Ranjona Banerji: Sensitive on Pathankot or Barkha Dutt?

By Ranjona Banerji

NDTV India has been told to go off the air for one day on November 9. This is punishment as decided by the information and broadcasting ministry, because the news channel showed “sensitive” footage of the Pathankot attack in January this year.

The channel has responded by saying that it showed no more or less than what any other news channel had shown at the time. The decision to take NDTV India off-air has now apparently been “suspended”, presumably after the outrage from almost all media outlets, barring perhaps Subhash Chandra of Zee who reportedly wants this rival channel banned completely. Quelle surprise.

Several arguments come to mind, but let’s get rid of the irrelevant digressions first. Yes, the Congress-led UPA government also took channels off air. The worst sufferer was Comedy Central since humour offends all sensitive people in India (though oddly the only time Indian comedian Kapil Sharma was deemed offensive was when he was serious about bribery in the Mumbai municipal corporation). Earlier, under other governments, wispy women in wispy attire on Fashion TV made several politicians swallow their false teeth so the channel also had to switch off again and on again depending on the level of Indian culture “hurt” by Jean Paul Gaultier or Karl Lagerfeld or whoever.

So yes, other TV channels have been forced to go off air but a news channel? When did media outlets last get blackened out? (Shhh, don’t mention the word “Emergency” because those who fought the Emergency the most really don’t like it when you being up similarities…)

The other digression by BJP fans is that NDTV (the English one) is being taught a lesson and the usual arguments about how BJP followers don’t like Barkha Dutt are trotted out. Sadly, this makes no sense. If Dutt is the target then, why suspend NDTV India and punish Ravish Kumar? If Dutt is an evil anti-national according to Fans of the BJP, then how will taking the Hindi brand of NDTV off-air help the “cause”? And as it happens, the “journalist” who dubbed Dutt “anti-national” for not being angry enough about Pakistan is now out of a job.

Arnab Goswami’s News Hour will continue until mid-November says the latest statement from the Times Network. For an idea on how Goswami’s employers view “anti-nationalism” and Pakistan, please do go and have a look at Vineet Jain’s tweets. There is bombastic power on camera and there is velvet-glove-iron-fist power off camera.

The idea to take NDTV India off-air has backfired. The condemnation has been strong and swift.

This is the Editors’ Guild: “The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is a direct violation of the freedom of the media and therefore the citizens of India and amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency. This first-of-its-kind order to impose a blackout has seen the Central government entrust itself with the power to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage. There are various legal remedies available to both a citizen and a state in the Court of Law to have action taken for any irresponsible media coverage. Imposing a ban without resorting to judicial intervention or oversight violates the fundamental principles of freedom and justice. The Editors Guild of India calls for an immediate withdrawal of the ban order.”

This is the Broadcast Editors’ Association: “Broadcast Editors’ Association expresses deep concern at the government’s decision to ban NDTV India for a day. Imposing a ban is a violation of freedom of expression and the decision should be withdrawn immediately. BEA would go into the issue in detail and come out with a comprehensive report on it.”

Incidentally, the biggest problem with the Pathankot attack, for any lay person and especially for a journalist, is the lack of preparedness at the base and intelligence failures in the establishment. Blaming the messenger is an old tactic but it doesn’t change the fact that terrorists waltzed in and held an Indian Air Force base for days, as Union ministers lied about what was going on.

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As if the Ratan Tata-Cyrus Mistry public, no-holds-barred fight was not bad enough, Bombay House now has an extra black mark against it. Security staff hired by the Tata group brutally beat up photojournalists outside Bombay House last week. Three people are still in hospital. The Mumbai Press Club has organised a silent protest march today, Tuesday November 8 at 2.30 pm, from Hutatma Chowk to Bombay House.