Vernacular Press : Tamil – Decline in ethics – Mela sagaum intha tamil prophesy by Bharathidasan is true
I, being an advocate, have been coming across with so many press persons in course of my professional life, the following are my perception regarding Tamil News journalism and its establishment :
1. Most of the papers with decent quantity of circulation do not have recruitment policy, thus any man comes to office for a cheap pay packet is acceptable for them.
2. The benefits, that are ensured to the working Journalist under the law have been consistently denied to 80% per cent of the Pressmen in vernacular media. The Media establishments choose evasive description of job to avoid invocation of the Working Journalist Act
3. It is worth to be noted almost all the News papers ( Except Dinamani) in Tamil Nadu, have become oriented with any one of the Political Party.
4. The Media establishment reap collateral benefit out their coverage of particular political party or interests, while those persons who have been hired often scout around the police station to become tout for the Law enforcement authorities.
5. Further, Most media establishment provide slot for those who choose journalism as a stop- gab arrangement in their career. As soon as a reporter locates another venues like Xerox or STD Booth, he simply forgets journalism.
6. Knowledge of this reporters in various faculties of the life is very abysmally minimum, thus most of the events taking place in Tamil Nadu ( particularly rural area )with scientific and academic implications are not reported. The Editors of the paper often follow the trail of the English media.
7. It is easier for them to fill up the News paper pages with news and photos relating to road accidents or inconsequential inauguration functions for which the reporter would have been fed with mugs of Beer and Briayani
8. This reporters also simply go around court premises and collect money from any of the parties to the case. They report only the contents of petition which are presented before the authorities unmindfully of the worthiness of the contents of the petition for the purpose of publication( recent coverage of Media about the Divorce proceedings of the ex –Tamil actor Aravinthasamy acted in Bombay ). The vivid reports of filing cases by some unknown cheap publicity hungry persons against actress Khsuboo is one such thing. The reporters do not care for version of all parties while reporting matters of like this , nor even the fate of the petitions so presented after full hearing by the authorities.
9. If the readers of the Tamil New Papers get to know the real character of the media person not even single paper would be sold in Tamil Nadu.
10. Almost all the political leaders have been vilified by any one of the newspaper, but only when they were out of power they cry hue and cue, once they come to power they would not take steps to promote healthy and fair reporting.
11. Jayalalitha`s and Karunanidhi`s personal life are often shown in bad taste by so many print Media. Either this people chose to silence them by the use of power rather they really failed to think what are the factors which contribute to the monstrous paparazzi in Tamil Nadu.
12. The reformation of the law regarding defamation is very vital for the addressing this mischief. The Law makers should do away the present system of 71/2 per cent Court Fee on claim for compensation. Rather the Court Fee should be a fixed amount.
13. Media persons in the Electronic Media are one step ahead of the others, they often go for the big collateral gains like Mr. Chao`s and Aratai Arangam Visu`s support of AIADMK
The net result is there is no news paper publication in Tamil with judicious approach to any of the issues
