Opp’n bloc ‘INDIA’ decides to stay away from news shows of 14 news anchors, NDBA reacts
The NDBA labelled the move as an reminder of the 'emergency era'
Updated: Sep 15th, 2023
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| Image: IANS |
A day after the first meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s coordination committee, INDIA media committee announced on Sept 14 to not participate in the news shows of 14 anchors.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared a note of the INDIA bloc media group decision on his X handle and said, “The following decision was taken by the INDIA media committee in a virtual meeting held this afternoon.”
Who are the anchors that INDIA is boycotting?
In the note, the media group of INDIA said: “Pursuant to the decision taken by the INDIA coordination committee in its meeting on Sept 13, the INDIA parties will not send their representatives on the shows and events of anchors…”
The list of anchors included:
- Aditi Tyagi
- Aman Chopra
- Amish Devgan
- Anand Narsimhan
- Arnab Goswami
- Ashok Shrivastav
- Chitra Tripathi
- Gaurav Sawant
- Navika Kumar
- Prachi Parashar
- Rubika Liaquat
- Shiv Aroor
- Sudhir Chaudhary
- Sushant Sinha
On Sept 13, while addressing the media after the first meeting of coordination committee at the residence of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, “The coordination committee authorised the subgroup of media to decide upon the names of the anchors on whose shows none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives.”
NDBA calls it a move from ‘emergency era’
Hours after the opposition INDIA bloc released a list 14 news anchors from whose shows its leaders would stay away, the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) said on Sept 14 that such a move takes the nation back to the Emergency era, when the press was gagged, and independent opinions and voices were crushed.
It also said that the decision taken by the INDIA media committee sets a dangerous precedent, as the ban goes against the ethos of democracy.
“The NBDA is deeply anguished and concerned by the decision taken by the INDIA Media Committee not to send their representatives on shows and events hosted by certain journalists or anchors. The decision taken by the INDIA Media Committee sets a dangerous precedent,” the NDBA said in a statement.
It said the ban on representatives of the opposition alliance from participating in TV news shows anchored by some of India’s ‘top’ news personalities goes against the ethos of democracy.
“It betokens intolerance and imperils press freedom. The opposition alliance claims to be the champion of pluralism and free press, but its decision betrays callous disregard for democracy’s most fundamental tenet - the inalienable right to openly express ideas and opinions,” the statement said.
“The NBDA urges the opposition alliance to withdraw its decision of boycotting certain journalists and anchors as such a decision would amount to browbeating journalists and stifling freedom of speech and expression of the media,” it added.
(Source: IANS)
-Edited for style
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