by Karan Thapar
The first error was a result of not knowing enough. The second of not cross-checking ‘facts’. Of course, both ignorance and negligence are mistakes but in punishing them you need to ask three questions to determine the response that would fit the lapse: was the error easily avoidable? What consequences did it lead to? And how much damage has it done to the newspaper or TV channel? Then whatever follows must be done impartially and transparently.
More difficult to judge is what the PM calls ‘motivated columns’. Who’s to decide what’s motivation? And who’s to decide whether it’s acceptable or not? Here the PM is on shaky ground. After all, it could be said every article has a motivation – be it to inform, expose, interpret, analyse, amuse, put in perspective or deliberately play devil’s advocate. The problem is one man’s motivation is another’s provocation and it turns, I suspect, on each individual’s predilection. Quite frankly, I think it’s best to leave it at that.
But there is an area where the PM needs to look beyond the press to his own tribe of politicians, including his partymen and allies. When he says ‘the media must play its due rule in influencing public opinion so that liberal values are reinforced’, he’s right but he’s also overlooking the fact it usually does. It’s politicians who often don’t. Last week when Khushboo was forced to recant her comments on the unimportance of virginity it was under alleged pressure from the PMK and its supporters. The press stood by her. Dr Manmohan Singh’s allies did not.
And what about politicians who use their muscle to coerce journalists to write or recant to suit their tastes? Of course, the journalist cannot escape blame when it happens but what about the politician or the political party? Are they not equally to blame? At least I think so.
Perhaps the PM should have addressed a carefully crafted sentence or two to them. It would have ensured that his critique of the media would have been widely accepted without reservation.
29 September 2005
About the Author
Karan Thapar is head of Infotainment Television (ITV), a production house that makes programmes for the BBC, Channel NewsAsia, CNBC, CNN-IBN and Doordarshan. Before his return to India in I991, Thapar worked with London Weekend Television and for The Times (UK).
Among the programmes he has hosted is the prestigious Hard Talk India series for the BBC. He has won numerous awards, including the Indian Express Journalist of the Year (Broadcast) award for 2007-08, and as many as four Asian Television Awards for best current affairs presenter. Currently, Thapar hosts the highly regarded interview show, The Devil’s Advocate, on CNN-IBN and India Tonight on CNBC.
Thapar has written the popular column, ‘Sunday Sentiments’, for the Hindustan Times for the last twelve years.
First published in India in 2011 by
HarperCollins Publishers India
a joint venture with
The India Today Group
Copyright © Karan Thapar 2011
Illustrations copyright © Jayanto Banerjee
ISBN: 9788172237769
Epub Edition © JUNE 2012 ISBN: 9789350292594
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Karan Thapar asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this book.
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Cover design: Shuka Jain
Cover Illustrations: Jayanto Banerjee
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