New Delhi, May 5
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said today that Parliament could not dictate terms to media.
“It is entirely for the media to decide which news it will publish or broadcast. They are as much a relevant part of the democratic system and we cannot dictate them,” the Speaker observed, when some members drew his attention to “inadequate coverage” of parliamentary proceedings.
Somnath said Parliament represented the people and members of the House should also “introspect.” It is of new use, Parliament and media criticising each other, he added.
Raising the issue under the Rule 377, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the media always had a tendency to “sensationalise’’ news and preferred covering ‘’unusual’’ happenings like boycott of Parliament, but not serious debates and discussions.
