Indian Media Celebrities Show The Way
Posted on 30. Nov, 2010 by Ajay Goyal in All Write
By Ajay Goyal
Celebrity journalists of Delhi’s English language media are having to explain themselves after an expose of their taped conversations with tainted lobbyist Niira Radia, who is under investigation by tax authorities for alleged money laundering. Listening to the high intrigue on those tapes is like watching unavoidable and unseemly sight around railway tracks of Delhi from the windows of dawn trains departing the capital. Whichever way you look, they all have their pants down on their ankles. That is the state of this Congress government and the celebrated media personalities that prop it.
The government of “Mr. Clean” Dr. Manmohan Singh is not catching a break from corruption scandals involving his party and government. One major corruption scam after another is hitting his government in the face. The numbers are staggering – one telecom scam of mobile licenses alone is said to have cost Indian exchequer US$ 20 billion. Just how much the ministers, the fixers, the journalists and the bureaucrats have been bribed to deprive national treasury of this amount is not yet known. What we do know is that some of the best known television presenters and columnists of India are involved in back room conniving in allocation of ministerial portfolios with corporate lobbyists.
New Delhi, also ruled by Congress party, has finished hosting Commonwealth games-of-shame after a desperate sprint, having lost seven years it had for construction and beautification of the city. Nearly half of the US$ 8 billion supposed to have been spent on roads, construction, services projects seems to have disappeared into Delhi smog. Delhi does not display any signs of having received such largesse – the city is still an open garbage dump, with more potholes and uncovered sewers on main roads than craters on moon. Though media went into a frenzy about corruption over commonwealth games ignoring seven years of open loot, it had more than shame of India on its mind. According to one insider, two major English language media companies brazenly attempted extortion from organizers of shame-games in return for – hold your breath — dulling down the stories of corruption.
While it appears that government has no money for improvement of public services like providing latrines or clean water to millions in Delhi, there is no shortage of government ads in English language newspapers proclaiming progress and development. Each big expose by media is followed by a big advertisement campaign by the government in it. One Congress party led state having dubious distinction as leader in female foeticide, spent nearly a quarter of its budget to combat the despicable practice by giving newspaper ads – in English – exhorting illiterate parents in remote villages not to abort female foetus.
The ethics, morality and journalistic quality in shrill and over the top English language media of India is in a steeper decline than standards of politics in the country. They seem to be in a race to beat each other in skullduggery. Indian newspapers and cable television networks blatantly “sold” election coverage to the highest bidders in 2009 general election. Fabricated and untrue news items were published and broadcast to the voters. The election was stolen and media played an active role in it.
It is suggested that no action is possible against media and its right to lie for money and to indulge in pay-per-say is safeguarded by constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech. But the practice of fabricated & paid-for news is effectively an attack on Indian republic and subversion of its democratic process. It is called treason. There are laws to deal with treason, are there not?
This November 14th I leafed through an English newspaper of Delhi and found it over-flowing with advertisements from union government, national commissions and public sector companies congratulating children of India on birthday of their “Chacha Nehru”. This “Dear Leader” or “Dear Uncle Nehru” cult of five decades could put North Korean media to shame. Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru and the dynasty he founded have their names stamped on a million schemes and monuments all over India. All paid for by the tax payer and then ploughed by the ministers into the news media. The money Indian government paid this newspaper in one day for advertisements of “Uncle Nehru” campaign could feed nearly 5,000 of India’s 200 million hungry and malnourished children for one whole month. Indeed, this shameless spectacle of advertisements from national treasury to favored columnists and newspapers is repeated every day. A nation that fails its 500 million hungry, finances shopping trips of columnists who please those in power so they can go to Harrods of London and get bespoke suits tailored at Saville Row.
India’s English language newspapers know that when they have a dark secret of government or business, they have no incentive in telling it to the public. Newspapers and all cable TV is almost free in India. That is because readers and viewers are but a leverage to make money from those who commit high crimes. Criminals depend on media in their need to get elected and media executives or journalists depend on them in turn to pay them for the favour.The tapes only show that media might be central to criminalization and corruption of Indian politics under Congress.
