Re: [HumJanenge] Urgent Mail.

Very Well Said,
You must take up this issue.
Media is now acting as go between in most deals at Government
Projects/Contracts.Regards

On 8/20/11, AFROZ ALAM SAHIL <afroz.alam.sahil@gmail.com> wrote:
> To,
>
>
> **
>
> *All RTI Activists of India.*
>
>
>
> *Sub: Bring Media in to the purview of RTI act and Lokapl bill.*
>
>
>
> Right to Information Act 2005 is a milestone legislation in the recent
> history that is designed to bring transparency in our polity, society and
> economy to successfully check corruption. But resistance from the corrupt
> people in the higher authority is making it difficult for effective
> implementation.
>
>
>
> Referring to the RTI Act, Union Minister Mr. AK Antony reportedly said RTI
> will help the transparency revolution to percolate down to all walks of
> life. He said, "The RTI Act will spread to new areas. I think every facet of
> human life will be transparent." This is slowly happening in India under
> this act.
>
>
>
> Nevertheless, we need to bring important institutions under the purview of
> this act. Media as an institution needs to be under the purview of the RTI
> act. There is and there will be resistance from media houses on this but in
> the largest interest we need to move in this direction.
>
>
>
> Besides the ideological and political inclinations and affiliations media
> has, over the years, it has become more and more powerful with developing
> business interest. It has become an industry that is engaged in making
> profit. In short its turning into a business of what Noam Chomsky said
> "manufacturing consent" most of the time ending in creating perceptions
> which may or may not be right.
>
>
>
> The demand to bring Media under RTI assumes more significance when our
> leading journalists and channel heads are found brokering with the political
> parties and determining the fate of Cabinet Ministers to benefit their
> advertisers or sponsors. The Nira Radia saga has been a classic example.
>
>
>
> Recently, a channel head was found guilty of demanding salaries for their
> employees to a Public Relations Manager.
>
>
>
> Paid news is another blot on our media that is subverting the democratic
> process. Media exposés have shown that several organizations have been
> selling news space to politicians at election time, disguising the
> advertisements as news. The Press Council of India has set up a committee to
> investigate violations of the journalistic code of fair and objective
> reporting.
>
>
>
> Press council of India reported, "The phenomenon of "paid news" has acquired
> serious dimensions. Today it goes beyond the corruption of individual
> journalists and media companies and has become pervasive, structured and
> highly organized. In the process, it is undermining democracy in India."
>
>
>
> Another dimension of how media is threatening our democracy is the use of
> public money in creating wrong perceptions. The Political parties, specially
> in the government are using public money to improve their government and
> parties' image which might be contrary to the fact.
>
>
>
> Sometimes this Media Relation exercise by the governments ends up curbing
> public sentiments and doing injustice with people. Many of the owners,
> editors and other journalists appear to have wealth excessive of their known
> sources of income. It is thus imperative that they not only become
> transparent but also bring 'secrets' under RTI Act.
>
>
>
> Since other three pillars of democracy, Legislature, Executive and
> Judiciary, are already under the purview. Corruption, like in other parts of
> life is affecting, media houses too in the name of paid news and Public
> Relation exercises. We therefore demand that media should fall under the
> ambit of RTI and it should also be included in the Lokpal bill.
>
>
>
> With regards
>
>
>
> *Afroz Alam Sahil,* (RTI Journalist)
>
> M.Phil Researcher, Jamia Millia Islamia
>
> Editor (Investigation)- www.beyondheadlines.in
>
>
>
> --
> AFROZ ALAM 'SAHIL'
> Mobile:-+91-9891322178
> Blog: http://suchnaexpress.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
> [image: GreenKFUPM] *Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's
> really necessary*
>

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R K Atri

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