To the Prime Minister of India,

Subject – Request for Independent Regulator for News Media

 

Adarneeye Pradhan Mantriji

This request is not for imposing censorship on media, but ensuring accountability, verifiable & authentic news report.

The request for Independent Regulator for News Media would empower the citizen to seek redressal at least cost & at maximum speed, we already have DRT, TRAI, REHULATOR FOR ELECTRICITY, CONSUMER FORUMS FOR COMPLAINTS IN CASE OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES. Over the years it has been witnessed, internal regulators like editors guild and other regulation like Press Council has miserably failed and are toothless paper tigers

In any Democracy, Media plays a very important interface between government & public, and its responsibility gets amplified in the democracy as large as ours. However, over the years, it has not only been felt, but even documented with hard evidence malicious and agenda based activity is furthered under the garb of journalism. Case after case, events after events, the journalists and editors of Mainstream Media, especially English Media are been exposed of their brazen rumour mongering to further agenda; so much that at times, the events are pushed to the level of anti-national activity, which is very dangerous. You have personally been at the receiving end of their malicious campaign about 2002 Gujarat riots. You have personally witnessed how the reporting was done during those difficult times.

The highest Judiciary of India, Honorable Supreme Court of India in its Judgment on Criminal Appeal NOS.1899-1900 OF 2011, has in detailed expose the worrisome role of Media, which endangered safety not only of our soldiers fighting the terrorist but also of civilians, at large (link – http://sci.nic.in/outtoday/39511.pdf , Page 245 to 249). The Highest court has further observed need of external regulator

It’s only after advent of social Media, the lies criminal agenda of Media are not only exposed but also forced to be retracted; however in absence of independent regulator, it becomes bit difficult to rein in the misdeeds of media. The social Media is filled with the documentary proof (screen shots, where misleading articles or statement of journalists / editors are recorded, which are either inflammatory or potential enough to attack the social fabric of India). In its sheer hatred to majority community of India, the media would not think twice before casting aspersions and even not bothering about providing evidence or retracting after exposed.

The most recent case of unfortunate lynching of an Indian citizen at Dadri, was highly communalized by media, even when state government’s report has not mentioned any religious angle. The act of media also raises its suspicion over selective reportage, and pushing victim hood card among select community.

A senior journalist was found in fist fight with NRI only because NRI had different and positive view for India, as against prejudiced negative view of journalist.

Details of CWG scam and 2G scam, along with Nira Radia tape case fully exposes active involvement of journalist not only in corruption but also misleading nation at large for their petty interest.

Blog portals like http://ioretradingindia.blogspot.in/, http://www.mediacrooks.com/ and http://www.opindia.com/ are among many others, that are filled expose of biased Media, for over past many years

In light of above gross misdeeds and anti national activities of Indian Media, we earnestly urge your esteem self to kindly consider for appointing Independent Media Regulator, who can ensure

To Prevent misreporting & willfully manufactured news, solely to disturb the society

1. To enforce accountability in media
2. To Restrict Media inflame passions & defame majority community; and insulting their religion and country as a whole
3. To prevent media houses & persons to play politics & become fixers; which furthers not only corruption but also pushes crony capitalism
4. That all news have hard evidence & not fiction of imagination
5. To address public complaints against media & it’s persons; and also for quick redressal of public complaints.
6. even source base news should have hard evidence, source not be disclosed but evidence of news must be available
7. Protect the most vulnerable section of the society who are not that well educated & are susceptible to exploitation by media reports & political parties bent upon creating unrest in the country.

It is the foremost responsibility of responsive government, to safeguard interest and protect vulnerable citizens from malicious attack (need not be violent directly; but have potential to inflame situation; putting the peace of society at risk).

Hence we request you to kindly sanction Independent Media Regulator, and thus refrain the brazen media from its anti national and anti society antics at the earliest

 

Request by an INDIAN

 

(You can too sign the petition here; On 1st January’ 2016, the signed petition will be sent to Prime Minister of India, via registered mail)

The Lack of “Must be Routine”, compels incompetent to LOUDLY praise even the pretentious intent of performing ‘What is to be done”. This urge is more to do with white-washing the in-efficiencies and NOT to find a solution to cure the rot. – is the conclusion one can arrive, While going through The Rohtak “Bravehearts” and the truth Media ignored by @UnSubtleDesi. The blog brought back images of TV Screens, filled up with National debates, shouting and blaming in full volume, yet failing to make a single word of sense; to complement the noisy panel debates on TV was shabby and pointless Op-eds and to top it all, was agenda inflicted News, with half information and full lies, but full of guided narrative.

The write up is more of a pointer on lack of follow-up on the story to find out and state the truth, hence it surely exposes hypocrisy of Media; but even more then that, what it exposes, through ‘in between the lines’ is a crazy mad-race for TRP between News Channels and attempt to be crowning self as only CONSCIOUS voice of society or rather holding the moral compass of all, thus having natural right to dish out judgements without investigation or logic, but pure on whims and fancies that suits their commercial/ideological boss’s agenda. However, Malice lies much deeper, and does not stop at mere media, but it stretches self towards, self proclaimed-liberals and opinion makers of society, NGO’s and also those involved in system as well; The intensity, involvement and intention may differ at various level among them, but it sure exists.

