No conflict between legislature, media: K'taka Speaker on self-regulation panel

Bengaluru: Karnataka assembly Speaker K B Koliwad today said the house forming a panel to suggest steps for "self-regulation" by newspapers and TV channels does not imply any conflict between the legislature and the media.

To frame the self-regulation norms for the media, the joint House committee would debate the issue thoroughly within itself as well as with the mediapersons, said Koliwad who announced about the formation of panel on Monday.

The panel was formed after the MLAs of all parties, in a assembly debate on March 22, accused the media of often filing derogatory reports against the legislators and tarnishing their image.

"Definitely no confrontation," the Speaker told PTI.

Asked if there would be any rethinking on going ahead with the committee following media's criticism of the move, he said it is the House which has constituted the panel.

"It has been done by the House, not by me. The House is more powerful than me. I am only a product of the House.

"The committee will come out with conclusions on self-regulation (for the media)," he said.

He said the committee is likely to hold its first sitting after the April 8 bypolls to Gundlupete and Nanjanagudu assembly constituencies in the state.

The opposition BJP leader in the assembly Jagadish Shettar too said there is no confrontation with the media.

"Why do you consider it is a confrontation?" he said adding there is a need to take corrective steps in all areas, be it the politics or the media.

Maintaining that there is no move by the BJP to boycott the committee, he said no instruction has been issued to its two members on the panel to stay away from it.

"We will see what the committee comes out with," he said.

The BJP's concern is that there should be no infringement on the freedom of speech and expression and that of the media.

The formation of 13-member panel, comprising 10 MLAs and three MLCs, headed by Health and Family Welfare Minister K R Ramesh Kumar, was announced in the assembly on March 28, days after the legislators of all parties criticised media.

The assembly earlier on March 22 had debated the role of media alleging that the reports put out and telecast by the press often happen to be "derogatory" to MLAs and tarnish their image, with some MLAs even recounting their "bitter" personal experience with the media.

Almost all the MLAs who participated in the March 22 debate have been appointed as members of the committee.