Undermining media freedom

TN govt using state control of cable to silence opposition

The Tamil Nadu government has not shown itself in the past to be a stalwart defender of the right to free expression. Even in a country in which law and administrative precedent is are not particularly friendly to dissenting speech, the state government’s actions in the past have been particularly harsh. Now, however, the state administration’s attempts to stifle free speech have taken a new and even more dangerous turn. The proximate cause for this new controversy was a ruckus during the recording of a discussion show on the news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai on recent protests in the state such as those against the Sterlite plant in Tuticorin. The discussion, being filmed at a private college in Coimbatore, was disrupted — apparently by right-wing cadre — following remarks by two of the participants on the programme, the writer-director Ameer (who goes by just one name) and U Thaniyarasu, a member of the legislative assembly who is technically a member of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led alliance but has been cosying up to the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of late. In response, the police did not book the protestors but instead filed charges against the director, the member of legislative Assembly (MLA) and the news channel — even before the programme had been broadcast. A local court has now granted anticipatory bail to Mr Ameer, pointing out that using the law to control political speech on TV was “something new”.

What is also new and worrying is the direct action against the news channel. Not only has an FIR (or first information report) been registered against the management and a reporter of Puthiya Thalaimurai, but the channel itself has faced punitive action from Tamil Nadu’s major cable network provider, Arasu Cable. This is, of course, a consequence of the specific circumstances of Arasu Cable’s ownership structure: it is a state-run enterprise, which former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa revived with injections of government money. Using subsidised rates, Arasu Cable expanded quickly to a majority of households and now provides the government with the power essentially to cut off access to news channels it deems problematic to its preferred political narrative. This is apparently exactly what has happened with Puthiya Thalaimurai. On Arasu’s digital package, the channel’s slot was suddenly changed and made hard to find; it has vanished entirely from the analogue bundle in some areas. Earlier this month, the Arasu management directed its officials to stop the transmission of all 25 channels belonging to the DMK-linked Sun TV group. Other channels have also been arbitrarily taken off air for hours or days, allegedly after they broadcast programmes that displeased the government.

This is a severe threat to media freedom, free speech, and the democratic structure itself. The Editors Guild of India has pointed out that recommendations of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India disallow a government from owning a television channel distribution company – for this precise reason. These regulations should be implemented. To retain its regulatory status, Arasu Cable should be privatised; there is no economic or social welfare justification for public ownership of a cable TV distribution network. The regulator should step in quickly and firmly or this is a malaise that will soon spread from Tamil Nadu to other states.