Hindu’s Readers’ Editor Flawed
Click to read full text of Panneerselvam's column in the Hindu:
The Hindu’s Readers’ Editor A.
S. Panneerselvan again let down the readers:
I had come to this feeling on
his observations published in the Hindu dated 9th September 2019
while dealing with Vijay S. Raghavan’s complaints, a reader from Navi Mumbai.
Raghavan expressed his serious
concerns to Panneerselvan’s last column titled – “Selective Silence Leads to
Calamities” (September 2, 2019).
Readers’ Editor said:
“After criticizing the role
played by the political families of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Abdullahs
and Mufti Sayeeds, Raghavan contended that the Modi Government should be given
a long rope to bring about law and order in the region. He then spoke of THE EXODUS OF PANDITS FROM THE
VALLEY AND SAID THAT NO MEDIA CAME TO THEIR RESCUE THEN. He cited
cross-border terrorism to justify the curbing of freedom of both the citizens
of Kashmir and the media. He declared that there is “no use in lamenting on the
freedom of press under these unusual circumstances in Kashmir”.
Panneerselvan contented that
Raghavan’s remarks are a flawed argument and that they go against the grain of responsible
journalism and the commitment of the state to its own citizens.
Then he was
quoting Economic Slow Down, Failure of Foreign Policies, Fall of GDP to all
time low of 5% and many more. He points out that ‘the government’s control of
the communication processes is intrinsically undemocratic and harmful, as it
privileges voices of authority and weakens those who speak truth to power.
Readers’ Editor concludes with
the following sermon: “It is the duty of the press to point out the failure of
the state to be on the side of the citizens when their fundamental rights are
being trampled upon.”
Actually I was frantically
searching in Panneerseval’s rejoinder what was his comments and reactions to
the most tragic events happened in Jammnu and Kashmir resulting in the exodus
of pundits from the valley and most importantly the deaf, dumb and blind roles
played by the Media then which includes even the Hindu.
In those periods of Massacres, lacs
of Kashmir Pundits who are sons of soil, were terrorized to leave their homes by
Muslims and their sufferings, their tale of rapes, their destructions of houses
were simply ignored by the Press then.
Hence, the State had failed to save
those Pundits and the Press had not stood with those poor pundits, when “their
fundamental rights were trampled upon.”
The Press’s failure then was unpardonable and hence equally
Panneerselvan’s skipping Raghavan’s observations about Kashmir Pundits now.
Compared to the sufferings
undergone by Pundits, the situations now where no single bullet was shot are
not alarming.
I am not justifying the curbing
of freedom, but, I am only questioning why Panneerselvan had not uttered even a
word about the role played by the Press then at the time of Kashmir Pundits’
Massive Exodus.
“News behind the barbed wire”
should be seen in the light of “Press Hiding under Purdah during Pundits Exodus”.
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