House to set up panel to gag media

Karnataka Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad on Wednesday announced setting up a House committee to spell out measures to rein in what he called “irresponsible” and “arbitrary” media.

The announcement came after legislators across all political parties came down heavily on the media. The lawmakers charged the media, both print and visual, with blackmail, extortion, character assassination and misleading society. Some of them used unparliamentary language while narrating their bitter encounters with the media.

The attack, to begin with, was confined to a section of television channels but later even the print media was not spared.

Both the Lower and the Upper Houses devoted much of their time to media bashing. In the Assembly, the members vied with each other to speak out under a particular rule that allows a brief discussion on issues of public importance. Interestingly, the Speaker allowed the members to speak on the issue for more than four hours, setting aside the burning issues such as the prevailing drought and agitation by Anganawadi workers in Bengaluru.
DH News Service