THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 23, 2018 - Topic 1
Any which way one looks at the Puthiya Thalaimurai case, one
conclusion is inescapable: it is a direct attack on press freedom. That the
Tamil Nadu government could have slapped a case against the Tamil news channel
under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (pertaining to promoting enmity
between groups), and other sections of the law, would be laughable if it wasn’t
so unspeakably appalling. The cause for the action was certain remarks made by
a couple of the TV channel’s guests who had participated in a roundtable
discussion on current affairs before an invited audience.
Although it was a right-wing
section of the audience that was disruptive, first information reports (FIRs)
were filed against the two guests — who, from all accounts, said nothing that
was inflammatory — as well as the reporter and management of Puthiya
Thalaimurai. All the more shocking is the fact that this was done even before
the roundtable discussion on the role of protests was aired. Any debate in
Tamil Nadu on whether protests such as the protracted and heated anti-Sterlite
agitation are politicised is bound to evoke radically divergent views. But it
is extraordinary that people have been booked for either hosting such a debate
or merely expressing their views in it.
If proof was needed that the Tamil Nadu government was
acting in a vindictive way, it was provided by another, and even more
insidious, attempt to intimidate Puthiya Thalaimurai. On the State
government-owned distribution network, the Arasu Cable TV Corporation, the news
channel was suddenly pushed from the 124th to the 499th slot, removed in some
places from the Tamil cluster of channels and regrouped with those in other
languages. As for those subscribers who are linked to Arasu via analogue, the
channel has become simply unavailable in many areas. Around 60% of the 1.5
crore homes that have cable television are serviced by Arasu, which was set up
to link homes to television through multi-system operators and local cable
operators at an affordable cost. As Arasu has grown in influence, private
players no longer enjoy the patronage that they did earlier. Lately, there have
been apprehensions that the State government is using its domination of the
distribution space to bring news coverage by TV channels in line. There have
been allegations that access to a couple of other news channels were disrupted
as well; some have found themselves pushed back in the slots allotted by the
Arasu network. This is why many in the media have been led to believe that the
rationale or purpose for coming down on Puthiya Thalaimurai with such a heavy
hand is to send a larger message to the rest of the media. The only way the
Tamil Nadu government can prove they are wrong is by withdrawing the FIRs
registered in this case.
Vocabulary
Inescapable: unable
to be avoided or denied.
Example: Sometimes,
our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in
our lives.
Synonyms: unavoidable, inevitable, unpreventable, ineluctable, inexorable
Slap: hit
someone or something with the palm of one's hand or a flat object.
Example: My
sister slapped my face
Synonyms: hit, strike, smack, clout, cuff, thump, punch, spank, whack, thwack
Enmity: the
state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Example: Enmity
between Protestants and Catholics
Synonyms: hostility, animosity, antagonism, friction, antipathy, animus, acrimony
Participate: take
part.
Example: Thousands
participated in a nationwide strike
Synonyms: take
part in, engage in, join in, get involved in, share
in, play a part/role in
Disruptive: causing
or tending to cause disruption.
Example: Disruptive
and delinquent children
Synonyms: troublesome, unruly,
rowdy, disorderly, undisciplined
Protracted: lasting
for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
Example: A
protracted and bitter dispute
Synonyms: prolonged, long-lasting, extended, long-drawn-out, dragged
out
Divergent: tending
to be different or develop in different directions.
Example: Divergent
interpretations
Synonyms: differing, varying, different, dissimilar, unalike, disparate, contrasting
Cluster: a
group of similar things or people positioned or occurring closely together.
Example: Clusters
of creamy-white flowers
Synonyms: bunch, clump, mass, knot, group, clutch, bundle, truss
Affordable: reasonably
priced.
Example: Affordable
housing
Allegation: a
claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically
one made without proof.
Example: He
made allegations of corruption against the administration
Synonyms: claim, assertion, charge, accusation, declaration, statement, contention
