EDITORS AS POWER BROKERS AND WORSE
By Shyam Khosla*

A recent discussion on media ethics at the lawns of the Press Club of India brought into open the huge gap between the run-of-the mill journalists and the club class journalists masquerading as torch-bearer of modern journalism. CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai argued that sourcing stories from the lobbyists had become a requirement of a fast moving electronic media and that those who had been caught on the Radia tapes had committed no serious misconduct. Participants listened to him with respect but hell …

BIG GUNS IN MEDIA HAVE A LOT TO EXPLAIN
By Shyam Khosla
Media deserves full credit for exposing three major scams – Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai, Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the worst of all, the dirt-cheap sale of second generation (2G) spectrums. But for the explosive disclosures by sections of the media, the looters of public funds would have gone scot free.  Delayed action against those involved in these scams by the Prime Minister and the Congress President has besmirched India’s image. Resurgent India is now being perceived by …

The Press Council of India is a quasi judicial body established under the Press Council of India, Act, 1965, with the powers of a civil court to guide the press and the authorities on matters that may have a bearing on the freedom of the press and maintaining and improving the standards of newspaper and news agencies. The raison d’etre of this statutory body is rooted in the concept that in a democratic polity, the press needs to be simultaneously free and independent as well as responsible. The Council was …

COUNCIL IS TOOTHLESS AND LACKS CREDIBILITY
16.11.2010
By Shyam Khosla
November 16 is celebrated throughout India as the National Press Day to commemorate the launching of the first self-regulatory body for the media. It was on this day in the year 1966 that the first Press Council of India started functioning as a quasi-judicial body. It was set up on the recommendation of the first Press Commission under the provisions of the Press Council of India Act, 1965. Its raison d’etre is rooted in the concept that in a democratic polity, the press …

By Shyam Khosla
A free, fair and fearless media is an essential component of a democratic polity. In elections, it is required to inform and educate the voter on issues involved, the policies and programmes of political parties and candidates and their track records so that they are in a position to make an informed choice. One of the positives about media’s role in 2009 parliamentary elections is its persistent targetting of candidates with a criminal record. The media did generate public opinion against some of the more notorious gangsters who …

By Shyam Khosla 
The News Broadcasting Standards Disputes Redressal Authority headed by former Chief Justice JS Verma, set up by the NBA, is empowered to admonish, warn, censure, express disapproval and/or impose a fine of up to Rs one lakh and even recommend suspension or revocation of the licence of the channel found guilty of violating these norms.
Comprehensive coverage of 26/11 done with rare passion and commitment by large sections of media, particularly by the print media, could have earned a lot of respect for the media but it was undone …