The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Media frenzy

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Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Media frenzy

Is it an invitation for coverage or not, was the dilemma of the journalists who were invited for the grand farewell accorded by the police officers and staff to outgoing Commissioner of Police C.V. Anand. The caller from the CP’s office insisted: “Sir gave me a list of select people from the media and asked me to invite them to the function not as journalists but as friends.” When the “select” people eventually started descending one after another on the lawns of the CP’s office, where the function was organised, they realised to their dismay that practically every one was invited from the media fraternity. Anand too chose to make the best use of the full turnout of reporters from the print and electronic media.

He did not mince words to tell them that the pressure that the media in Vijayawada exerts on the CP is simply unbearable and it is time the trend is stopped. “Whenever there is a murder or a theft, the media projects it as though the crime is committed by the CP himself,” he said, referring to the continuous coverage of sensational and unsolved crimes in the vernacular media.

Sweeping changes

The month that ended on Monday would be remembered by every one for the clean sweep it made in changing the incumbents in the top four official positions in the city. While Shailaja Ramaiyer took the baton from Navin Mittal as district Collector in the beginning of the month, two others who have been named to succeed S. Suresh Kumar as Joint Collector (Ramanarayan Reddy) and C.V. Anand as Commissioner of Police (K.V. Rajendranath Reddy) are yet to assume charge.

As and when a successor to Natarajan Gulzar as Municipal Commissioner is named and he or she takes over the reins, the city will have four new faces to guide its destiny in the election year.

Old habits die hard

A slip of tongue it might have been, but the independent corporator, who switched loyalties to the Congress, had to face some embarrassing moments at a function organised to bid a farewell Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar. Independent corporator Mahadevu Appaji proposed that the corporation gave Mr. Gulzar’s name to one of the projects taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in view of the Commissioner’s efforts to develop the city. Endorsing Mr. Appaji’s proposal, 14th division corporator Ummadisetti Bahadur said: “The ruling Congress should take a lead for this.” Even as his fellow corporators burst into a good laughter, Mr. Bahadur could not understand for a while what it was all about. Mayor Mallika Begum had to remind him gently that he was now firmly on the side of the ruling party. Old habits die hard.

Is Naidu listening?

The question before the TDP cadre now seem to be whether its leadership will also come out with a newspaper of its own, so as to get full coverage of news in favour of the party activities and its political interests. While discussing the pros and cons of new newspapers coming up in the field of vernacular print media, a TDP leader made a surprising remark during the informal talk at the party urban office recently. He lamented that the “two newspapers” that the Chief Minister takes every opportunity to brand as pro-TDP, often criticise the TDP too. On the contrary, there are about half-a-dozen newspapers, both English and Telugu, which side with the Congress and continuously attack the TDP. These newspapers are owned either by a leader of the Congress or a sympathiser of that party.

Added to these, another newspaper promoted by the Chief Minister himself has surfaced now, he said, alluding to ‘Sakshi’. “It is high time the TDP should have its own mouthpiece so that it will have a level playing field in future power struggles,” was his suggestion. Is Chandrababu Naidu listening?

K. Srimali, G.V.R.Subba Rao and G.Ravikiran in Vijayawada