Whether one agrees or not, it is an undeniable fact that the Telugu media in Andhra Pradesh is vertically divided based on their political affiliations.
While it is obvious that Sakshi media house is affiliated to the YSR Congress party because it is promoted by party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, the other media houses like Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy media groups, besides other electronic media like TV5 and NTV are openly supporting the Telugu Desam Party headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, though they are not promoted by the party leaders.
There is also a channel – 99TV, which promotes Jana Sena Party chief and actor Pawan Kalyan and it is confined to telecasting his party activities.
So, TDP patronises the channels which give a lot of coverage to the party programmes and slings mud at the YSR Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. That is why, they are being branded as yellow media.
While some of these yellow media houses still try to project themselves as impartial by giving at least some coverage to the rival parties, there are a couple of channels like ABN Andhra Jyothy and TV5, which do not hide their loyalty to the TDP and Naidu.
During the so-called debates, these channels openly try to run down the YSRC and BJP.
Vexed with their attitude, the YSRC on Friday issued a statement saying it is banning TV5 channel.
“This channel is blatantly promoting the TDP and its activities. Therefore, we have decided not to send any of our party leaders to attend the debates and discussions conducted by this channel. The channel has been banned to cover any of our party programmes and press meets. We want the channel management not to invite our party leaders to the debates,” the statement said.
The party has taken the decision to this effect only to expose the yellow media which is getting away with its pro-TDP programmes in the name of freedom of press.
“We have already banned ABN-Andhra Jyothy for the same reason,” the statement said.
Interestingly, the numbers of TV5 correspondents have been removed instantly from the YSRC’s WhatsApp media groups.
The TDP, too, has been adopting the same stand. Though Naidu has not banned Sakshi reporters, he will not allow them to raise any questions doing the press conferences and shouts them down!
