EVER SINCE

launched his campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill, some English language papers have been trying to run him down, not without much success, I may add. However, the petty mindedness of the editors of papers and their columnists is quite amazing and amusing.

 

It was expected that the rulers would try to scuttle the movement by planting stories against Anna and his core team, yet some papers have willingly published “scoops” – or planted stories – against Anna and his vocal supporters. Columnists have written silly articles commenting on his views of liquor consumption and so on, conveniently forgetting that the task at hand was corruption and not anything else.

It is hardly a wonder that Anna’s supporters just seem to swell, while readership of newspapers keeps dipping. It seems that some English language papers are out of touch with the people. The Indian Express, which has the tagline “Journalism of Courage” seems to have degenerated into “Journalism of Pettiness.” On December 14^th it headlined something on flouting of rules on Bhushans farmhouse. This was hardly news and seemed to be a planted story, yet the paper thought it fit to place it right as the main news of the day.

Its columnist, Tavleen Singh, has written various articles downgrading the Anna phenomenon, commenting on irrelevant aspects of his life and views. The only saving grace is that Indian Express is read by few people in libraries, and does not command the respect that it used to. Tavleen Singh is not read widely as her rantings were removed from India Today before finding space in Indian Express. It is also quite a pain to see a paper that had an anti-establishment stance earlier, now willing to wag its tail before the ruling party. Oh, what a fall has been there!

 

goes a step ahead in its petty mindedness. It puts some blogs on its websites trying to run down Anna and his supporters – trying to please the ruling party no doubt. The blogs stay on the site for a few hours and then vanish, maybe they are ashamed of their own writing. One such blog said that the writer was not Anna and went on a harangue against Anna Hazare. The writer seemed to have forgotten that no one forced him to become Anna. As far as I can see, people are donning those caps out of their own free will.

 

I wonder what English language journalists have against someone who wants to fight corruption. I mean, we all complain, but do not do anything about it. Here is a man who is taking up the fight on our behalf. So how does it matter what his other views are, as long as he can get the politicians to listen?

Now that most of the points of the Jan Lokpal are being accepted by the politicians, it would trouble these journalists no end why this is happening.

The English press is displaying its frustrations. When

was a rising star, an English language publication blacked him out, but that did not prevent Bachchan to become a mega star. In doing so, the press displayed its own irrelevance. Once again, the English press and its columnists are displaying their irrelevance.