Yet a large number of politicians, even many in the ruling UPA, backed this demand. Similarly, many legal luminaries and former judges talked about bringing judiciary under it or any such body.

In contrast to the stand of some politicians, often considered as a much maligned lot, and retired judged, hardly anyone in the media dared to ask as to why not the Press be brought under the purview of ombudsman. The post-Radia developments, the recent phenomenon of paid news––which was practised rampantly in Bihar Assembly election last year––and the allurement of advertisements have exposed how corrupt the media barons and many individual journalists have become in the country.

Yet persons like Barkha Dutt and others, whose involvement in the Radia tape controversy is known to all, were repeatedly heard sermonizing the politicians throughout last fortnight.

Whatever be their compulsions some politicians at least showed that morally they are superior to many of the so-called journalists, who wag their tails behind the powers that be for small benefits. Incidentally, many honest among the Fourth Estate forgot to draw attention to the fact that media should also be brought under the Lokpal or Jan Lokpal, or whatever it may be.

Who is not aware of the fact that when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister of UP he allotted houses to many journalists of his state. Similar was the case when the NDA was in power in Delhi. Many big names in the field of media got flats worth millions each. When Ram Vilas Paswan was the telecommunication ministers in the Vajpayee cabinet, he generously distributed telephone sets to scribes and waived the rental charge of many of them. The then civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Husain took a number of journalists of his home state, Bihar, to a trip to Bangkok where they enjoyed everything under the sky. No, they were not taken on assignment there, but for fun.

None in the media ever asked as to why tax-payers money in crores was wasted on entertaining them by the government?
And recently Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) land was allotted at prime locations to a few prominent media houses at throwaway prices. So, when a couple of television channels last month broke the story of the BIADA land scam other regional newspapers and channels underplayed the story or virtually blacked it out as their figured in that long list of beneficiaries.

Crores of rupees are spent by respective state governments every year to keep media houses in good humour. In Bihar alone huge amount of money is spent every year on giving government advertisements to national and regional dailies. Some of the vernacular newspapers hardly exist or have very small circulation. Why not these loot of public money, in which the media is the main beneficiary of the government’s generosity, not being brought under Jan Lokpal, if not Lokpal?

In the same way crusaders in the NGOs, who fought so relentlessly along with Anna Hazare last fortnight, did not talk about corruption and loot within themselves. Many of these foreign-funded agencies have freely been violating the law of the land too. Yet there was hardly any demand from within to rope them in too.

As the media and civil society groups played a key role in what they claim successful conclusion of Anna Hazare’s 12-day long fast the latter was not in a position to antagonize them. However, it should be the people within who should call for the immediate halt to the loot in these two sectors too.

Comment

comments...

Quiet valid question . The impact media and NGOs are able to make and of course now a days
making , the need of their accountability is very much desired .
However ,the most important guide for a society and a country is its conscience , its values
. In the past 2-3 decades Indians are loosing this fast . Not only politicians but at all
levels ,we Indians are falling prey to the materialistic world - to achieve personal goals
,success ,even if we need to compromise on our values . We don't mind paying Rs100 to Railway
TTs for seats , Rs1000 for Municipal Certificate and on... . At many times we are compelled by
the system to do so . But we must agree that we also take pride in getting things done
(manage) by our sources either using money power or other illegal means . We also give respect
to those fellows who achieved good success in short time ,ignoring the ways they adopted for
reaching there . In nutshell we also enjoy getting things managed by not so straight method .
We have- majority of Indians , stopped viewing compromises as illegal and immoral as it is
painful by not paying bribe , we have to travel without a seat , lack of timely certificate
adds problem to delays and all .

Lokpal ,again will be from our system , selection of Lokpal , actions of Lokpal etc all may be
questioned later on ..lets wait .. . Assuming that Lokpal will be pancea for our society is
childish .

We have to start respecting people , organisation , institutions , NGOs with high values .
Lets clearly differentiate success achieved with determination , honesty , talent from
others . Lets start taking pride in those bookish values which Indians championed once upon a
time which students unlearn after they become adult to be a practical men or women .

Lets our conscience be our Lokpal . till that happens no single institution will improve our
rating in Corruption Index of Transparency International (87).

Ambikanand Jha

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Excellent revealing story behind all the ills in society in Bihar Times! Bihar Times has appropriately pointed out that why not media and NGOs, who have got free run in the society, should be brought under Lokpal Bill perview! Media houses and NGOs have started many bad innovations like paid news, journalists write or air views on the dictations of owners and government.There are rampant misuse of freedom of expression and press. NGOs are accummulating huge foreign fundings in the name of welfare of the people-thus giving bad name to the Iglobe that Indian population are in hunger and in pitiable conditions-but where that fund goes-it is matter of deep investigation.
Media houses and their journalists have become targets of government and vested interests to press them to violate freedom of press , enshrined in the Constitution! Although such ills started long back under the PMship of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and also under the union home ministership of Sardar Patel at central level and this virus spread like wild fire to different states including for the first time MP govt led by Arjun Singh-thereafter it became practices to woe journalists and media houses by distributing freebies including valuable lands, buildings, houses etc to journalists and media houses. It was Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru regime, which gave prime lands and buildings to different media houses on the prime location,Bahadur Shah Zaffar Marg including for TOI, IE, Link, PIONEERr, etc. A sparwling building and its campus was given to UNI in prime location in Delhi and during Nehru and Patel regime prime lands for present buildings of Indian and eastern News society was given and building was constructed, housing offices and guest houses on different media houses.
Than Indira regime provided houses to journalists in prime localities on minimum cost-thereafter Arjun Singh had given lands and flats to journalists in Bhopal in throwaway prices. Similar facilities were extended to media and journalists in Lucknow-not journalists but a national newspaper The Statesman was given a huge building for its offices and residence for its journalists !NDA government also distributed freebies to journalists and media houses indiscriminately. Not only that many noted journalists and proprietors were made Rajya sabha members at centres and MLCs in states and also in other government coveted posts! Now many media houses are beiung provided developed lands in industrial estates for constructing building on throgh-away price, particularly in Bihar! Apart from that many state governments, particularly Chhatishgarh government has allowed a leading Hindi national daily-Dainik Bhashkar to start power plants and other units on lands provided by government in its prime Jungle locations after uprootinhg tribal and poor.
Such miuse of influences by media houses and its journalists must be brought under the perview of lok Pal Bill-And such provision should also extend to NGOs so that some check and balances must be maintained to save freedom of expression and press in the country-Government must include media and NGOs under proposed Lokpal Bill.
K K Singh, Journalist, My blog www.kksingh1.blogspot.com