[Paid news
comes in various formats: opinion polls with results that are statistically
dubious, extremely flattering or soft interviews of political candidates, and
stories that are nothing more than candidates’ press releases — sometimes
published word for word from the press release, in multiple papers on the same
day.]
By Malavika Vyawahare
 |
Mukesh Gupta/Reuters
A man reading a newspaper at a wholesale vegetable market in
|
Paying for media coverage is a
common practice among the Indian media, said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a senior
journalist and co-author of a 2010 report on what the Indian media calls “paid
news.” However, the effects of paid news on voters are especially pernicious,
says India ’s
electoral watchdog, which has tried for years to get Parliament to outlaw paid
political coverage during election season.
Paid news comes in various
formats: opinion polls with results that are statistically dubious, extremely
flattering or soft interviews of political candidates, and stories that are
nothing more than candidates’ press releases — sometimes published word for
word from the press release, in multiple papers on the same day.
“Corruption implications of paid
news has its impact on everyone — media, candidates and people — and it is one
that causes maximum damage to the electoral process,” V.S. Sampath, the chief
election commissioner, said at a conference on electoral reforms last December
in Kerala.
The manipulation of media
coverage emerged as a serious electoral concern after the last general election
in 2009. In state elections since then, the commission has kept track of
instances of paid news, with the highest number of confirmed cases in Punjab
(523), Gujarat (414) and Madhya Pradesh (165).
Mr. Thakurta said putting a price
on coverage is a widely accepted practice within the Indian media, but that
proving money changed hands is extremely difficult.
“All the operations with respect
to paid news in India
are, of course, clandestine,” said Mr. Thakurta, who briefly served on a
committee advising the Aam Aadmi Party on media policy. “There is no evidence
of any of these transactions. This is the biggest problem in detecting paid
news.”
The Election Commission has
consistently recommended to Parliament that paid news be treated as a crime
under the Representation of the People Act, on par with the rigging of ballots
and the registration of fake voters. Without an amendment to the law, the
Election Commission cannot prosecute candidates who pay for either favorable
media coverage for themselves or for negative stories on their rivals.
Parliamentary reports have
recognized paid news as a pervasive problem and have documented its impact on
the electoral process. But a proposal by the Election Commission to the
government to criminalize the practice of paid news in elections has gone
nowhere in Parliament, as have calls by the commission for self-regulation by
political parties and media houses.
Lacking the legal grounds to stop
the practice, the agency warns candidates that if they pay for news coverage,
the money spent will count toward their campaign expense limit of $116,000.
“There is nothing else we can do
about it, as of now,” said Dhirendra Ojha, a senior official at the Election
Commission, in a resigned tone.
The commission has set up
committees at the state level to flag news coverage deemed suspicious, like a
newspaper article that is fawning in its praise of a candidate or a political
story has appeared under different bylines but with the same content. The
Election Commission then sends a citation letter to the candidate it suspects
of paying for coverage and gives the candidate a short period in which to
respond.
If the candidate does not respond
in time, the commission lists the case as a confirmed instance of paid news and
estimates the cost of such coverage, then charges that amount against the
candidate’s expense limit.
In one case this election season,
the commission issued a notice to a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in New
Delhi because of a newspaper article about a religious
guru who told his followers to remember the link between wealth and the lotus,
which is the party’s election symbol.
However, if a candidate chooses
to dispute the citation, the commission usually finds it hard to back its
accusation, having few resources to conduct an investigation.
“There is circumstantial
evidence, but little proof,” an internal Election Commission report noted.
“Establishing transaction of cash or kind is indeed not very easy, as it is
usually done without any record and promptly denied by both sides, when
inquired.”
In the unlikely case of a
confession by a candidate, that person could be charged with bribing and inducement
of voters, Mr. Ojha said.
In Delhi, there have been
confirmed cases of paid news this election season against candidates from all
three major parties — the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and
Aam Aadmi Party.
The party with the most confirmed
cases of paid news in Delhi is the Aam Aadmi Party, which is known for its
anticorruption platform and whose leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has accused the
media of collaborating with political leaders. What is more, all four cases
involve a high-profile candidate, if only for his name: Rajmohan Gandhi, the
grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi, one of India ’s
founding fathers.
When reached for comment, the
candidate called the accusations “bizarre” and denied that he had paid for news
coverage.
Mr. Gandhi said he never
responded to the citations because he was busy. “One can only spend so much
time in rebutting the allegations,” he said in a phone interview. “I have to
deal with other pressing issues. I prefer to ignore it for now.”
As for the media organizations
involved, the Election Commission has no authority over them. It sends its
report to the Press Council of India and News Broadcasting Standards Authority,
which take up the matter after the elections. But in the absence of proof,
there is little these bodies can do, said Mr. Thakurta, the journalist.
Mr. Thakurta said regulation was
urgently needed because the credibility of the Indian media and political
parties was at stake.
“If it goes unchecked,” he said,
“paid news will continue to undermine the democratic process in India .”
*
[Mentioning that the roadmap he
provided to political parties seven years ago failed due to change in national
politics, he went on to claim that social harmony is at stake after that time.
He stated that it was a high time all seriously reviewed the journey of nation
after introduction of the republicanism seven years ago.]
By Shreeram Sigdel
.tif) |
| Nepal's Former King Gyanendra |
CHITWAN: Former King Gyanendra Shah has claimed that people have
sought his 'serious role' in protection of integrity and identity of the
nation.
Addressing a function in which he
was felicitated by the Prithvi Narayan Shah Memorial Foundation in Narayangadh
of Chitwan today, the former monarch hinted that he still sees a role of
monarchy in national politics.
According to him, people have
complained him of instability and mismanagement of politics during his
religious visits to various parts of the country, and he found the national
sovereignty in jeopardy. He read out his written speech for half an hour.
"We are feeling that our
economy is in a regular risk due to political instability," he added.
Mentioning that the roadmap he
provided to political parties seven years ago failed due to change in national
politics, he went on to claim that social harmony is at stake after that time.
He stated that it was a high time all seriously reviewed the journey of nation
after introduction of the republicanism seven years ago.
He, who was dethroned after the
maiden meeting of previous CA announced Nepal
a republic, suggested political parties to include voices of all in the process
of constitution drafting.
"I heard people's voices
from the core that a coterie should not dominate decisions in important
national issues," Shah said.
Extending best wishes for the
earliest promulgation of new constitution, Shah said he is waiting to see if
the much-awaited constitution can solve issues of national economy, impunity,
and lack of law and order.
Saying he is worried for future
of the nation, he suggested the political actors and general public to protect
nationality, independence and integrity of Nepal .
Meanwhile, the former king also
visited the Gaureshwor temple of Narayangadh
Shah will stay at the Hotel
Central Palms in Narayangadh today, according to Chinkaji Shrestha of Prithvi
Narayan Shah Memorial Foundation.
