Subhash Chandra hits out at ‘Governing Class’ suppressing media’s freedom

Subhash Chandra, Chairman emeritus of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), has come out strongly against, what he called, the “increasing pressure from Governing Class, increasing pressure from Governing Class, whether the legislature, executive, corporate” on media.

Calling media the “Fourth Pillar of Democracy’, Chandra in a release issued said that there are structured attempts by this “Governing Class” to align the media in order to achieve their agenda. “Governments exert pressure on media through advertising influence or use of state machinery to threaten so that the press can be prevented from publishing factual information,” he alleged.

He mentioned about a recent incident, wherein Zee News faced pressure from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to air an interview done by the news channel with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 23, 2024. Chandra stated that “Post the interview, the independent editorial team at Zee Media decided not to telecast it, keeping in mind some objectionable content in the interaction.” However, he alleged, that the AAP spokesperson kept insisting on Zee News airing the entire interview or face consequences like withdrawal of advertising by the Punjab Government, which Chandra said, was substantial on a monthly basis.

As a result, the Punjab Government forced a blackout across the state, leveraging a monopoly of a particular Multiple System Operator (MSO) not only for Zee News, but also for Zee Punjab Himachal Haryana and Zee Delhi NCR, as well as the Zee Entertainment channels. The ZEE group had to resort to a legal approach to get its channels restored after a fight of eight days.

Chandra also mentioned about a video message that he had released on ‘Freedom of the Press’ on May 3, 2024, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. Following this, he has taken another proactive step and conducted a Media-Meet Press Conference on June 3, 2024, leading to a constructive round of conversation with the senior members of the media-fraternity.

He claimed that Zee Media got an assurance from the system that post the Lok Sabha elections, they will work with/in the new Government and make efforts to improve the ranking of India from the current 159th position amongst 180 nations in terms of press freedom.

At the same time, he lamented that “many of the news channels, newspapers, social media and digital platforms have started accepting the pressure as part of life, instead of resisting or voicing out their disagreement. This is one reason why India ranks 159th out of 180 in terms of press freedom. The natural blame gets inclined towards the Government, but the media itself is equally responsible”.

He added, “These incidences are not isolated. Various organisations/ people in the governing class (political, bureaucracy, corporates and others with money muscle) have historically employed numerous tactics to suppress media organisations – from leveraging advertising revenue to exerting pressure through corporate avenues and use of investigating agencies. Despite these challenges, Zee Media’s news channels and platforms have steadfastly upheld its credibility and commitment to public interest journalism.”

Chandra concluded his message by urging all stakeholders, including viewers and regulatory bodies, to recognize and stand against all threats to press freedom. “I and my team are ready to pay a price or face any consequences, to keep fulfilling our ‘Dharma’ towards our readers/ viewers,” he affirmed, stating, “If necessary, file lawsuits as public interest litigation for violating press freedom and seek legal remedies.”