THE Nava Telangana Telugu daily celebrated its second anniversary at a function organised at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Hyderabad on March 21. Speaking on the occasion, eminent journalist P Sainath expressed concern at the spread of corporate media and its role in not articulating the real problems of the people and facts. Corporate media organisations are entering into the field of business and their barons are entering into politics. Political leaders are entering into the field of journalism. With this growing trend of the dividing line between political leaders, corporate media and industrialists vanishing, and with political leaders and industrialists having investments in media organisations, there is no scope for the latter to question them, Sainath explained. Hegemony of these three forces has been going on in the country. Corporate media organisations have become stenographers to the governments, he said.

Corporate media organisations are the major beneficiaries of privatisation. They have not been criticising the questionable policies of the Modi government. Sainath explained how the corporate media campaigned in favour of Modi in the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and how it ignored the social aspect of the BJP not giving its ticket to even a single Muslim to contest. Similarly, the corporate media have not been brining into light the struggles of the students and the youth for their rights and freedom in universities like the HCU and JNU, as also returning of awards by artists, writers protesting against the attacks on freedom of expression. The corporate media have not been  bringing out factual position relating to demonetisation and its adverse consequences, Sainath criticised. Only the independent non-corporate media organisations which are limited in number have brought out facts. Asserting that journalists are not slaves to corporate media organisations, Sainath said that the responsibility of bringing facts and problems of the people into light lies on non-corporate media organisations like Nava Telangana and others and independent journalists.

Former editor of Prajasakti and central secretariat member of the CPI(M), V Srinivasa Rao said Nava Telangana stands as an inheritor of progressive values and the responsibility of explaining the real reasons for problems of the people is much more on such newspapers especially when danger to democracy and freedom of expression is looming large. Lauding the role being played by Nava Telangana, editor of Hans India and former MLC, K Nageswar, said that contacts with the people and mass movements are the main resources for it. Newspapers should stand by the toiling masses and common people, he suggested. S Veeraiah, editor of Nava Telangana and member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) said newspapers will have no value if they do not question and such legacy of questioning is inherited by Prajasakti and Nava Telangana. Nava Telangana has been doing its best as the voice of the people, supporting struggles of the people and publishing and articulating the same, Veeraiah explained.  At the function held in the evening, former editor of Visalandhra, C Raghavachary, former editor of Prajasakti, S Vinay Kumar and MM Maitreyi of The Hindu were felicitated. Vice Chancellor of Telugu University, SV Satyanarayana, managing director of 10 TV Venugopal, chief general manager of Nava Telangana PV Srinivas and others participated in the programme. Awards were presented to the selected best journalists.