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NEW DELHI: Nilanjana Bose of CNN-IBN and Sreerekha of the
Malayalam journal Vanitha from the Manorama group of
Kottayam are the recipients of the Chameli Devi Jain Award
for 2006 for outstanding women mediapersons.
The awards, marking the silver jubilee of the awards instituted
by the Media Foundation, were presented in the capital last
night at a function attended, among others, by Press Council
of India Chairman Justice GN Ray and former Attorney General
Soli Sorabjee.
Both mediapersons have won the award for tackling issues
affecting the common man, and Bose was applauded for her stories
on AIDS.
Both Justice Ray and Sorabjee then took part in a discussion
on Media Credibility conducted by thehoot.org editor Sevanti
Ninan. Other participants included Down to Earth editor
Sunita Narayan and NDTV's managing editor Barkha Dutt. Both
Dutt and Narayan are former recipients of the award. Media Foundation
Chairman BG Verghese was also present.
Justice Ray regretted that increasing corporatisation had
resulted in more induced news items and the regrettable instances
of 'cash for coverage'. As a result, views were often given
in the garb of news, and this was more so in newspapers owned
by corporate houses. It was necessary to remember that there
was a line ('Laxman Rekha') which should never be crossed
if the media had to maintain certain ethics. He also referred
to the malaise of plagiarism.
Soli Sorabjee regretted that the police and law enforcing
agencies often engineered leaks to news channels, even as
he pleaded for some breathing space for the media.
Narayan said advertisements were so important to newspapers
that news items were the first to be removed whenever a new
advertisement had to be placed.
Referring to the experience in the United States, she said
this had led to a fall in the credibility of newspapers and
so many had reduced space to advertisements. The internet
had become the last bastion of truthfulness in that country.
In India, she said it was regrettable that people were ready
to talk of political corruption but sought to cover up corporate
corruption.
The corporates were more ruthless in withdrawing advertisements
than the state.
Dutt agreed that the corporate world appeared to dominate
the media, particularly in print journalism.
While noting that part of the problem lay in the fact that
people refused to pay higher prices for newspapers, Ninan
noted that the fact that corporate houses could sue the media
more easily than the state was also to blame for this. She
wanted the readers and viewers to be more proactive.
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