Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Thursday called for an "objective and impartial" reporting by the media.
The role of electronic media in reporting Anna Hazare's agitation came in for sharp criticism at the meeting of Congress MPs Thursday in which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee briefed them on the issue.
Party MP Prabha Thakur and party Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Seesram Ola spoke about the role of the media suggesting that some TV channels were "slanted" in their reporting and projected a "distorted" picture, party sources said.
"Many MPs were upset with the media reporting, especially of the electronic media, about the event. They were also critical of the government's over-all handling of the media," party sources said.
Speaking separately, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Thursday called for an "objective and impartial" reporting by the media.
"I appeal to the media to try and realise its strength. If this strength is misused or utilised in propagating only one-sided views, then the nation may suffer," Soni told reporters outside Parliament.
Soni said, "The media is free and it should act responsibly to convey and create a level-playing field. It is the duty of the media to be objective and impartial."
"The UPA government and Manmohan Singh are the liberal face of Indian democracy... None of us wants to go against any provision of the Constitution. The media enjoys full rights but that should not mean that you don't remain objective."
"It should definitely not mean that you associate with one point of view and ignore another point of view. And it should definitely not mean that you should not lay a level-playing field," she said adding, "When the media takes sides, every MP has anger towards it."
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