‘TRP concern for the channels vis-à-vis Anna Hazare fast instead of highlighting people's sufferings elsewhere in the country'

The performance of the media, particularly the electronic channels, came under sharp criticism at the Lok Sabha. Some Lok Sabha members even said the TRP (television rating point) was the bigger concern for the channels. This was why the focus was on social activist Anna Hazare's fast instead of the people's sufferings elsewhere in the country.

Amid slogans by many Opposition members looking at the press gallery, some of the MPs who were participating in the debate on the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, even wanted the media to be included in the ambit of the new legislation and all issues including “paid news” inquired into.

While Rewati Raman Singh (Samajwadi Party) stressed including the electronic/print media under the Lokpal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member T.K.S. Elangovan said the media had turned Mr. Hazare's crusade against corruption into a fight against the Constitution. “It began as a fight against corruption and media made it a fight against government, then Parliament, and now it appears to be a fight against the Constitution.” In a democracy, people were the judges and not the media, he said.

Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) claimed that the “round-the-clock” coverage of the events at the Ramlila grounds by some channels was “paid news.” The paid news was also a form of corruption and a former Maharashtra Chief Minister was already facing this charge, he said.

Taking a dig at the coverage by some 24-hour news channels on Mr. Hazare's fast, Sharad Yadav (Janata Dal-United) said: “Is dibbe se bahut dikkat hai” (This idiot box gives a lot of trouble). The idiot box was so obsessed with Mr. Hazare that it had stopped telecasting other important news, especially the floods in different parts of the country, particularly in Eastern India.

He took a dig at some of the Congress MPs like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot visiting studios of the news channels for talk show on Lokpal Bill, and said he had stopped attending such shows long back.

“The country is not run by discussions on television channels, but by Parliament through its debates. Media is instigating you,” he told the members.

Dara Singh Chauhan (of BSP) said TV channels did a lot to improve their TRP.

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