While the Legislative Assembly, is the domain of the Speaker and even the entry of policemen to affect an arrest, within the Assembly precincts is determined by the Speaker’s will, journalists must continue to be seen as a fraternity which is critical to the holding up of democracy along with the three other pillars of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Right now, it appears they are almost seen as pariahs.
While this is a given, and this is pontificated across various platforms by politicians unfailingly, the stringent guidelines imposed, on the entry of the media in Goa Assembly, is an act of legislative overreach which could have been avoided. At the same time it doesn’t appear that there was an ulterior motive to gag the media or deny it access, but the manner in which the new guidelines were decided upon and released, with no consultation with the Goa Union of Journalists and the Editors Guild, left room for shock and led to aspersions cast, which led to the Speaker’s august office being dragged into the controversy.
The Speaker, by virtue of the position he holds, should take time to introspect and the very least re-look at the guidelines which will effectively exclude important sections of the media from the press enclosure of the Assembly. Moreover some of the points in the guidelines are obviously and extremely unjustifiable. Therefore the position of the Speaker that he will not withdraw the guidelines and merely seek suggestions to ‘modify’ them is not tenable at all. The guidelines need to be withdrawn forthwith.
The guidelines that are totally arbitrary are:
A minimum of 15,000 circulation: Barring the mainstream papers, this will keep many publications, including some English newspapers, out of the ambit. How do those news-papers give Assembly coverage to their readers?
Considering the while group of publications as one entity: Take for instance your Herald Group. Reporters from Herald, Dainik Herald and the HCN channel will come under the ambit of one entity therefore ensuring that the reporting strength of each of the arms goes down drastically. The Assembly has no space issue. If there is a need for restricting too many journalists, there can be a cap of not moré two from the same publication or channel (not media group) in the Press gallery at the same time.
News portals with less than 10,000 daily page views will not get to cover Assembly proceedings: Has any exercise been done to figure how many page views do portals get on an average and then decide a minimum cut off. This is arbitrary and appears to be a cut and paste job from guidelines issued for journalists covering Parliament.
Refuse to allow all periodicals to cover the Assembly proceedings: This is the most draconian of guidelines contemplated. In one shot Goa’s weeklies, fortnightlys and monthlys will find themselves out of bounds of the Assembly.
Faced with a strong reaction the Speaker has agreed to ‘accept suggestions’. But why are post facto decisions being taken? Why were such guidelines issued without even asking the Press Advisory Committee of journalists, a connect between the Speaker and the media. The PAC should have taken a strong umbrage for being bypassed and undermined in this manner.
Moreover, one fails to understand why there was a need for these fresh guidelines. There was a case of one journalist who entered the Assembly premises based on an Assembly press card, issued by the Assembly which had expired. The concerned reporter was also no longer working for the channel (HCN) and hence was not even eligible for renewed card. His conduct was unbecoming. The Assembly security, didn’t quick check his card, when there are supposed to. At best this calls for more stringent checking to ensure that bonafide journalists enter. But there is no case for changing guidelines which will lead to those who are bonafide now, not to be able to the Assembly again to report.
It is important for the Speaker to initiate a dialogue with editors and other veteran journalists who have covered Assembly proceedings longer than the political age of many MLAs, to understand that these guidelines cannot be the basis of discussion and modification. They need to be withdrawn outright and a fresh set of guidelines worked on, with due deliberations and consultations with the senior stakeholders of the journalistic fraternity.
