Self-praise that savagely stretches credulity isn’t at all rare in news TV. I remember, because it’s hard to forget, that after 26/11 CNN-IBN recycled a story strangely christened ‘Water Rats’, and showcased that humdrum reportage on lax coastal security as journalism of supreme and sublime relevance. Why? Because Kasab and Co. had slipped in via the sea.

What slipped into public space as gay rights were debated — my second observation — was remarkable. The gentleman on Times Now who identified himself as a church representative said children from broken or one-parent homes are likely to become homosexuals but that counseling can cure them. Wow! The gentleman from Delhi Minorities’ Commission who was also on the panel said while gays should be not be criminally prosecuted they certainly cannot be accepted. A lady who was with the National Women’s Commission during NDA rule said on Headlines Today that she apprehended ‘the youth’ getting wrong signals.

Be a social/religious conservative by all means. But don’t cross lines, at least in public debates. In the next round of the same debate — there will be more rounds, for sure — news TV needs to give a little harder time to those who assume that saying any old thing about sexual minorities is a fair game.

Gay or straight, socially conservative or liberal, you may have been puzzled by some aspects of news TV’s pre-budget momentum-building. A lady on one of NDTV’s pre-budget shows said Pranab Mukherjee must bring down prices of air conditioners and essential commodities. On CNN-IBN, the interviewees-on-the-street were handed a Pranab mask on stick — hold it in front of your face while demanding the budget meets your urgent demands. CNBC is waiting for what it calls the Big B.

... contd.