Eminent academicians today rued "biased coverage and lack of depth" by a section of mainstream media in covering election-related stories.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled 'Media and elections: Manufacturing Consent' historian Mukul Kesavan said "media coverage in the run upto general elections lacks information. In TV journalism, there is a vast amount of unsourced discussion."
The other panelists included JNU professor Sudha Pai, political scientist Zoya Hasan and journalist Vidya Subramanium.
"Some section of the media has not challenged BJP's focus on development and growth as also Hindutva. A number of TV channels have repeated the perversion of this wasted decade of UPA," said Hasan.
She also said that in the media coverage of upcoming elections the focus remains on independent presidential style of elections.
"Some sections of the media are manufacturing dissent against the government and then manufacturing consent," she said.
On this occasion, TV journalist Anubha Bhonsle was conferred the Chameli Devi Jain Award for 2013. Veteran journalists B G Verghese and Sevanti Ninan gave away the award.
"The award was conferred on Bhonsle for her coverage of the aftermath of the Muzaffarnagar riots, the havoc caused by the Uttarakhand cloudburst and the "callous" response of the authorities to the plight of the children suffering from encephalitis in eastern UP," said Verghese, the Chairman Emeritus of The Media Foundation.
