * Seriousness generating boredom in readers * Triumph of trivia * News on sale * Ignorance

The Hyderabad round table is not the first of its kind to discuss the "Lakshman Rekha". There were many in the past and many more will be there in future. But the "self-code" will be as elusive as the mythical "Mareecha"!