Re: Is India a model Democracy?

[Srinath S <srinaths@usa.net>]

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Please help make the Manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Some very insightful points raised here as part of the FM debate. It is surely
a different issue to have private newspapers versus private broadcast
channels. And this is the lag factor.

However, I still see the issue as moot because there are many regional
television channels (sun tvm udaya tv, raj tv and so on) which have their own
news programmes. So how is a private FM news channel different from a private
TV news channel?

In fact, private regional news channels pose less of a threat to national
interest rather than private international news channels. Local news channels
can be made to adhere to a series of national interest regulations (like no
broadcasting analyses in times of emergency, etc.) but not the international
channels. And like Rao has noted, they can be used as preventive measures in
times of crises too, to defuse tension and prevent it from escalating.

Regards,
Srinath


Ideas for India: Building the future -- together
http://www.ideasforindia.net/

____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the National Debate on System Reform.       debate@indiapolicy.org
Rules, Procedures, Archives:            ../debate/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------