The power of election money damages the credibility of the media

New Delhi: The problem is that the media personnel who disagreed with the polls or reports on Haryana or previous elections were called out as biased and pro-government.

This is not the first time that we are losing face in Haryana. For the Lok Sabha elections to be held immediately after the Emergency, pick up the files of old newspapers from Delhi and many states and check. The news of the wave in favor of the Congress and Indira Gandhi was repeatedly printed as a front page headline in so-called national newspapers. An important strategist in the Congress party’s election campaign was my journalist friend. He used to say how many thousand rupees were given to some selected journalists traveling from Delhi for their trip to the constituencies depending on their ticket, facilities and status. Of course the headline would be about the victory flag. The highlight was that two weeks after the great defeat of the party and of Mrs Gandhi herself, the bureau chief of a major newspaper called my strategist friend and said that he had spent Rs 12,000 more on the election spree and should return the money. Another journalist had sent a letter threatening to stage a sit-in outside his house if he was not paid Rs 20,000 due for the work he had done in preparing the campaign material. My friend almost cried and said: “Tell me, even then I had only given the party treasurer the names of a few people and advised him to provide the necessary funds. Now where will I get the money from the losing party?” By the way, we already received it Before that, around 1974, during the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, the same friend informed him that he should print the party’s press release as news in an envelope containing Rs 100-500. But back then there was no electronic media, social media like today. Therefore there was no public discussion. In today’s times, the public debate on the credibility of journalists, media groups, television news channels, polling companies and independent YouTubers, websites, independent journalists and writers on Facebook claiming a major Congress victory in Haryana is tarnishing the image of everyone. But it is also an issue that requires self-examination by giving and receiving leaders.

The problem is that media persons who disagreed with such surveys or reports in the Haryana elections or previous elections are being called out as biased and pro-government. There is no doubt that different opinions in news, analysis or views can be right or wrong. But the rise of paid news or propaganda is dangerous. Responsible editors from media and institutions such as the Press Council have also addressed this issue previously and issued a code of conduct. I have mentioned authentic excerpts of such reports in a chapter of my book on journalism “Power Press and Politics”. Parliament, the electoral commission and the courts have also addressed this issue several times. Kuldeep Nayyar had spoken of a leader who spent two million rupees on media propaganda during the elections. Another leader told the story of paid messaging. He said that after donating a few lakh rupees during the elections, his experience was that he was very sad when he saw the opponent’s news with money published before his news. In some states, some media organizations are openly notorious for being associated with certain politicians. Many such cases are also recorded in the Press Council report. However, large advertising agencies are now taking over public relations work. There can therefore be no legal objection to the announcement of the party or candidate. Polling companies also work to find out the position of the party candidate. However, the controversy revolves around advertising done through cash payment, false advertising, biased surveys, etc. Can’t you call this a scam? The election commission accepts such complaints. But the process of investigation, evidence, etc. takes months and years. The question is, why do the leaders themselves fall into this trap? This also reduces the credibility of advertising for them and their work.

In this context, it is important to mention a conversation with a foreign ambassador. In an off-the-record conversation, the ambassador said, “They are spending hundreds and millions of rupees on election polls for media groups. We don’t wait for them to be published or shown on TV channels. We pay more money and get a copy of the survey delivered to our table in advance.” By the way, 25 years ago, during elections in a European country, I came to know that some institutions of a wealthy country were educating and training selected Indians to conduct such surveys in India . Later, with good funding, they conduct surveys in India and pass on their reports to these foreign institutions or their intelligence agencies. Perhaps this is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of international conspiracies against the democratic system and some political or other organizations working on behalf of foreign countries.

To destroy the credibility of Indian democracy, foreign powers are using so-called NGOs, news media and social media as weapons to incite, agitate, incite violence and riots on issues such as workers, farmers, tribals and women. The framers of the constitution examined the democratic systems of the world and provided for the right to freedom of expression in the rules and laws of the great Indian constitution. They could not have imagined the current world scenario; If they were alive today, they would have changed their rules and laws and provided the necessary control. Currently, situations can be observed not only in politics but also in other areas of society in which rules of behavior are not accepted. This serious issue also requires necessary reforms by consensus in Parliament, the creation of a binding code of conduct and the approval of the Supreme Court. It takes determination and efforts to save the media from the evils of Ravana or darkness into light and socio-political pollution.