TV programmes biased, says Dalits meet

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/30/stories/2006123003941200.htm

National

TV programmes biased, says Dalits meet

Special Correspondent

No serious appraisal of issues, says resolution released by Paswan

NEW DELHI: The mushroom growth of private television channels has
"unfortunately" not been conducive to social harmony or a serious
appraisal of issues, a resolution passed at the Dalit-Minority
International Conference here said.

Lok Jan Shakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who organised the meet,
released the resolution on Friday.

The resolution noted that in the present stage of the nation's socio
economic evolution, the role of the electronic media (TV, radio, print
and Internet) has become critical. But the growth of private TV
channels has been in direct proportion to the rise of the caste and
communal temperature.

Anti-rural bias


The perspective of most programmes betrays a caste, anti-rural bias.

Conceding that there were many exceptions, it felt that these
exceptions were buffeted by market interest and television rating
points.

Egalitarianism


The resolution said: "When Britain and the U.S. surrendered their
media to the market, they had reached an adequate level of
egalitarianism and narrowed the gap between the rich and the poor.

"We are still an evolving society, mediating, economic, caste,
communal, political differences in myriads of complex ways through the
ballot box. We [India] are a power of the future in need of a
purposive public service TV, equidistant from the state and the market
— a truly independent media, free of all bias.''

The meet welcomed the Prime Minister's initiative in this direction.
"We will persuade the government to set up this channel in the first
quarter of next year,'' Mr. Paswan said.


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