Never since the Emergency (“When they were asked to bend, they crawled”, LK Advani had famously observed about the role of media then) the media in general and some of its iconic editors in particular have faced such close scrutiny as in the aftermath of the Niira Radia tapes.

The heat is on two icons - Vir Sanghvi (editorial director of the HT) and Barkha Dutt of NDTV – and the media organizations they represent. The tapes would seem to suggest that both were acting as a go-between the Congress and the DMK and lobbying for telecom ministry for tainted A Raja. Of course, both have denied this and hang on to their jobs even though they wouldn’t bat an eyelid to suggest that a minister or bureaucrat accused of such wrong doings should be relieved immediately from their official positions.

HT has not reacted offcially where as NDTV made an attempt at putting forward its position on the issue. Vir Sanghvi has used his weekly column in HT, Counterpoint, and Barkha Dutt has written in NDTV website to explain respective positions.

The explanations are on similar lines. Both suggest that the tapes were leaked selectively, edited or even doctored. Both deny knowing Raja personally or having met him. Or that they carried out their promise to act as go-between the Congress and the DMK and lobby for telecom portfolio for Raja. Vir says he was stringing along his source (Niira Radia) and Barkha says she was keeping the source (again Niira Radia) in good humour.

They also vouch for their independent editorial line in their columns or news shows.  Barkha challenges anyone to prove quid pro quo or any compromise in the way she presented news. She provides links to her shows to make her point. So does Vir while defending his column. So, we don't know if at all any action against the two is being contemplated by their respective organisations.

Vir says his column, Counterpoint, will be off HT for some time and hopes to return rested and renewed. His column in Brunch and TV shows will continue unabated. Barkha makes no such concessions and continues in her position as group editor of NDTV.

By and large, the media has ignored the story, save for the news magazines that carried the taped conversations and some TV channels which had brief discussions on the role of the iconic editors found to be “out of line” of their professional call.