KSR at jagan Live show in Sakshi, kommineni makes Jagan Happy,Jagan Live show

(S.Ravi Seshu)

Kommineni Srinivasa Rao (Kommineni), one of the senior journalists in Telugu, has mastered the ‘art of living’ notwithstanding his open claims that he is a thorough professional for which the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu chased him down. After joining in Sakshi television channel, the mouthpiece of the YSR Congress party owned by the Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Kommineni became an ‘activist journalist‘ quicker than any journalist working in the channel and its sister concern newspaper.

If ‘impartiality’ is one of the qualities of ethical journalism, Kommineni went far away from it during ‘YS Jagan Live Show’ involving Non Resident Indians in Sakshi news channel on Sunday night. Being an employee of the channel, Kommineni didn’t have any option except pleasing Jagan in all possible ways but people who followed his long journalistic career felt embarrassed by the why he conducted himself in it. Kommineni called Jagan as ‘Jagan Sir’ for about 22 times during the marathon live show leaving journalistic etiquette to winds.

To start with, Kommineni used his personal blog to inform public about the programme well in advance which is meant to expose the ruling Telugu Desam Party on special status, titled: Hodaa Porulo Pravaasaandhrulu. Then he ran the live show with Jagan, perhaps first of its kind programme, by using all his journalistic capabilities at his disposal. Majority of his comments were aimed at showing his onetime political dosth Chandrababu Naidu in poor light.

He egged on Jagan all throughout giving enough hints to Jagan to fire more salvoes against the Chief Minister with a clear intention of carrying malicious propaganda against the latter. For instance, deviating from the core subject, Kommineni sought to know from Jagan whether his dad (late YS Rajasekhara Reddy) ever speak about his friendship with Chandrababu. Then Jagan said that his father had played an active role to get a ministerial berth to Chandrababu when they were in Congress. Kommineni mark sarcasm was present in the live show that provided a forum for NRIs, a group of anti-TDP and pro-YSRCP.

“It is a new phase in the journalistic life of Kommineni. A true journalist would hesitate to exhibit his allegiance to a political party or a leader but Kommineni did it with ease and aplomb. As the election is fast approaching, Sakshi channel will obviously use Kommineni’s services in many ways to pin down Chandrababu and TDP. After all,Kommineni is paid for it,” a journalist commented.