Sakshi and Andhra Jyothi are well-established mainstream media outlets, not just websites or lesser-known dailies.
The media and society expect them to uphold certain journalistic standards, especially when reporting on sensitive issues. They should be mindful of the type of news that is highlighted on their front pages and hidden without reporting at all.
A few days ago, Sakshi Daily featured Venu Swamy's allegations against TV5 journalists on its front page, attracting criticism from a majority of readers.
Given Venu Swamy's negative public image, even those who generally support Sakshi Daily were disappointed by the perceived support for this astrologer.
Today, Sakshi published a front-page story about a prostitution scandal in the USA. The daily gave significant emphasis to this news, particularly stressing the names of the accused with the suffix "Chowdhary."
There is no clarity on whether their names actually carry this suffix, but the newspaper appeared to focus on their caste based on their surnames. This caste mention seems be the only reason for the daily to place this news on the banner.
At the same time, there was another surprising development. Andhra Jyothi did not publish this news at all, not even in the inside pages.
As a mainstream media outlet, Andhra Jyothi would typically cover such news, even if only as a brief mention. The omission is being interpreted as an attempt to avoid highlighting the issue because the accused belong to a particular caste associated with the TDP.
If the I & PR-recognized mainstream media itself becomes so overtly caste-biased, it sets a precedent for the rest of the media to follow suit.
We need to observe how these media houses might change their approach, focusing less on caste favoritism and caste animosity.
