AS LINES BETWEEN NEWSROOM AND BOARDROOM GETS BLURRED....
By Ruma Dubey
Raghav Bahl wanted to expand and grow really fast and he did too but added up a lot of debt on his books. Stepped in the big daddy of India Inc, Mukesh Ambani, who lent a helping hand. Today, Bahl has lost control over the very companies which he nurtured to the kind Samaritan.
The first rule of quality journalism – never mix editorial with advertorial. But what happens to the integrity of the news when huge corporate start owning a slew of media companies? Can integrity be preserved or will ‘some news’ about the company or its group be logically skipped or compromised.
These are the questions which come to mind when we read the news of Reliance taking over Network18 and TV18. This means that by paying Rs.4000 crore, Reliance Industries has got control over all the control which will go into IBNlive.com, Moneycontrol.com, Firstpost.com, Cricketnext.in, Homeshop18, Bookmyshow.com and broadcast channels like Colors, CNBC TV18, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and CNBC Awaaz.
Following this takeover there has been a major frenzy of some very senior journalists leaving, starting with Raghav Bahl and his wife. Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghose of CNN-IBN have also seemingly quit though there is no official word yet. Network18’s chief executive officer (CEO) B. Sai Kumar, chief operating officer Ajay Chacko, and chief financial officer (CFO) R.D.S. Bawa have also quit and some more are expected to exit.
Well, Reliance already has some replacements ready – it is stated (not confirmed) that ex-CEO of Zee News, Alok Agarawal will now head Network 18. And ex-CEO of Times Television Network, Avinash Kaul is now the new chief for the entire IBN network, which includes CNN-IBn, IBN Lokmat and IBN7.
When companies start owning so much of content being put out, it is not very healthy for the freedom of speech. Once huge corporations start owning the content, there is little or no objectivity in news reporting and the purpose, from being a watchdog of the country turns into becoming money making machines. We all know that media can be manipulated and there is tremendous amount of paid news which we see. Remember, when huge companies start owning content, they will do nothing, or rather report nothing which will sour their relationship with the Govt and those in authority. Also when the main motive of news is to make money only, can they afford to ruffle the feathers of advertisers? There is no doubt that owners ideological viewpoint is what the channels, news will all reflect – and that is dangerous.
Kumar Mangalam Birla owns stake of 27.5%, not controlling, in Living Media or better known as India Today group. KK Birla group runs Hindustan Times and last year, Abhey Oswal, father-in-law of Naveen Jindal through his company Oswal Green Tech owns a 14.17% stake in NDTV. Sanjeev Goenka owns Open Magazine and then the deal between Biyani and Deccan Chronicle group. In such a scenario, how can one believe that conflict of interest will not creep in?
This is not a new thing, happening only in India. In fact 90% of whatever America reads, watches and listens to is owned by 6 companies – GE, News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner and CBS. Though this is also not a good thing, here, apart from GE, all are essentially media houses only. Even with these six, despite being media houses, according to a poll recently conducted by Gallup, the number of Americans that have little to no trust in the mainstream media (57%) is at an all-time high.
Advertisers and not the readers have become the primary customers. Shockingly, Vineet Jain of Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd (BCCL) was quoted saying, “We are not in the newspaper business, we are in the advertising business.” In an article in Newyorker, Ken Auletta writes, “B.C.C.L. insists on one-third cash as a down payment and accepts real-estate ownership in lieu of equity; the resulting ads appear throughout the paper. The company has a stake in more than three hundred and fifty companies, and this accounts for up to fifteen per cent of its ad revenues.”
We all have been direct victims of these ‘paid’ news one time or the other; like ‘five star’ review for a movie which is actually a dud. Weren’t we misguided to part with our money for the tickets to a lousy movie because the director/producer had a deal with the media?
The media is responsible for reporting correct information but today have become mouthpieces of politicians, industry houses and power lobbies. We all are being misguided and misdirected, in the name of ‘breaking news’ and all for the benefit of a few.
In America, many are starting to wake up from this ‘controlled’ news regime, realizing that mainstream media should not be trusted and looking elsewhere for reliable news. This also explains why blogs and other alternate media experiences have grown rapidly in USA.
Maybe that is what we in India also need – the rise of real journalism, where bringing truth to light is more important than only money. Real journalism comes from those who choose to self-fund for the greater good, and those journalists are few and far between. Do we have such journalists between us anymore?