Hours after facing a 48-hour ban from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for their coverage of Delhi riots, Malayalam news channel MediaOne reacted to the move by the government.
“The I and B Ministry’s ban on MediaOne TV for 48 hours is unfortunate and condemnable. This is a blatant attack against free and fair journalism,” read a statement by CL Thomas, MediaOne’s editor-in-chief.
On Saturday, the Ministry issued a 48-hour ban against Malayalam channels MediaOne and Asianet, alleging that their coverage of Delhi riots was ‘biased’ and ‘sided with a particular community’.
“The Ministry’s decision to suspend the telecast from March 6, 7:30 pm to March 8, 7:30 pm is for criticising RSS and the Delhi police. The order also states that MediaOne had referred to hate speeches by Kapil Mishra, BJP leader in Delhi, as a reason for igniting violence in Delhi,” the statement further read.
The letter also vowed to fight the I&B Ministry’s action legally. “MediaOne will legally fight against the unprecedented and undemocratic action imposed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.”
Calling it a black day for freedom of press, several independent journalists and associations condemned the government ban on the two Malayalam channels.
Political leaders such as Oommen Chandy also reacted on social media to the news.
“The fourth estate is the pillar of democracy and attempts to suppress the media by the government is extremely worrying. Banning Malayalam news channels, Asianet and Media One is an affront on the democratic rights of the media. I join all democratic minded citizens in strongly condemning such attempts to muzzle the media by the government,” he wrote.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and several others from the political spectrum too raised their voice against the ban.
Opposition leader of Kerala Ramesh Chennithala slams the decision of the I&B ministry to ban @asianetnewstv and @MediaOneTVLive for 48 hours. Asks if there is an emergency in the country? He also demands the revocation of the govt order. #Kerala #MediaGag #PressFreedom pic.twitter.com/wgCMneZ06H
— Shilpa Nair (@NairShilpa1308) March 6, 2020