Paid news

The Hindu is among the few newspapers waging a war against paid news (“Censorship by ‘pay-to-print',” Feb. 4). It is highly disturbing to note that media barons censor news to suit their needs. A majority of readers and viewers cannot distinguish between paid news and routine news. Controlling the media is not possible. Self-restraint alone can work. Unfortunately, the media resists any type of control.

M.S.R.A. Srihari,

Khammam

I think the media enjoy too much power without accountability. How can a handful of media elite who hijacked the decision-making of millions be allowed to get away? Should they not be barred from reporting? Unless we act against them, we will soon have a “paid democracy.”

Dheeraj Pandey,

Jamshedpur

The issue of paid news has not received the attention it deserves. Honesty is the first requisite for a journalist or a media house. We need a strong law and, perhaps, a regulatory authority to tackle the issue. We also need to create greater awareness on paid news.

Bhanu Pratap Singh,

Udaipur

P. Sainath's article was devastatingly disturbing. The exposure of the attempts to drown the pay-to-print scam by the media, with a minuscule honourable exception like The Hindu , should be addressed by civil society. Unless it is done on a war footing, democracy would be under a great risk of being subverted by the cosy monetised relationship between the media, the corporate sector, and the corrupt sections of the political spectrum.

Kasim Sait,

Chennai