Congress spokesperson seeks civility in TV debates, writes to I&B minister

In a letter sent to information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, Jaiveer Shergill said it is imperative to restore civility through a code of conduct to “tame the slanderous beast” that television debates have become.

A day after Congress leader Rajiv Tyagi died of a heart attack after participating in a heated TV debate, his party colleague Jaiveer Shergill on Thursday asked the information and broadcasting ministry to restore “civility” in talk shows and issue an advisory to enforce a code of conduct for news channels.

“Constant interruptions coupled with toxic and defamatory smears impact the mental and physical well-being of all individuals on the panel,” Jaiveer Shergill wrote.

In a letter sent to information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, Shergill said it is imperative to restore civility through a code of conduct to “tame the slanderous beast” that television debates have become.

“Constant interruptions coupled with toxic and defamatory smears impact the mental and physical well-being of all individuals on the panel,” he wrote.

Shergill said issuing an advisory to media houses to follow the News Broadcasting Standards Authority’s (NBSA) guidelines to ensure mere civility is a must, and will serve as an appropriate tribute to Tyagi.

Tagging his letter, Shergill tweeted, “My letter to I&B Minister Shri Prakash Javdekar Ji requesting him to issue an advisory to media to enforce a code of conduct to curb slanderous, sensationalist and toxic TV debates.”

 

Tyagi’s death has triggered a debate within the Congress over the participation of its spokespersons in TV debates.

A Congress leader said while the party has not yet made a decision on boycotting TV debates, there are voices against the move.

“It is high time TV channel owners, editors and anchors introspect on how some in the industry have reduced news debates into a meaningless, poisonous and potentially fatal activity. At times words can have the same impact as bullets,” tweeted senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

The party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the alleged “poisonous debate and venomous spokespersons” and the “TRP business” on news channels.

“How long will the poison of Hindu-Muslim division continue to engulf the soul of this country?” he asked.

Congress leader Manish Tewari also took to Twitter to hit out at the alleged race for “TRP” among news channels. “Sad demise of Rajiv Tyagi reflects extreme stress spokespersons of political parties work under pro-bono. Some get Covid-19 due to stress induced lowered immunity, others just die while TV channels generate TRPs/revenue at their expense with some anchors becoming channel owners,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma shared the concerns expressed by Shergill over the alleged “damage done by competitive sensationalism” in the media.

“The brazen violation of NBA (News Broadcasters Association) guidelines and code need honest reflection and course correction,” he tweeted.

Another Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor, said the issue raised by Shergill requires serious consideration, with due regard to freedom of expression and Article 19 provisions, as well as existing guidelines for conduct.

“Since the subject is currently under discussion in the parliamentary committee, I will seek a report from the ministry,” he added.