నమ్మిన విలువల కోసం రామోజీ కట్టుబడ్డారు: ఎన్ రామ్
Famous journalist N Ram Comments in Ramoji Rao Memorial Programme: రామోజీరావు నమ్మిన విలువల కోసం కట్టుబడేవారని ప్రముఖ పాత్రికేయుడు, హిందూ పత్రిక మాజీ ఎడిటర్ ఎన్. రామ్ అన్నారు. అంతే కాకుండా ఆయన ఎప్పుడూ ఇన్వెస్టిగేషన్ జర్నలిజాన్ని నమ్మేవారని తెలిపారు. విజయవాడలో నిర్వహిస్తున్న రామోజీ సంస్మరణ సభకు వచ్చిన ఆయన రామోజీతో ఉన్న అనుబంధాన్ని పంచుకున్నారు.
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00:00In July 1988, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced the defamation bill 1988.
00:08It was an amendment proposed to the law of criminal defamation that had more draconian
00:14provisions than the existing law.
00:17These provisions were specifically targeted at investigative journalists and the media
00:23organizations they worked for, the newspapers they worked for.
00:28So much responsibility for seeing the protest movement through, vested with the Editors
00:34Guild of India, which then, as now, had its work cut out.
00:38I worked closely with Sri Ramuji Rao during this inspiring movement and was deeply impressed
00:46by his leadership qualities, firmness and steadfastness on the principles at stake,
00:52clarity on the goal to be achieved, and that goal was unconditional withdrawal of the defamation
00:58bill, but also wise diplomacy in allowing the government to save face.
01:05That was precisely what happened.
01:07The leadership of the movement and the lakhs of journalists involved stood firm.
01:12And to the credit of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, when he realized what he was up against,
01:17he summoned an emergency cabinet meeting where he announced that the defamation bill would
01:22be withdrawn immediately.
01:24He also signed a press release stating that a free press is an integral part of the inner
01:30strength and dynamism of our democracy.
01:33I remember even now Sri Ramuji Rao's quiet and complete satisfaction over the goal achieved,
01:40but no sense of triumphalism, not in the least.
01:44Robin Jeffrey, the Australian political scientist, in his book, India's Newspaper Revolution,
01:50has a lot to say about the pioneering qualities of Sri Ramuji Rao and ENAD, its marketing
01:58methods, its bringing out district editions, covering local news close to the people, its
02:04pursuit of credibility and serving up interesting stories that were important.
02:11But this, I think, was a transformative contribution to India's Indian language newspapers and
02:20subsequently as everybody knows, he went into television, ETV, but what stood out was
02:26a clear vision that newspapers had every right to take political positions, but they must
02:33remain independent from government pressure and assault.
02:37And whatever assaults came his way, we know what happened earlier and more recently towards
02:44the end of his life, he stood brave, basically saying that, let them take away everything,
02:52I'm willing to face it, but I will not give up these principles and the stand that I have
02:58taken.
02:59And that is something that is rare today in Indian journalism.
03:02He stood for an independent and upstanding press and media and news media.
03:09He believed in the credible information function of journalism.
03:12He believed in its critical investigative function.
03:16He believed in its educational function and it also contributed to setting a good agenda.
03:22That's what he believed in.
03:23And I particularly look forward to the veteran political leader, Chief Minister Chandrababu
03:30Naidu, for supporting that he will support this and wherever the press or the media or
03:38journalists come under attack from, for example, from anti-terrorism laws or laws claiming
03:44to protect national security, he will stand up and support, he will support this cause.
03:51I think he believes in it and we are hopeful on that note.