Chennai: DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on Saturday
charged a section of the media with carrying "frivolous and
mischievous reports and "manufacturing mischief in the name of
investigative reporting".
Karunanidhi also accused CPI(M), now a part of
AIADMK-led alliance in the state, of adopting double standard
while reacting to the media`s commentary on different parties
in different states.
The media should use freedom of expression for guiding
Indian democracy, still in its growing stage, in the right
path instead of "sending it to the jungles," he said.
"Some newspapers and media, taking cover in the name of
unbiased reporting, carry frivolous and mischievous reports.
They also manufacture mischief in the name of investigative
reporting and this not only results in complete change in the
taste of viewers and readers but also affects culture and
decency... this is intolerable," he said.
Writing in the party mouthpiece `Murasoli,` he said it
should be pondered how such activities could augur well for
democratic ethos.
His statement came on a day when a Delhi court reserved
its orders on the bail plea of his daughter Kanimozhi, named a
co-conspirator in 2G spectrum scam, an issue that has found
prominent media coverage.
"Ours is a democrcay which is still at the growing stage.
In such circumstances, the media should work within its
professional ethics and norms to show the people the right
direction and uplift them. They should not, instead,
strangulate freedom of expression and become a tool to send it
(democracy) to the jungles," he said.
Karunanidhi took a dig at CPI(M) for a report in its
mouthpiece `Thekkathir` charging the media with siding with
its arch rival in poll-bound West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led
Trinamool Congress.
He accused the Leftists of having `different yardsticks`
for different states.
"The Communists here remain silent when the smallest of the
dust against DMK is blown out of proportion by a section of
the media. They even relish criticial reports that are not
true (concerning DMK) but can`t stand criticism against them,"
he said.
Karunanidhi welcomed the central government-sponsored
celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath
Tagore, saying he can never forget the poems of the poet`s
famous `Gitanjali.`
PTI
