New Delhi: A media magnate being grilled and a prime minister called into question. As the drama unfurled in London and millions watched News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch and British Prime Minister David Cameron explaining their stance on media ethics and government accountability, questions were asked whether there were any lessons in it for Indian media and their growing influence over the nation's public life and polity. When Murdoch's News of the World (NOTW) unceremoniously exited from the world tabloid space after it was found that some of its journalists hacked phones of a dead 13-year-old girl and 9/11 victims - all for some heartfelt stories - outrage followed. What also followed in quick succession were apologies and resignations from top police officers and others. In India, with its long tradition of a free and vibrant media, the questions that followed were inevitable. Innovative stings and advanced techniques of phone tapping were still virgin territory for much of the media, struggling with low budgets, but the larger lessons were the same. What is needed is some self-introspection, said veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar. He believes the situation in Indian media is not as bad as in the West, "but the press is not that free because of corporate ownership of media houses". Bias, lies, paid news, plagiarism, political leanings and corporatisation are increasingly entering the public domain. And they all came together with the disclosure of the Niira Radia tapes that gave an insight into the symbiotic relationship among journalists, corporates, politicians and public relations managers.The transcripts, released in November 2010 by Open and Outlook magazines, relate to conversations corporate lobbyist Radia had with a series of people, including journalists Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi, raising questions about media ethics and the cosy relationship that journalists often enjoyed with politicians.Read Full: Will Indian media learn the Murdoch lessons? Image: https://www.flickr.com
Friday, 9 September 2011
Will Indian media learn the Murdoch lessons?
New Delhi: A media magnate being grilled and a prime minister called into question. As the drama unfurled in London and millions watched News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch and British Prime Minister David Cameron explaining their stance on media ethics and government accountability, questions were asked whether there were any lessons in it for Indian media and their growing influence over the nation's public life and polity. When Murdoch's News of the World (NOTW) unceremoniously exited from the world tabloid space after it was found that some of its journalists hacked phones of a dead 13-year-old girl and 9/11 victims - all for some heartfelt stories - outrage followed. What also followed in quick succession were apologies and resignations from top police officers and others. In India, with its long tradition of a free and vibrant media, the questions that followed were inevitable. Innovative stings and advanced techniques of phone tapping were still virgin territory for much of the media, struggling with low budgets, but the larger lessons were the same. What is needed is some self-introspection, said veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar. He believes the situation in Indian media is not as bad as in the West, "but the press is not that free because of corporate ownership of media houses". Bias, lies, paid news, plagiarism, political leanings and corporatisation are increasingly entering the public domain. And they all came together with the disclosure of the Niira Radia tapes that gave an insight into the symbiotic relationship among journalists, corporates, politicians and public relations managers.The transcripts, released in November 2010 by Open and Outlook magazines, relate to conversations corporate lobbyist Radia had with a series of people, including journalists Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi, raising questions about media ethics and the cosy relationship that journalists often enjoyed with politicians.Read Full: Will Indian media learn the Murdoch lessons? Image: https://www.flickr.com