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Media has a message
Photos Page
 Major
journalist organisations in Tamil Nadu have resolved to observe a day-long fast
November 9 in Chepauk, Chennai, as a gesture of protest against the Assembly
awarding 15 days' simple imprisonment to the editor, executive editor,
publisher, chief of bureau and special correspondent of 'The Hindu' and the
editor of 'Murasoli', S Selvam.
From the level of veteran
journalist to cub journalist, everyone came together at Chennai Press Club to
express their support to the editors/journalists against whom the House had
ordered simple imprisonment.
Speaking at the meeting,
veteran journalist and editor of the magazine 'Thuglak', Cho Ramaswamy,
described the order of the House as sheer arrogance and high-handedness. He
began and concluded his speech by saying, 'Vinasakaale Vibareedhabuddhi'
(loosely translated as digging your own grave).
"I can't understand how
they thought this will go with any section of the people," he said, adding
that even the reference to the privileges committee regarding the news item
written by special correspondent Radha Venkatesan was wrong and mala fide.
On the alleged abusive words
used against Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he said he didn't find anything
abusive in the article. He added that the editorial was written in a balanced
manner.
Cho said Speaker K Kalimuthu
may not have had the punishment in his mind and it could have been the Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa. "After all, they are the all pawns in Jayalalithaa's
hands," he quipped.
He pleaded that all the
newspapers and magazines carry the impugned Hindu editorial, which had made the
House award simple imprisonment, in their next issue, as a challenge to
Jayalalithaa.
N Ram, editor-in-chief of 'The
Hindu', said he was confident that they would be able to solve the problem. He
hinted at taking at taking the legal recourse but refused to divulge the
details. "But all this will happen immediately."
He said he was personally
annoyed over the police personnel entering the office yesterday and delaying the
edition. He said he would take up the matter legally.
 President
of the Madras Union of Journalists Bhagwan Singh charged the government with
bringing the breach of privilege issue in the Assembly at the fag-end of the
House proceedings even while it was not included in the agenda.
'The New Indian Express' chief
of news bureau T N Gopalan said journalists should be ready for mass arrest at
any time because it only would create an impact on the government and check its
aggressiveness.
S Chitra, general secretary,
Network of Women (NOW) in Media, Chennai, expressed concern over the way women
were being interrogated and added that awareness should be created to resolve
the logjam between the press and the legislature.
The meeting adopted another
resolution to file an intervention petition along with the petition to be filed
by 'The Hindu' and P Chidambaram would represent the journalists.
It was also resolved that if
the six journalists were arrested, members of all journalist unions will also
court arrest.
The meeting asked the reporters
to plead with their editors to give permission not to cover the Assembly
proceedings if 'The Hindu' and 'Murasoli' were not allowed to do so.
The House yesterday awarded 15
days' simple imprisonment to the editor, executive editor, publisher, chief of
bureau and special correspondent of 'The Hindu' on a charge of breach of
privilege and "gross contempt" of the House through an editorial in
April.
A Alimudeen
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