(S.Ravi Seshu)
News gathering and advertisement collection shouldn’t go together. Press Commissions and journalism sages strongly argued against entrusting the task of advt collection to journalists. Many newspapers and news channels stick on to this thumb rule to protect the freedom of press but situation is slowly changing, much to the chagrin of journalists community.
Since news media has become a multi-crore business, managements tend to look at everything from commercial angle. But, managements are expected to draw a laxman rekha and for sure many of them maintain certain degree of decorum and decency. Many media houses have advt departments to officially collect advertisements. As long as advts are collected by this department, it is okay.
Advt people using reporters’ good offices to gather advertisements is a way and management forcing reporters to collect advertisements is a different way. Back home, two Telugu channels, N-TV and 10-TV are brazenly ordering journalists to collect advertisements, according to insiders. Sadly, the first Telugu channel launched with public funding and is being run by hardcore communists, 10-TV is competing with Narendranath Chowdary’s N-TV in the mad race.
“These two channels have spoiled the atmosphere in Telugu media industry. Journalists of these channels are embarrassed to carry on the twin jobs simultaneously. Left with no option, some reporters are leaving these organisations,” a senior journalists based in Hyderabad told Telugu360.com.
Unlike 10-TV, N-TV is forcing journalists to collect advts for ‘panchangam’ (yearly almanac). “in the name of Bhakti channel, a sister concern of N-TV. We are forced to collect advertisements as we have some targets to meet. It is highly embarrassing. Sadly, a senior journalist, a product of Eenadu, is spearheading this dirty job. We are ashamed of him,” another N-TV journalist said.
A former 10-TV reporter said: “The communist lobby occupied the management positions of 10-TV and they are worse than hardcore capitalists. Unable to bear the pressure exerted by these thugs, many good journalists left the organisation.”
Journalists are trying to find whether they can approach any professional body like Press Council to protect their pious duty towards press freedom.
