The Unusual Suspects: Paid news scandal - a lifeline for UPA

Prelude - Many important events and incidences take place in such a manner and it may seem just a coincidence or the reason may seem to be quite straight forward. But I do not believe in coincidences, I like freakonomics' way of exploring things & I believe in conspiracy theories. In the blog series - "The unusual suspects", I have tried to explore the hidden reality behind some of the recent events. I DO NOT have material evidences for what I would present but I would try to give valid arguments.

Few months back we heard about a syndrome called "Paid News". Paid news or paid content are those articles in newspapers, magazines and the electronic media, which indicate favourable conditions for the institution that has paid for it.The news is much like an advertisement but without the ad tag. This kind of news has been considered a serious malpractice since it deceives the citizens, not letting them know that the news is, in fact, an advertisement. Secondly , the payment modes usually violate tax laws and election spending laws. More seriously, it has raised electoral concerns because the media has a direct influence on voters.

Two member committee was set up by Press council of India to examine the paid news scandal. The committee came up with a report but the release was then "deferred" and the report was referred to a larger group of Council members who were to decide within three months on how it should be presented because some council members argued that "'it would destroy the publishers' credibility and hurt their long term interest". Finally PCI came out with a much watered down version of the report without any of the specifics detailed in the original which explicitly named newspapers and channels — including some of the biggest groups in the country — seen as having indulged in the “paid news” practice. The original report was not made public.

A plethora of scams have come to the fore in the past one year, records have been broken and new heights have been set by the UPA-2. At the same time the country is reeling under inflation, food prices are at an all time high. The list can go on. A free media would sensationalize these and bring the government to its feet. But interestingly, most media houses are walking a fine line. They are more focused on the less important things.

Ramdev's agitation was in news for so long - what it did was killed time and shifted the focus away from the more important issues like Lokpal. The sensationalisation of UP crime scenario took precedence over CAG report on Reliance power/KG Basin/Oil ministry which is potentially another scam of epic proportions. I do not support crimes in UP, but are they something new ? Is it something specific to Mayawati ? If it is due to lacklusture security scenario, isn't UPA guilty too by delaying police reforms even after repeated Supreme Court orders.

Whenever there is an issue in the opposite camp, the head of UPA marketing team Rahul Gandhi and his puppet-chatter box Digvijay Singh reach the scene to extract political mileage out of it (and in actuality doing nothing). Most media houses show this 24x7 and give the front page space. Is farmer's suicide an issue of lesser importance? Is Lokpal of lesser importance? Is UPA policy failure and rise in food inflation of lesser importance?

This is nothing but a UPA-media(which ones? - Are hidden in the report) nexus. UPA won't take any action by letting out the names and in a return favour media will continue making a mockery of democracy.

(Note - I have nothing personal against UPA or a media house. Neither do I have an allegiance to any political group.)