Don't muzzle media: Lok Satta

Lok Satta Party State Working President D. V. V. S. Varma today warned against attempts to muzzle the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

Addressing a media conference, Mr. Varma referred to Press Council Chairman's comments against media and the Bombay High Court imposing a penalty of Rs.100 crore on a TV news channel for an inadvertent error and said they did not augur well for media freedom.

He conceded that there might have been deficiencies in the functioning of certain sections of the media. That is, however, no reason to control or regulate them.

The media should make concerted efforts to improve its credibility while the concerned authorities should focus on a dialogue to arrest undesirable trends in the media.