To start with, a quick flash-black a couple of years back, Media was filled with images and news of infant’s death in West Bengal’s Hospital, when Mamta Banerjee had taken over as Chief Minister of West Bengal just few months before the incidents. Then walk few steps towards present and there were News on series of daily gang rapes in Uttar Pradesh. In between there was a brutal murder-rape of a Lady in Delhi and few other cases as well, which worked as catalyst to make every Indian angry over the safety and administration of not only Delhi, but every state of India (rightly so). However, now again look back, and question, what has happened to deaths of infants in Bengal or gang rapes in Uttar Pradesh now? have the system taken over and has the deaths and rapes stopped?, Okay, Lets not try and not attempt to reply this, for beyond those very few who are in vicinity of above places, most wouldn’t have information to say Yes or No. The reply instantly would be memory of Indian / society is very short,  however its not completely true. In the conventional Media, the information or views are throttled through one way from media outlets to consumer, and not two ways, where consumer demands the information (except rare of writing letters to Editors, but again no way to confirm, the letters are being acted upon). Also, painting the entire Media with single brush is equally wrong, but real problem lies in exposure of the stories, which is been decided by elite editors and News Media Owners, who decide on What and What not to let audience be made aware of, beyond a point.

Second flagging issue is, scavenging mindset of certain section in Media/intellectuals/NGO to exploit the tragedy or heinous crime against society to suit their agenda/vested interest or exploit TV screen space for publicity , but the will to find solution is NEVER on the priority list. Especially, when the crime is gender related. The lack of proper system to milk-out justice or ensuring routine safety, provides space to attention seeking scoundrels to leech on to such tragedies.  Lets here take the case of #DelhiRapeCase, where entire Capital of the Country came to halt, and was urging for Speedy Justice as aberration, while its the fundamental right of the citizens. But instead of using the moment as positive catalyst to have some tangible result in form of actionable solutions, entire mechanisms from those in system, to media to NGO, started deviating and white washing the incident. 1st attempt was discussion whether to call the victim of crime, as victim or survivor, then race to name her, from Nirbhaya to whatever …., lastly came psychoanalysis of what causes rapes and final nail was instituting a committee to enact a new law, instead of investigating what leads to delay in justice. The mis-handing of the case by the then Delhi Government and Central Government was more then evident, whose sole focus was to evade any fixing of blame on their own inefficiencies. Entire effort is just to hush up incident and pretend is everything is fine, and then we all lived happily after. Else, why the Gangrape of a teenager, which was equal brutal in uttar Pradesh, few months after #Delhicase, was not given as much importance, nor there was proper follow up. Not that every girl should be Media named “Nirbhaya” (No girl deserves that, by remote means); but SADLY and certainly not all cases of victim/survivor gets acknowledgement as that of #DelhiRapeCase. This has cascading effect, which is made more vicious, with Media having urge to dish out Judgements, again to prove “#ALLisWELL. Mere statement of a lady is potent enough for Media and System/Society to label a male, as toxic living being who is to be weeded out from civilised society, logical evidence or investigation be dammed. And when the error in this hurried judgement is showcased, there comes lame justification, yeh to aberration tha, else since centuries, women is exploited (not that I am countering historic part, but certainly historic wrong cant be licence to present wrong, and again not all cases are motivated; but space of Grey Shade in law leads to scope of Law being motivatedly misused; Mere Intention is not everything in LAW, at least).

Let for example, check “Law of Domestic Violence”, which actually is named as Protection of Woman From Domestic Violence Act 2005,  as the name suggests it is for the women, and no such law for any Males (thus any statistical exercise to determine who is victim of Domestic Violence can never lead to logical conclusion, but only to assumptions) Similarly, Law #498A and then this Nirbhaya law, where a Law presumes, women as always victim and males as brutal gang rapist, always. Media laps this up and pronounce criminal before investigation, which has actually been more detrimental to genuine victim/affected women in many cases. Also the law has to well-objective not pretenious good intention but factually biased. As can be seen in the blog of @UnsubtleDesi, where even the army served penalty to accused, without investigation, based on media narrative; while follow up was not even properly acknowledged, where it was clear that girls (victims per media), were actually milking the above suggested mindset prevalent in society and in matter of #498A there can be innumerable false cases that are been unearthed; but media never takes up these, as it is anti to the narrative of their owners or NGO friends who squeeze out their wealth and fame, by holding flag as Voice of Victims; and encash huge amount of donations.

Neither Media nor Opinion makers are interested in balanced law which is against criminal without pre-inhibitions along with honest effort to unearth truth without predetermining the criminals; which sadly is the prerequisite for fearless fight against crime … but then …..its the Game of Money, Honey and not the truth or society. Also, to suggest society has short memory is as wrong, because they are not allowed by section through 24 X 7 News channels; As when option is provided citizens have proved they know much better and keep self informed; example no lies stand more then few minutes or hours on social media, the alert social media acitivist, squashes lies spewed with the help of elephantine memory and using facts/screen shots.  But then, as its said – Customer is the KING.

Media is reflection of society, and if Mirror has cracks and is shabby .. don’t persists with the mirror, which will never have true reflection … Better change the Mirror and invest in SOCIAL MEDIA.