Punjabi Antenna
Let there be fair play
Randeep Wadehra

Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed under our Constitution. In our democratic polity, there is no place for curbing or blocking such legitimate activities like gathering and relaying of news/information/views in various forms – print, radio, television, Internet etc. This is the reason why India’s Fourth Estate has helped keep India’s liberal democratic ethos alive. But there are challenges. Some quarters can’t help nurturing totalitarian/ monopolistic impulses as is becoming increasingly evident in Punjab. A cable network – supported by powerful political elements in the state – has shown the gumption to interfere with the signals of such media entities as DD Punjabi and Day & Night news channel, which are fast gaining popularity among informed viewers in the region and even beyond.

There have been instances of interference in the telecast signals of other channels in the state, too, if one goes by the complaints filed with the local authorities as well as the Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting in New Delhi. Various instances of blatant flouting of the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, too, have been cited. It is high time that such undemocratic and patently illegitimate acts are stopped forthwith for the sake of our polity’s health.

It is a rare experience – to surf the Internet in search of evidence that normal human beings, too, eat raw flesh as part of their daily diet. This was in response to a contention made on the Day and Night news channel’s otherwise informative and thought-provoking talk show (Prime Debate) on WikiLeaks. The lady panellist, Mohanmeet Khosla, described the various cables sent by US diplomats from different countries as raw flesh that needed to be processed before it became edible. "Only animals eat raw flesh, humans don’t," she contended while criticising the publication of diplomatic cables in their original form.

But, Sashimi – sliced raw fish – is a popular Japanese delicacy. Moreover, "Eskimo" in Cree (a North American language) means "Eaters of raw flesh" (www.native-languages.org). Then, there is "blue rare" or very rare steak that’s nothing but almost raw flesh. Be that as it may, WikiLeaks has certainly confirmed the alternate media’s arrival as game-changer in the news-retailing business.

More importantly, it has forced the various countries’ governments to have a close look at the manner in which traditional diplomatic channels are fast becoming obsolete. The basic rules of diplomacy may not change but its practice, henceforth, is certainly going to factor in the WikiLeaks phenomenon. Another contention on the show, by retired Lieut-General Harbhajan Singh, too, was interesting. "I am against whistle blowing`85" he declared. Now, if there was no whistle blowing, Kargil’s true story would never have come out. And, later on, what was being done in the name of Kargil martyrs in Mumbai (now notorious as the Adarsh scam) would have remained buried under bureaucratic files and political platitudes. Kanwar Sandhu kept the debate focussed on the impact of Wikileaks expos`E9 on the entire process of information gathering and retailing as well as conduct of international diplomacy.

Well, Masle (PTC News) appears to have adapted to the needs of the ever-changing world of news-retailing. Barely hours after the Binayak Sen verdict, it organised a debate on the issue, wherein a legal luminary, who was once a political activist in the JP Movement, kept harping on what can be roughly translated as "irresponsible and illegal" protests against the verdict, proclaiming self-righteously that nobody should challenge a court’s orders except in the manner laid out in law. Well said, but when pointed out that he himself had resorted to law-breaking under JP’s leadership, the worthy spluttered that it was different because the movement was directed against the "rulers" and not the courts!