By Hanan Naqeeb
New Delhi : An investigation by Cobrapost.com revealing how Indian media -or a certain section of it- is ready to malign image of various prominent opposition leaders, lawyers and social activists for monetary benefits has stirred a huge controversy . Codenamed Operation 136, the investigation undertaken by senior journalist Pushp Sharma has raised eyebrows, as the country’s media is already indulging in worst form of yellow journalism, perhaps greased by ever so increasing corporatization of media.
The investigative report explicitly mentions that ‘Indian media houses have the propensity to influence India’s electoral process through undesirable means.’
In exchange for money the news organisations are ready to use derogatory terms for opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. Over and above, many of these organisations agree to publish content with potential to polarize the electorate along communal lines. However, what is most startling is that some of the owners or important functionaries, who the undercover reporter interacted with, admitted that ‘they were either associated with the RSS or they were pro-Hindutva and would thus be happy to work on the campaign’ forgetting all the ethical parameters that bind journalists.
According to Cobrapost’s undercover investigation, money is the only driving force for ‘almost all’ organisations to run stories, be it print, electronic or digital. Most of the organisations ‘not only agreed to do what the undercover reporter asked for but also suggested myriad ways for undertaking a well-orchestrated, overtly communal media campaign on behalf of their prospective big-ticket client.’
The media in India for quite some time has been under attack from intelligentsia for peddling government agenda and giving little space to dissenting forces. To add to the woes, government is also coming hard on organisations which question its policies, often using national investigative agencies as a tool to threaten them on tax laxations. The condition of deteriorating media scenario in India can be gauged from the fact that in its annual World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders India ranked at 136 of 180 countries, slipping three spots from last year’s 133rd ranking.
Elaborating on the grave situation engulfing Indian media the report terms investigation as ‘symptomatic of the malaise that has set deep in the labyrinths of the citadel called Fourth Estate. It also shows that Indian media is on sale, lock, stock and barrel’