Airwaves for all

If three major political parties whinge about how they are being projected on radio and television, then perhaps the Prasar Bharati board is...

If three major political parties whinge about how they are being projected on radio and television, then perhaps the Prasar Bharati board is doing okay after all. While the Samajwadi Party and the Congress accused the board of being biased in its treatment of them, on Monday it was the turn of the BJP to point fingers.

Party president L.K. Advani even stated that if his party were to come to power it would review the decisions taken by the corporation. These are pressure tactics of the worst kind and do not behove a mature political party. It is entirely possible that all the three groups which had voiced protests are right and it is their job to make a fuss about the so-called biases in coverage. Equally, it is for the Prasar Bharati board to get on with its job and not allow itself to be derailed by the high-decibel political lobbying that is currently on. Such independence and ability to tide brickbats of this kind become even more crucial today, in the run-up to the elections. Indeed, the real test of the board8217;s autonomy is now.

There are several important principles at stake here. In its judgment on the cricket case, the Supreme Court had ruled that the country8217;s air waves are public property. In other words, it is to the public that the board is finally accountable, not to a particular political party. The twin attributes of autonomy and independence, ultimately hinges on how effectively the Prasar Bharati board is able to translate this principle into practice. If this were to be extended to the electoral arena, this means that every programme of political consequence that is shown on TV or broadcast on radio in this period should cater to the viewer8217;s or listener8217;s requirements rather than provide mere publicity to political parties. If that person is made more aware of the issues at hand, and how he or she would benefit from voting in a particular manner, the board should consider it a job well done.

Thus far, radio and TV in this country were instruments in the hands of the ruling party, which has never been shy of using them blatently to further its own glory. The TV spots eulogising members of the Nehru-Gandhi family or the cynical fashion that the information and broadcasting ministers of earlier dispensations used the 8220;official8221; media form part of national folklore. But that time is past. The Prasar Bharati Act, which came into force last September seven years after it was notified, finally recognised that there must be nothing official about Doordarshan and Akashvani if they are to be credible. But the culture of sycophancy has to be consciously fought, just as independent-mindedness has to be consciously striven for.

The norms and procedures that the Prasar Bharati board adopts today will not only help ensure that the 1998 general elections are conducted in a fair manner but help deepen and strengthen the democratic processes in this country.Atilde;iquest;