Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Journalism is impure if it acts under coercion and if it says what it is told to be said, then ‘that is nothing but public relation’ wrote George Orwell, one of the God Fathers of journalism.
A sudden lulls prevails over the domain of the journalism or the Media of today is what gets pronounced through several reportage today.
Some political leaders in Maharashtra using the sobriquet like ‘His Master’s Voice’ or ‘Tea Biscuits” for the present media has obviously raises many questions.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole on Thursday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and in the state over its treatment of media persons.
“Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. It is their job to question the government and criticise its policies but BJP, which does not respect democracy and the Constitution, calls journalists as HMV (His Master’s Voice) and compares them to slaves. It is totally unacceptable,” he said in a press statement here.
Fadnavis has referred to journalists as HMV and Parag Shah, an MLA of the same party, has insulted journalists by calling them ‘tea-biscuits’, he pointed.
“If this is being done by the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, then it is the misfortune of Maharashtra and BJP, and Devendra Fadnavis should apologise for this kind of behaviour,” he noted.
Also, Sambhaji Bhide, founder of Shiv Pratishthan, has also publicly insulted a woman journalist for not wearing kumkum, the MPCC chief said and questioned “what is the relationship between her work and kumkum?”
Sambhaji Bhide has not just insulted a woman journalist but all the women, he noted.
Criticising further, Patole said that ever since the BJP government came to power at the Centre in 2014, independence of all institutions has allegedly been taken away.
“Attempts are being made to make them dance at the behest of the government. Media works as a watchdog in a democratic governance system. They are working for the welfare of the society, criticise the government and seek answers from the government, then what wrong did the media do,” he asked.
The Congress party condemns this type of behaviour towards journalists and media by the government, he said and added that the party will always stand for the freedom of media and the rights of media persons.
with agency inputs
