On the face of it, paid news may seem no more than advertising camouflaged as reports or editorials. Naveen Jindal’s shocking ‘reverse sting’ — aimed at exposing how two editors of the Zee network attempted to cut a shady deal with his company — shows that it can be much worse than this. It is a reminder of how easily the culture of paid news can lead, ineluctably, towards extortion. There is only one word for promising to back off on an investigation in exchange for lucrative advertising revenue: blackmail. And that is the essence of Mr. Jindal’s allegation against Zee. Of course, the hidden camera recordings, which seem to show the two editors making such an assurance, need to be assessed on many counts, including authenticity and the context in which the conversations took place. The Zee editors have denied all wrongdoing, claiming they were victims of an attempt to bribe them, implying they played along because their channels were conducting their own sting operation. But it boggles the mind why the two should have been discussing an advertising contract with executives of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd at a time when their channels were running a series of investigations on the company’s coal block allocations.
While it is for the police and courts to probe, and decide on, the facts of this case — a case of extortion has already been filed against Zee — Mr. Jindal has thrown a spotlight on an issue which has begun to darken the Indian mediascape: the increasing number of deals between corporate houses and media outlets, whether in the form of paid news or private treaties, to guarantee favourable press and, whenever required, to black out unfavourable news. If his so-called reverse sting creates a ripple of fear among those in the media industry who think nothing of cutting such extortionary deals, then there will be a positive takeaway from the sordid revelation. Such illegal and unethical practices only serve to strengthen the voices that would like some control over the media in the form of external regulation. It was only this May that a private member’s bill seeking to regulate the working of the press and the electronic media was introduced in Parliament. The media itself must refrain from conducting itself in a manner that harms its own argument that any regulatory mechanism must come only from within. One should remember that the ongoing Leveson Inquiry in the U.K. was a result of the phone hacking scandal and the increasing public disenchantment with the ethical standards in the British press. While there is no reason for external control, the Indian media should refrain from giving those who want this, the handle to push in that direction.
Keywords: paid news, illegal and unethical practices, lucrative advertising revenue, coal block allocations, Indian mediascape
Being a young citizen of India, I have lost faith in media in
understanding the difference between authentic and pretentious. What
is shocking is the way these anecdotes are histrionically portrayed as
dogmas. We are living in a zeitgeist where authentic achievements have
to strive to overcome the factitious stories of aristocrats. I will
unexceptionably believe my own instincts in understanding the true
nature of the “news” which will undoubtedly lead to a contingent, who
are ignorant and frustrated to bother about this hubbub made by media
and pecunious.
When the TV channels do conduct such string operation and go to town with their expose, why cry hoarse when the tables are turned on them in the form of a reverse sting. First of all, let the media decide whether it is ethical to conduct such sting and put the person in the dock? Sting, media trial in court case are all totally unethical and nothing of black mailing tactics only.
In the present case, there is a reason to believe both the sides since Jindal goup is under a scanner, they might have resorted to it .
Media and particularly national news papers like TheHindu should make
it mandatory to post a disclosure for each article written by the
authors mentioning if they have any links to the people/subjects/topic
of concern.For example the author Mr. Khare in the opinion section has
clear affiliation to the UPA government and its leaders and still is
writing as though he is neutral.By not putting a disclosure next
readers will think twice before trusting any article on TheHindu as
this article from Mr. Khare who was an adviser to Mr. Manmohan singh
gives an impression of a paid article or to appease some body rather
than being neutral and giving a fair opinion which newspapers like
TheHindu are known to stand for
If PCI could register case and suspend licence of those who use media
for illegal purposes then there is no need for external regulation.
But that is not the case. No one in media wants to control since they
hide behind "social cause" and keep looting people.
People dont need more articles, people need results where these media
people are punished and never allowed back. How if a public servant or
politician caught in scandal is thoroughly humiliated by media
repeatedly, the same must be the approach when it is someone from the
media. Never seen PCI act in any matter till now. So, your article
looks idiotic. Just like a Politician's speech
" We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be
greedy only when others are fearful". (Warren Buffett).
We are proud that in this era of 'competitive greed' surrounding us from
all sides, The Hindu, along with a few other newspapers,maintains its
stature by keeping away from the forces of fear and greed.
I do not believe either Indian Press or Indian media as long they do not have same rules and regulation as applicable to any other entity. I fully agree with Justice Katju on scum of correspondents and their filthy agenda. They should be in jail for any fictitious stings, however they are free to expose corruption.
In AP YSR and Jagan looted but press could not expose the scandal, the same applies to TN where both KK and Jaya were looting state for decades. This cancer has now spread to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jarkhand and many other states.
I don't think there should be any external regulation on media. Corporate media, like the legislature, executive and judiciary is made up of the best individuals this country has to offer and they are well capable of regulating themselves. All this country needs is a greater amount of faith on what the media publishes.
