Chennai News Channels Chased, Harassed And Morally Policed Women Leaving Pub (image: Unsplash)
The sexist reporting and moral policing by Tamil News Channels, especially Thanthi TV, and Polimer TV, towards women in Chennai pub evoked huge criticism. On Sunday, due to Cricket World Cup Final, a pub in Chennai”s Turn Bulls Road surpassed the authorised curfew and continued to remain open past midnight. Thereupon, the police arrived at the place, and compelled them to close it. The Tamil news channels including Thanthi TV and Polimer TV chased the women who were at the pub, and their coverage was identified with misogynistic comments featuring women”s clothes, and also they alludes that women”s conversations with the men at the bar were sexual in nature. The news channel”s video clippings from the pub were concentrated on women, questioning their costumes, and attempting to get close shots of their faces and bodies, even though they expressed displeasure.
As per the reports from Police, the place was operating beyond 11.30 pm on Sunday. “Upon receiving a complaint at around midnight, we reached the pub. They didn’t open the door for ten minutes. Later the place was cleared and a report was filed in the J1 Saidapet police station,” The News Minute reports as a police official confirmed. The news channels including Sun TV, Jaya TV, Thanthi TV and many others were present at the vicinity when the probe happened.
The reporting of the incident created huge furor on the social media, questioning why the women on the pub being targeted, shamed, and viewed as a criminal offence for the actions of the management. Thanthi TV has been seen following the women, trying to capture in their close-ups and reveal their identities, The News Minute reports. The channels” moral policing extends to adding extremely sexist captions and terms belittling and disrespecting women, it added.
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada reacts to the incident and wrote on social media platform X, “Thanthi TV’s employees going after women doing nothing except – have some alcohol – as if they were busting some group of rapists showcases everything that is wrong with society today.”
Thanthi TV’s employees going after women doing nothing except – have some alcohol – as if they were busting some group of rapists showcases everything that is wrong with society today.
The problem is that the pub was open beyond specified hours – but the owner of the pub, nor… https://t.co/dq3XGrFuzT
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) November 20, 2023
Similarly, slamming Thanthi TV, a user named @ArunGovindan5 wrote on X: “Shame on you Thanthi TV! Rather than shaming the administration and law enforcement, you are shaming those who are there! Grow up and if you have spine, question the people who are at fault!”
Shame on you Thanthi TV! Rather than shaming the administration and law enforcement, you are shaming those who are there! Grow up and if you have spine, question the people who are at fault!
Isnt it moral policing you are doing?! @ashokhavarshini
— Arun Govindan (@ArunGovindan5) November 20, 2023
Though the critism was focused on Thanthi TV, Polimer TV also aired similar content with captions targeting women.
(With Inputs from The News Minute)
