Real politics, reel hit: Tamil Nadu Assembly Live Telecast Draws Record Viewership Online | Chennai News
1.3 lakh. That was the number of views Tamil Nadu govt’s YouTube channel got on Sept 7, its highest ever. It was the day chief minister C Joseph Vijay delivered his speech lambasting the legacy of DMK.The recently concluded budget session assembly was a first in many ways. It was the first time in 59 years that a party outside the Dravidian duopoly — TVK — was at the helm. But more importantly, it was the first time in history that the assembly session was broadcast live in its entirety, which meant that for the first time, people of the state could tune into proceedings on their televisions, computers and phones.Has a film star as CM brought huge viewership to the assembly telecast? Absolutely, says Sashi Kumar, founder-chairman of Asian College of Journalism. “The man who won the election thanks to his screen presence is sitting in the assembly. Naturally, he’s the big draw.”Bringing proceedings to people’s homes also changes the relationship between voters and their representatives, say political analysts. It gives the public a ringside view of how their legislators perform, potentially creating a more politically aware electorate. Correspondingly, the recent sessions replete with singing, riffing, quarrels, hand gestures and general drama, made politics the most entertaining thing to watch.“It’s almost as if MLAs were keen to shine on reels,” says U Thilagavathi, social activist, advocate at Madras high court. “Earlier, only accredited mediapersons were privy to the goings-on in assembly. We would only get to see clips of the leaders’ speeches on TV or read about them in the newspaper the next day. We always heard only the bottomline, which issues were discussed or which bill was passed. But this time, we got to see it all,” she says. TV and YouTube channels also livestreamed the sessions, garnering tens of thousands of views. The most content-worthy moments were instantly turned into Instagram reels and YouTube shorts by IT wings of political parties as well as individual content creators. Reels of newbie MLAs blundering through speeches were circulated by the IT wings of opposition parties, while those of the ruling party mocked walkouts by the opposition. Key moments from the session became tools for parties to further their narrative and appease supporters.Televised politics — that too by lawmakers — is now occupying a large space that belonged to entertainment. “The livecast was enlightening because what is tabled hits home,” says Sashi Kumar. “It’s better than watching parliamentary proceedings because the issues raised there are large-scale and of little relevance to a bulk of the audience.”Punch dialogues and gestures notwithstanding, a layperson watching the session for the first time would have absorbed some ideas about what an MLA says in the assembly, which issues get raised and problems faced by people in various constituencies.YouTube channel The Debate Tamil put up clips from the sessions, explainers, interviews with experts clarifying political concepts. On Wednesday, they organised an in-person event where politicians and activists spoke on ‘MISA and Emergency Days’ in light of the CM mentioning them in his final speech.“To learn politics, we need to hear both sides of an issue. There were opportunities to debate the Cauvery dispute and NEET ban. But the leaders turned the assembly into a battlefield to defend egos,” says founder Manoj Savarimuthuraj. “Given that the sessions enjoy such high viewership, efforts can be taken to have healthy discussions on the issues being tabled in future sessions.”While the livecast demystified the legislative process for many, it does not guarantee genuine, sustained political engagement, says political commentator Tharasu Shyam. “It encourages spectator-style politics. Leaders are compelled to play to the gallery. While this is entertaining, no amount of reels can make up for a lack of grassroots-level political engagement,” he says. “Campus activities and engaging in social issues on the ground play a big role in cultivating political awareness among youth. The Dravidian parties failed to encourage it during their time. Hopefully, politicians will now catch on.”Top viewsSept 7 session featuring Vijay’s response to demands for grants relating to police, commercial taxes, environment and forests departments: 1.3 lakh viewsAug 5, budget presentation: 68,375 viewsAug 7, budget discussion: 65,246 viewsMay 13, confidence motion involving the council of ministers: 62,509 viewsReal or fake?Charges of spreading fake news through social media have been dogging the TVK govt. On the final day of the budget session, it was said that a woman and a member from a minority community were appointed pro tem speakers for the first time in TN history. “It is not true. Even after fact-checking and clarifying, the narrative came again from the speaker,” says Iyan Karthikeyan, former head of TN Fact Check Unit, constituted by the previous DMK govt, to identify and counter misinformation. “Manipulated narratives and disinformation are reaching the masses on a worrying scale. Efforts to take correct information to the masses must be made in parallel to the reels.”
