Media should be close to the truth and away from sensationalism, which is nothing but senselessness, said Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, whole delivering his address on the 'Media's role in new India' organised by the Press Club of Bangalore on Sunday.
"We are the largest functional democracy in the world. Not a namesake democracy. We have a robust, independent and vibrant media, which is important for the proper functioning of the democracy. We also have an independent judiciary. The press is known as the watchdog of democracy. Unbiased and faithful coverage is vital for strengthening democracy," he said.
Terming the professions of politics, medicine, education and media as "mission", Naidu said there should be no scope for any remission or omission while reporting. "Media profession should be pursued for the sake of passion for the nation. Sadly, the decline has started at different levels, starting from politics. Values and standards set by our forefathers and our Constitution makers are slowly eroding. We must guard against such erosion of values and maintain standards and tradition, keep the prestige and image of the country intact."
News Vs Views
Strongly advocating for keeping news and views separate, Naidu said, "Views are for the editorial page. News should be presented without any additions. This is an important issue for the media to introspect. Today, you read four-five newspapers, you will not find what you read in one paper in the other. Politicians have also started their own newspapers. Media should be independent and like a mirror, reflecting things as they are, without colouring the news with one's views. If the personal views of the editor creeps into news, it will weaken democracy."
The onslaught of social media has added social tensions too, noted the vice president, calling upon the Parliament to "regulate" the social media. "Some people are misusing social media to spread hatred and promote divisions among people. Parliament needs to ponder over this. Some regulation is needed but not regulation that becomes strangulation of free speech. When I told the government about this (regulation), the parties too agreed they were agitated with this new trend."
Recalling the "stellar" role of the media during the freedom movement and the Emergency, Naidu cited the examples of media stalwarts like Ramnath Goenka, Nikhil Chakravarthy, Kuldip Nayyar and Arun Shourie for being in the forefront and espousing the cause of freedom of press despite the consequences. "Today's media should follow those men and the standards maintained by them. Many people in Karnataka too have shown the path, maintained the dignity of the media," he said.
Referring to the growing personal attacks by the media, Naidu said it was important to respect the institutions. "You are not dealing with a person but an institution when you are dealing with a chief minister, leader of the opposition, prime minister or the governor. You have the right to criticise when they go wrong. But one should not undermine the institution.
Elaborating on the four "Cs"—character, capacity, calibre and conscience—as essential for a good politician, Naidu appealed to the politicians to guard their conduct and calibre. "Whenever I meet people, I ask people to select and elect good people. But today, the four good Cs have been replaced with caste, community, cash and criminality," he lamented.
Calling upon political parties to evolve a code of conduct for their members, the three-time Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka said the code must be for members both inside and outside the Parliament. He also underlined the importance of the parties keeping the promises made in their election manifesto.
Speaking of the dilemma he faces while presiding over the Rajya Sabha that suddenly turns noisy and chaotic, Naidu said, "Like the people, I too feel disgust. People look up to parliament for guidance, including children. But when I look at the scenes in the Parliament, I insist nothing should go on record and be telecast as I don't want people to see this low level behaviour. But then there is the other view too to let people see what the elected representatives are doing. As a legislator one should come prepared and speak in the Parliament to strengthen the legislation, analyse and criticise the functioning of the government, highlight the failures as well as appreciate the good work. Unfortunately, it does not happen. At times, when some people do a good speech, it is not reported."
Emphasising on the need to encourage constructive behaviour in the Parliament, Naidu said the media should not make unsavoury behaviour the headline. "When I ask some of my media friends about it, they tell me, if a dog bites a man it is normal and if a man bites a dog that becomes news. Legislators are expected to behave and give good speeches and when they get on the benches and break the mikes, it becomes news. I tell them, all that is also a news but that alone is not the news. Let us encourage constructive behavior of legislators by acknowledging it. Let the government propose, let the opposition oppose, let the House dispose as democracy is about the numbers."
Amend anti-defection law
Expressing concern over the growing tendency of people to switch parties, Naidu said the time had come to amend the anti defection law.
"Elected representatives changing their parties has become a big menace. You can leave a party if you do not agree with its policy or don't like the leader. But once you quit the party, you must give up all the positions given to you by the party. The anti-defection law has some loopholes. It allows wholesale defection but not retail defection. So, people mobilise the numbers to change the party. If one wants to resign, give up the posts and get re-elected, there is no issue. But people hold on to their posts," he observed.
Stating that better clarity on the defection law was needed, Naidu asserted that the presiding officers and also the courts must give time-bound ruling to effectively deal with defections. "The speaker and chairman of the House are given powers to decide on the defection. But in most cases, defection is dealt with with affection. The decision comes after six months to years and the courts too give their decision after the defector's tenure comes to an end. The ruling should come within three months, " he asserted.
