Thriving hate business; Leader for life; Fed burns money
Opinion Watch
Thriving hate business
Freedom of speech exercised by media is a loan given by the people in trust that it would be exercised in public interest. Television, particularly the high-decibel anchors, distorted the meaning to mine hate in fast race to stardom.
The Indian Express and The Pioneer in their respective Editorials have commented on Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy expressing concerns over the television’s race to bottom with hate steam.
The Indian Express argued that switching off television is better than the prescription given by the apex court, while seeking spotlight on “structural forces that enables this hate speech ecosystem”. The daily predictably disfavours apex court’s direction for a regulation on the lines of its Visakha judgment against the workplace sexual harassment until Parliament enacts law.
The daily quoted the Supreme Court observing that that the “visual media is the chief medium of hate speech”. This should shame all.
Indeed, the Supreme Court is rushing to regulate the media, which will be the last nail in the coffin of free press, supposedly the fourth pillar of democracy. Same argument could also be made for judicial reforms through regulations, which the Supreme Court continues to resist.
But television news channels and their mentally and morally corrupt anchors have indeed brought the collective shame on journalism in India.
The Pioneer has called the guests called for television debates “semi-educated and ill-mannered”. The daily advised all stakeholders to exercise caution, while also suggesting more interaction between the government and the media.
Leader for life
Internal democracy in India is essentially a sham, and if not for fear of shame personality-headed political parties in India too would copy Xi Jinping of China for lifelong presidency of their respective outfits.
The Hindu took note of the decision of the Election Commission of India to reject the idea of a permanent president for a party, while taking issue with the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party, which had reportedly elected Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as its chief for life in July 2022.
The daily has called the response of the YSR Congress to the Election Commission that it would probe the decision of life-long party chief absurd.
“The ECI has periodically used guidelines issued for registration of parties under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to remind parties to conduct elections and to ensure that their leadership is renewed, changed or re-elected every five years. But the commission does not have any statutory power to enforce internal democracy in parties or to mandate elections,” argued the Chennai-headquartered daily.
Barring the cadre-based and structured Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Parties, political outfits such as Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Bahujan samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the YSR Congress all are family run political enterprises, who mock at the very idea of internal democracy within the parties.
Fed burns money
The US Fed remains hawkish to stay firm on hardline approach to combat inflation.
The Economic Times and The Indian Express have weighed the implications of the interest rate hike by the US Fed by three quarters to one on Wednesday, which sent the equity and the currency markets crashing, while also plunging rupee to the record low.
The ET notes that the Indian economy, which is already weakening after a rapid post-pandemic recovery, will have to brace up for costly credit and slowing down of exports. The daily pinned hope on rural India to keep the Indian economy afloat.
The Indian Express argued that the Reserve Bank of India should let rupee further fall, while citing the instances of other currencies, which also have slipped to record lows against dollar.
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