Does Ambani’s entry lift veil off media objectivity?

shubhambatra

Shubham Batra | January 4, 2012



It is the not the first time a corporate house has taken control over media content distribution, however, a “strategic” investment by Reliance Industries in Network 18 does raise several questions on the objectivity of news on the cash-rich behemoth.

Here is the deal in nutshell: Independent Media Trust, an RIL entity, will extend financing to Raghav Bahl-promoted Network 18 which soon comes out with Rs 2,700 crore rights issue to finance the acquisition of Eenadu TV and to repay its debts. In return, Mukesh Ambani will get the right to show the channels of this combined entity to subscribers for its broadband 4G foray. Hence, the structured deal becomes a win-win for both the parties.

But the more important question lurches around the objectivity of news on RIL-promoted companies. For instance, Ambani would get control over the content of CNBC-TV18, which is one of the most-watched business channels by the investor community in India and outside.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter