Ownership determines news

IN Media Watch Briefs | 13/09/2013

Politicians get direct benefit from owning a news channel. The Congress MLA from Ambala Venod Sharma raised the question of reservation for people of weaker sections irrespective of their caste, in the state assembly on September 12. In no time his own news channel India News Haryana made it breaking news for a couple of hours and interviewed him. Two other news channels, Focus Haryana and Haryana news owned by Congress MP Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra and Gopal Kanda, Congress leader accused in Geetika suicide case, respectively, did not air even a single line on the issue.

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Amazon resisting voluntary censorship

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Let the games begin

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.