Sir,

As media students, one of the things we learn is the theories of media. We always felt that the Authoritarian Theory was dead with the rise of democracy and the fall of fascism. But unfolding before us in our very own country is the  the Authoritarian Theory of the Press being put into practice. Here the ruling dispensation is trying to browbeat media persons and muzzle all types of news . The media owners are expected to bow down to the ruler’s wishes. There are also privately owned mouthpieces of the ruling clique who happily launch the attack on the idea of liberty of the press.

Just like:

Zee News owner Subhash Chandra has justified the one-day ban on NDTV India adding that the government ought to have imposed a life ban on the channel.

Chandra, who was elected to Rajya Sabha on BJP support, tweeted, “One day ban on NDTV is an injustice. This is an inadequate punishment. The channel should have been banned for life for playing with the security of the country. I also believe that if NDTV goes to court, they will face rebuke even there.”

He has alleged  that the NDTV and other channels were silent when there was ‘a talk’ of banning Zee News during the UPA government.

He said, “When there was a talk of banning Zee during the UPA regime, then NDTV and other so-called intellectuals had adopted a silence. Editors Guild too had kept quiet. But today, some people are terming it an Emergency like situation. Does the country’s security have no importance?”

Note that his Zee channel was never banned, even for a day. He says there was ‘talk’!

Yours truly,

N.Chandra, Boring Road, Patna

[All items in Newsnet Vox Pop are the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Editor or managers of Newsnet One]

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