‘Sting ops often driven by race for TRP’

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 5:12 am

One need not be Sherlock Holmes to discern the motives behind some sting operations, a Parliamentary Committee has observed. Driving home the point that all journalistic enterprises, especially sting operations are not above board, the Committee said it would be quite naive to believe that such operations are conducted solely to cleanse the public system.

The Committee headed by senior Cong MP V Kishore Chandra Deo said that experience has shown that sting operations are often driven by sensational quotients. It is to increase the TRP ratings of TV channels vis-a-vis their rivals and more often than not for monetary and other considerations, it said.

Expressing concern over the fact that the media is indulging in a race to achieve viewership through “sensationalism” in a competitive basis, it recalled that in the cash-for-votes scam, one channel has implied that all members are susceptible to corruption.

Carrying out such operations in an unregulated manner, which casts aspersions on members of Parliament erode the credibility of democratic institutions, it said. “The Committee, are, therefore of the opinion that such motivated trial by the media needs to be regulated.

“The Committee also recommends that the Union government may initiate steps for laying guidelines and norms for sting operations”. The Committee made the observations in its report on the alleged cash-for-votes scam that rocked the nation sometime back.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

‘Sting ops often driven by race for TRP’

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