Like the divine power, one needs to believe in media for it to function.
The article brings out the moral dilemma and the realistic implications of Your Business Group. You have not come out strong enough to censure the Media, I wish that you take the lead as a renowned and media house enjoying the trust of your readers, to eleminate this evil from the society. If the Morality vanishes from the Media and Judiciery, I wonder to whom the common man has to turn for redressal. It is a serious issue and we know, that things come into public domain only whe the rot had set in so deeply, that the stink is beyond suppression. Your exposures Through Ram, Chithra and excellent articles by Sri Gurumurthy have earned a reputation. We expect not a mild censure from you but a good drive to erase this malady from the society.
While the act of negotiating with corporates by ZEE is clearly reprehensible, it raises the question if part of the media has already been "amicably" settled. The following events raises suspicion : Firstly, post CAG report the focus was on Dadra and Jaiswal who were much smaller beneficiaries compared to Jindal. Secondly, the brazenness with which JSPL operates in Raigarh,including the attacks on RTI activist and the rigging of environmental public hearings,hardly ever finds mention in the national media. Finally, the peaceful protests by the villagers and land losers in Raigarh and Angul are regularly ignored by national media. The media is surprisingly quiet on the voices against giant business houses.
This blackmailing allegations are not new for media, long back in the
year 1958 one Prem Kumar editor of a small news paper in
Gandhinagar(P.Road) area of Kanpur was arrested for blackmailing an
Industrilist. Then there were similar allegations on owners of Jagran
some times back. So it is their side business it is for many times for
the good of persons being victimize and it is well known that they
because of this virtue they enjoy most of the facilities form the govt.
Measure question is that who is going to investigate this case? Because both sides seam to have hand in glove and both are powerful. Powerful media groups involvement in coal-gate already in public domain. But nobody reported about it. Those who did without mentioning the name of that group. That groups involvement is also their in Soni Sori and Essar case by doing veiled news Bribe paying or extortionist behavior is not new in Indian media at local level. Various govt. officials and businessman pays bribes to local news reporters for not reporting the news related civic problems. Like potholes in road, other mismanagement of civic services. If any citizen want share some genuine information related to social, economic and political problem they are not interested in that till she/he not paying bribe to local news reporters. It not problem with media, its problem of Indian society a whole. Because become corrupt when they get little power for that they not accountable to anyone.
News media's job is to report and comment on events and matters of public importance and not to sit in judgement on people and institutions. The journalists and TV news anchors in our country seem to have arrogated to themselves the role of prosecutors and judges.This power is evidently being traded by some of them for illegal personal gains. With the media largely supportive of the UPA government, why can indulge in such practices without fear of any prosecution. Wither India's democracy?
First of all, the attitude of the Corporate towards media should change. They bombard the media with Press Releases and 'Story Proposals' by using Communication consulting firms/Public Relations agencies as mediators on a day to day basis. Fortunately publications like The Hindu have not fallen to this, which gives news some credibility (given a case in point: most civil service aspirants prefer this publication). A Regulation on free press is the worst thing that could happen, and our media has been through this during the Emergency in the 1970's. The bottom line is, none other than media itself can regulate itself. An external agency would definitely infringe the freedom of press directly or indirectly. The media itself can redefine the perception in the minds of the corporate.
It is common knowledge that representative democracy as is prevelant in most of the countries in general and India in particular is not working towards its prescribed objectives. Politicians' responsibility primarily focussed towards their Parties' survival and growth and secondarily to their individual economic and political enhancement leaves no scope for fulfilling ambitiions of the people whom they represent. The role of the apposition in ensuring checks and balances has gradually been diluted and it has now come to a very depressing situation where the opposition is only apparent and deep inside it is a game of connivance with the ruling party to maximise their indiviudal strength and stability. Political power has suceeded in controlling and subduing the excutive and juiciary systems thus rendering the whole political set up to be a democratic monarchy.Innovations in information technology and mass media appears to be the only hope for ushering in Participatory Democracy.
If the malpractice of 'paid news' has been in the news for quite some time, what has come to public gaze as hot news now is Naveen Jindal's startling relevation of the most shocking result of the reverse sting operation undertaken by him to expose the evil design of two editors, who tried to impose on him an unfair deal with the ulterior motive to achieve monetary gains. It stinks when, much to our dissatisfaction, we come to know about such serious malpractices on the part of some among the media, in whom we have placed immense faith, anticipating nothing but fair reporting. There is absolute need for some sort of control in this regard. It will be in the best interests of the media if, as suggested in the editorial, they avoid external interference and take requisite steps to have some sort of strict internal control to avoid recurrence of similar unsavoury incidents.
Please Email the Editor