It all started with 2G scam. Nira Radia's tapes were leaked.
Instead of throwing light on 2G the leaked tapes demonstrated how a corporate lobbyist was trying to influence media to report on her lines, get a minister of her choice inducted into the ministry for a definite post of telecommunication. The calls showed how the journalists appeared to be more than willing to act as intermediaries between political bosses.
The first reaction was total blackout.None of the mainstream media reported on this scandal. But for twitter and internet it would have been buried. then came the defense. political journalists are a class apart and they have to deal with rogues and therefore the quid pro quo must be proved before allegations are made. The same media was finding bureaucrats and politicians guilty till proved innocent and the news was splashed all over 24x7.They wanted different rules .
Next they claimed that they must be judged on what they wrote and spoke and not on whom they spoke to.This is specious. How can you be certain that Barkha did not guide the discussion to a quid pro quo ? It is not every time that a corporate body want something anti national.How can one prove that what she did was in national interest or personal interest When one moves in company of thieves,you must be prepared to face the questions of integrity.
All that they had to do was claim mea culpa and the whole thing would have died a natural death. On the other hand a defense was built up using the same media and suddenly everyone is talking about this. They talk about a need for consensus as if something peculiar and unique to political journalism has taken place.They talk about how it has been happening in the past.
Four important questions raised have been unanswered-
1. What is the ownership pattern of the mainstream media ? Why is the shareholding kept a secret ? No one expects an impartial assessment of 2G from say SUN TV
2. Why can't the channels and papers be politically straight in their support for any party.All they need to do is not to distort news of the opposition
3. Editors must be made accountable for action of the journalists. they must be named and shamed for the lapses in ethics and standards
4 Corporate owned channels must be labeled as such and any news on the corporate body or related to it must be termed as paid news
Instead we are fed with nonsense and the real scamsters - Raja and Radia are laughing their way to the bank. The jokers are defending their stupidity and the junta are fed s***
