Media : In Search of Meaningful Autonomy
July 16, 2025
  • Read Ecopy
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
MAGAZINE
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
Organiser
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • International Edition
  • RSS in News
  • Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
Home General

Media : In Search of Meaningful Autonomy

by Archive Manager
May 16, 2014, 12:00 am IST
in General
FacebookTwitterWhatsAppTelegramEmail

An interview aired on Doordarshan opened a Pandora’s Box. It exposed the hypocrisy propagated in the name of autonomy to Prasar Bharati, working style of the UPA Government and also the lack of leadership capabilities in ruling Congress. The whole controversy shows all talks of autonomy to Doordarshan (DD) are farce and the country’s national broadcaster is still in the clutches of government.

DD interviewed BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi recently and telecast it on April 27 with some omissions. Originally, the interview was of 56 minutes, but what was aired was only 32 minutes omitting some very valid points.

Where it is said to have referred to Priyanka Gandhi as being ‘like my daughter’ was not censored. As Prasar Bharati's several earlier recommendations on Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) news wings have not been honoured by ministry, leading to complications, we have asked MIB to tell us clearly whether they would abide by a neutral enquiry or not.

—Jawhar SircarCEO, Prasar Bharati

A probe must be ordered to find out under whose pressure the contents of the interview were edited. When Modi had never said that Priyanka was his daughter, how has this appeared in newspapers? Modi only said it is natural for a daughter to defend her mother and brother. This should be probed under whose pressure the interview wasdeliberately distorted.

—Ravi Shankar PrasadBJP Leader  

 

This interview row took a strange turn when a leading newspaper reported that some important portions of Modi’s interview were omitted and were not aired. In those portions, Modi was reported calling Priyanka Vadra “like his daughter.’ Reacting on the news report, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said. “I am happy that Narendra Modi considers Priyanka as his daughter, but I am not sure if she will be happy to consider Modi as a father figure.” After Chidambaram’s remarks, Priyanka also commented, “mein Rajiv Gandhi ki beti hoon (I am Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter). My father died for this country. I love him more than I love anybody else in my life. And I don’t appreciate this comparison at all.”

When the controversy took a heated turn after Priyanka’s comments, Modi’s office released the full unedited version of the interview pointing out that Modi never said Priyanka like his daughter.

Apart from it, DD also censored Modi’s remarks about Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and Pakistan’s former president Parvez Musharraf. One thing in this controversy needs emphasis that Congress leadership reacted very harshly on a newspaper report. They did not care to confirm the facts of Modi’s interview from DD. It proves the Congress leadership has been attacking Modi in the same manner for long—without facts and totally unprepared.

BJP alleged that it all happened under government pressure. Reacting on the interview raw Modi rued the ‘decline’ in journalistic freedom in the public broadcaster and invoked ‘horrific’ memories of the Emergency days in 1975. He reminded the people of the Emergency imposed by the late Indira Gandhi in 1975 when curbs were placed on the media. He said in another tweet, “We have witnessed the horrors of Emergency when freedom of press and freedom of expression were suppressed. It is a blot on our democracy.” He said free press is democracy’s cornerstone and must be preserved in letter and spirit.

Slap on malicious intentions

On the interview row, Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, Jawhar Sircar attacked IB Minister, Manish Tiwari in a letter to Prasar Bharati Board Members tried to clarify the doubts about Modi interview. Pointing out that government control over transfers, posting and overall career trajectory of the officials of news division cast a long shadow over the department. He further said he has no real power over the news division. The CEO said for the last two years he has been seeking more autonomy to bring in professionals from outside but he failed to revise the rules.

This single interview exposed the much talked autonomy or freedom to Prasar Bharati and the Government control over it. If the national public broadcaster has to compete with private news channels and wants to restore its credibility among viewers the autonomy to Prasar Bharati is must and DD should be run by professionals.

Dr Ravindra Agrawal, (The writer is a senior journalist)

ShareTweetSendShareSend
✮ Subscribe Organiser YouTube Channel. ✮
✮ Join Organiser's WhatsApp channel for Nationalist views beyond the news. ✮
Previous News

Education : Peep Within to Opt Right

Next News

Media Watch : Self-Introspection is the Need of Hour

Related News

Bhopal scholarship scam uncovered: Government funds swindled by bogus institutions

MP: Over 100 fake missionary schools & madrasas swindled Rs 57 lakh from govt scholarships using ghost students

NIA busts major jailbreak plot: LeT aide T Nasir’s escape foiled, psychiatrist, ASI, and woman held

EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to China marks a historic moment in India-China ties post-2020 Galwan Clash

Resetting Sino-India Ties: Jaishankar meets Xi Jinping, calls for de-escalation, trade & zero tolerance on terror

Image for representational purpose

Bihar voter list revision: “Over 86 per cent Enumeration Forms collected already with 10 more days to go,” says ECI

Ganga Aarti lights up riverbanks of Canada

Canada: Ganga Aarti lights up riverbank, netizens hail ‘Har Har Gange’; calls It a magical evening

How FM College student Somyashri Bishi was gaslit, shamed & ultimately sacrificed at the altar of institutional rot

Load More

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Bhopal scholarship scam uncovered: Government funds swindled by bogus institutions

MP: Over 100 fake missionary schools & madrasas swindled Rs 57 lakh from govt scholarships using ghost students

NIA busts major jailbreak plot: LeT aide T Nasir’s escape foiled, psychiatrist, ASI, and woman held

EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to China marks a historic moment in India-China ties post-2020 Galwan Clash

Resetting Sino-India Ties: Jaishankar meets Xi Jinping, calls for de-escalation, trade & zero tolerance on terror

Image for representational purpose

Bihar voter list revision: “Over 86 per cent Enumeration Forms collected already with 10 more days to go,” says ECI

Ganga Aarti lights up riverbanks of Canada

Canada: Ganga Aarti lights up riverbank, netizens hail ‘Har Har Gange’; calls It a magical evening

How FM College student Somyashri Bishi was gaslit, shamed & ultimately sacrificed at the altar of institutional rot

Representative Image

Noise That Heals: Indian team finds Quantum static can spark entanglement

India achieves clean energy target five years ahead of schedule

Clean Energy Revolution in India: Non-Fossil fuel power of Bharat touches 50.08 per cent, achieves target 5 years early

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sanjay Kumar

Telangana: Bandi Sanjay slams Congress over inclusion of Muslims into BC reservations; warns of statewide BJP agitation

Representative image

India cuts zero-dose children by 43 per cent as South Asia hits record-high children immunisation in 2024

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

  • Home
  • Search Organiser
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • North America
    • South America
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Entertainment
  • More ..
    • Sci & Tech
    • Vocal4Local
    • Special Report
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Law
    • Economy
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
  • Subscribe Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Policies & Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund and Cancellation
    • Terms of Use

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies