If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/
Q. Last week, two associations of news broadcasters met the Prime Minister. Do you think it’s a good idea for news journalists to be appealing for sops and thereby compromising their editorial independence?
A. It’s a pattern in most of the countries: that is to approach the government to bail out an Industry/ organisation for its inefficiencies through sops. It’s a fact that the tax structure, import duties etc do affect the cost structure of all media companies but who audits the operational efficiencies of companies. Exorbitant cost structures affect profitability of companies and then the government has to bail them out. Government sops and media independence are contradictory in terms though ostensible platitudes about freedom of expression are always maintained even when a sop is accepted. It’s a vicious circle. So it’s not about good or bad idea when one approaches the government for sops, unitedly. But two bodies for one goal: I wonder if it’s a contradiction in terms.