andhra-journalist-s-arrest-blurring-line-between-media-politics

Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing a disturbing trend of media often morphing into political activism, raising questions over its integrity and credibility. As both the print and electronic media are sharply divided on political lines and run stories in a competitively shrill tone, the line between news and views is often blurred.

 

The recent arrest of veteran television journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, in connection with disparaging remarks made during a debate he moderated on Amaravati capital project, has triggered furore in political circles.

 

The implications of the case go much beyond the issue of free speech. It reflected a much deeper crisis of media integrity and raised questions over how some journalists and media organisations have, over the years, allowed themselves to become tools of political propaganda and hate campaigns.

 

Rao, a 70-year-old news anchor of ‘Sakshi TV’ owned by the family members of YSR Congress Party president and former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, was arrested from his Hyderabad residence under several serious charges, including outraging the modesty of women and defaming the members of the downtrodden community. He has since been remanded to two-week judicial custody and sent to a jail in Guntur.

 

Malicious remarks on Amaravati women

 

The flashpoint was a televised discussion on ‘Sakshi TV’, where V.V.R Krishnam Raju, self-styled president of the Editors’ Association, claimed that Amaravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh, is a hub for sex workers. In an attempt to counter Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s description of Amaravati as a "divine city" with historic and spiritual significance, Krishnam Raju claimed that a report showed the city as being notorious for prostitution.

 

The outrageous claim was not only factually incorrect but also highly defamatory and malicious. There is absolutely no credible data or report linking the Amaravati capital region to any surge in prostitution.

 

Instead of confronting the guest about his absurd claim, Srinivasa Rao, who was anchoring the show, went along with him and even mentioned that he had seen a report in the media about Amaravati being the hub of flesh trade.

 

This validation by a senior journalist lent a veneer of credibility to what was essentially a political smear. There was no fact-checking, no journalistic scepticism — only complicity.

 

Deliberate distortion

 

Clearly, what Krishnam Raju did was to deliberately distort a broader national statistic — an NCRB report which stated that Andhra Pradesh has a relatively high number of native sex workers — and falsely link it to Amaravati, which is only a small part of the state. His intent was clearly political: to malign the vision of Amaravati being projected by the present TDP-led NDA government.

 

What was expected of a senior media professional in that moment was a responsible intervention, a clear rejection of inflammatory rhetoric, or at the very least, a factual clarification. Srinivasa Rao failed on all counts.

 

The backlash was swift and widespread. Citizens, political observers, and civil society activists across Andhra Pradesh condemned the comment as an attack not just on a place, but on the dignity of the farmers, women, and families residing in Amaravati. The outrage was so intense that a Dalit woman from the capital region filed a formal complaint, accusing the speakers of outraging the modesty of women and defaming the community.

 

Also read: Train ride from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, finally

 

Acting on her complaint, the police filed a case under various sections — including the SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act — against Krishnam Raju (accused number 1), Srinivasa Rao (accused number 2), and the management of Sakshi TV (accused number 3). Krishnam Raju, at the time of this writing, is reportedly absconding.

 

Inexorable Link

 

At different points in the history of the united AP, the media organisations have played a pivotal role in the growth of regional parties, be it Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi or YSRCP.

 

Though ‘Sakshi’ daily and TV channel was originally launched to serve as a platform to promote the Congress, it turned against the grand old party, after the death of YSR in a helicopter crash in September 2009, and went the whole hog in support of Jagan in his fight against the Congress high command. This media outlet has been quite unabashed in pursuing ‘campaign mode journalism’, targeting the TDP and promoting Jagan and his party.

 

Similarly, the agitation for separate Telangana state, launched by K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in 2001, found traction among the people and picked up momentum after the launch of the Telugu daily ‘Namaste Telangana’ in June 2011. The daily and the television channel ‘T-News’ are owned by close relatives of KCR. The media outlets played a significant role in strengthening the statehood cause and building a sustained narrative around the demand for a separate state.

 

Though TDP, launched by the matinee idol of Telugu cinema N T Rama Rao in 1982 and is now headed by his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu, has no media outlet of its own, it has solid backing from ‘Eenadu’ Group and ‘Andhra Jyothy’ and other Telugu news channels promoted by businessmen.

 

These two media groups have often been the targets of attack by the Congress. In fact, former Congress chief minister late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy used to derisively call them “yellow papers”, referring to the TDP’s colour.

 

The national parties — BJP and Congress — have no media outlets of their own nor do they find support from any of the existing bunch of publications or channels.

 

Convoluted justification

 

In the latest controversy, what is glaring is that neither Srinivasa Rao nor Krishnam Raju has expressed genuine remorse over the remarks. Instead of issuing an unconditional apology, they have tried to wriggle out of responsibility through half-baked explanations and deflections. This has only strengthened the perception that the objectionable remarks were not accidental lapses but calculated provocations.

 

This episode once again highlighted a larger malaise — the increasing capture of the media by political interests. Sakshi TV, for instance, has long served more as a propaganda tool than a media organisation.

 

The problem is certainly not confined to one side of the political spectrum. Similar tendencies are visible, though perhaps to a far lesser degree, among certain print and television outlets perceived to be aligned with the ruling TDP. While these media houses may not be direct extensions of political entities, they are often accused of exhibiting partisan bias. In fact, critics have noted that the tone and language used by some of their presenters while covering the Sakshi controversy reflect the same lax journalistic standards they seek to criticise in their opponents.

 

What Andhra is witnessing now is an information war remote controlled by political interests. The media platforms are being used as instruments of vendetta. It is time to reclaim journalism from the clutches of political influencers.