VK Singh sparked off a new hullabaloo by making nasty remarks against a TV channel on Twitter. Mr Singh, who has been overseeing mass departure of Indians from conflict-hit Yemen, had reportedly commented that the evacuation operation was looking less exciting than going to Pakistan High Commission for Pakistan Day celebrations. The Congress is screaming over nothing. Media has not given much importance to the evacuation which was carried out in Yemen whereas Singh’s visit to the Pakistan Embassy was covered live by them. So, the General does have a point. He has done good job. No question needs to be raised on this issue but the reality is that he is politician now and he needs to be careful. The moment he tweeted, there began an outrage over his remarks. This is known fact that right wing members are in huge number on social networks and they are very much active. They somewhat act like guards and spokespersons to their leaders and party. No other group can compete with their strength. As expected, few journalists were on their radar.
The ethics of journalism is vanishing with times. Journalists become an overestimated and glorified public relation executive in the hands of banners. Bigger the banner, greater the hypocrisy. Somewhere, the social media is playing the watch dog by exposing such journalists and banners. Nowadays, credibility of media is fading. Media houses are behaving like sophisticated PR agencies for politicians or business group and mafias. Journalists who are quiet over this or believe in self-absorbed journalism are the biggest threat to the 4th estate of the democracy. Blackmailers, fact twisters and perk seekers are biggest threat to the 4th estate of the democracy. These days, journalists are on contract of political parties, some even become settlers or you can say middleman as we have seen in Radia case. Journalists are paid to spy rivals, tarnish their image and plant stories against them. They are on pay roll of business houses and politicians. Media is strengthened in the hands of corrupt politicians and mafias. They have forgotten what 4th pillar of democracy and a responsibility comes with it. Transparency doesn’t mean media runs everywhere; CCTV cameras will do that work. Minutes of the meeting in the public domain will do. Proper reasoning at media conferences will do. It was just four days, when AAP government came to power and it has banned media from entering the Delhi Secretariat, its entry has been restricted to the media centre and media persons are no longer allowed to visit the rooms of ministers and other offices in the secretariat.
Last month, Singh had racked up another row by tweeting ‘#DISGUST’ after attending the Pakistan Day celebrations in the national capital as the government’s representative. He was criticised by many including me. General Singh had attended Pakistan’s National Day on March 23 in New Delhi where several separatist leaders from Kashmir too were present. The separatist leaders included Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yaseen Malik.
After attending a dinner party at the Pakistan High Commission, General Singh tweeted with the hastag disgust and duty. He stayed for 15 minutes at the reception which was held on a day India and Pakistan sparred over Hurriyat leaders’ confabulations with Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit, with New Delhi making it clear that there was no role for a third party. However, media carefully avoided the awesome work he did on the rescue of 3000 Indians. Operation Raahat is a great achievement. Media would have been little sensitive towards such news. Rescuing all Indians citizens of 26 other nations, rescuing 3 Pakistan nationals and receiving rare positive response from Pakistan, which has in turn sent 11 citizens back home and that too in a special plane was really big task and VK Singh should be credited for the great efforts he made. The government is now preparing to end its mammoth rescue mission, Operation Raahat, that has evacuated nearly all the 4,000 Indians and more than 230 foreign nationals stranded in the war-zone. VK Singh pointed out that the evacuation process will continue till the government is convinced that everyone has been rescued.
Media in India is becoming hysterical mafias. They are behaving like human scavengers, by going haywire and aimless. They can project anything in any manner suiting their motto. That is why, what VK Singh has tweeted is accepted and approved by millions of viewers. Journalists should not engage in destabilization of facts and personalities. Media should not think that they are above criticism. Where were these people, when their own fraternity was found in brokering business with ‘Power’ which was recorded in Radia tape? Transparency in media is in question neither it is standing on high moral grounds. With the advent of Social Media, the main stream media cannot dictate terms. The press needs to change itself with time as the social media is the real watchdog where you will not be able to manipulate. If media channels don’t get their act straight, very soon people will dump them and only focus on Twitter to get real and factual news.
