The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Somnath sore over media’s priorities

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Monday, May 12, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Somnath sore over media’s priorities

- PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Remembering a leader: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee paying homage to the portrait of P. Sundarayya in Hyderabad on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has expressed concern and “unhappiness” over the lack of interest in the national press about the problems faced by rural people.

“Today’s media, especially the mainstream media, if I am not misunderstood, is more pre-occupied with urban issues and lifestyles of the rich and affluent,” he said on Sunday after giving away awards to ‘Best Telugu Rural Journalist’ instituted by the Foundation for People’s Journalism on Sunday.

R.M. Umamaheswar Rao of Andhra Jyoti bagged the best rural journalist award, carrying a citation and cash of Rs. 25,000. V. Udayalakshmi of Sakshi and freelancer G. Srinivas won the two other awards each carrying Rs.10,000.

The Speaker said problems of the common man and rural poor were not matters of serious concern for such “market-driven media world. It is said that the marketing managers and not the editors decide the policy of many newspapers. This is undoubtedly a matter of grave concern.”

Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu P. Sainath, who is instrumental in instituting the awards, quoted a recent survey report of the Centre for Media Studies, which monitored six news channels for three years, to state that entertainment got nine times more coverage than health, education, environment and agriculture put together.

Explaining his experiences in covering farmers’ issues, Mr. Sainath said he felt “depressed” for getting awards for covering farmers’ suicides. “I did not want to use that money.”

He said the awards were aimed at encouraging journalists who covered agrarian crisis despite the hostility and opposition from their own managements.

Retired IAS officer and former secretary to the Prime Minister during P.V. Narasimha Rao’s tenure K.R. Venugopal presided.

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