LIFESTYLE
News channel TV9’s report on homosexuals in Hyderabad raises serious questions on sting operations — since when did ‘exposing’ private lives, ones without corrupt or criminal connections, become justifiable?
News channel TV9’s report on homosexuals in Hyderabad raises serious questions on sting operations — since when did ‘exposing’ private lives, ones without corrupt or criminal connections, become justifiable?
After Tv9 ‘revealed’ that it was largely software professionals and students who ‘fell prey to this gay culture’, social networking sites expressed disgust. Many members put TV9’s logo as their profile pictures, dared the channel to “Put me on TV too!” Youtube received such overwhelming response that it removed the offensive video from their site.
Siddharath Narrain of Alternate Law Forum says, “The law on right to privacy is weak. But there are court rulings on sting operations that state that certain rules and ethics must be followed, that no false information must be printed and that there should be some recognisable public interest. What public interest did this ‘sting’ serve?”
Aditya Bondyopadhyay, advocate and director, Adhikaar, a Delhi-based organisation that works for LGBT human rights, sent a notice to the channel, demanding that an apology be aired. “This seems to be a jihad of sorts, as if they’re trying to ‘correct’ wrongs in society.”
On Friday, Mumbai’s LGBT community with members of the Humsafar Trust went to TV9’s office with banners and white roses.
Sonal Giani, the trust’s advocacy officer says she was taken aback when the editor, Srinivasan Reddy, called the telecast an ‘accident’. “He said two parents called them up claiming two boys were ‘luring their sons into these practices’,” says Giani. “They didn’t apologise or appear regretful,” she adds.
In Bangalore, citizens have started a signature campaign and will hold a silent protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue on Monday.
Homophobia amongst some media houses isn’t new. In 2007, a private gay party was raided in Thane after an India TV reporter tipped off the police. More recently, in Saharanpur there was a similar incident where the LGBT community was harassed. TV9 aired the story in Bangalore on Thursday, and highlighted the issue of sex in public. Narrain says the News Broadcast Association (NBA) has clear guidelines on privacy and sting operations and the channels — TV9 and News9 — have become members just six months ago.
L Romal M Singh, a journalist and gay rights activist who worked with TV9 in Bangalore, said he is appalled, “It is a poorly researched, negative story. TV9 fancies itself to a pseudo-watchdog. It just went about naming and shaming people.”
Bondyopadhyay emphasised on the channel’s insensitivity to garner high TRP’s. “TV9 didn’t speak to anyone from the community. Telecasts like this entice violence. It is ironical that a media house wants to play that role for higher TRPs.” He feels the damage is done, and it’s important that TV9 accepts and airs an apology. “If they do not respond by March 3…we’ll take the matter ahead.”
The only positive thing, says Bondyopadhyay is that this was the visible uproar from the community. A few years ago, TV9 placed spycams in public toilets to ‘show what gays are up to’. But the community was too scared to oppose it. Since homosexuality has been decriminalised, the community is making their anger known to all the right people.”
With inputs from Kareena N Gianani, Mumbai
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details