India's Worst Journalists - 2012

The previous edition of India’s Worst Journalist in 2010 on this site still remains one of the most popular posts and also a very widely reproduced one. Over the last decade or so our journalists have come to be held in the same contempt that is usually reserved for politicians. Many of them have simply forgotten the art and science of the profession and this is a serious tragedy for aspiring journalists. How they came to such a pass is a long story. The most prominent ones are not even journalists anymore; they are ‘Editorialists’ whose main job is to swing public opinion one way or another. Add to this the epidemic of ‘paidnews’ and some of our news channels and newspapers would be nothing more than Bollywood or Commercials. After all, didn’t the late Christopher Hitchens say: “I became a journalist because one didn’t have to specialise”.

Some prominent faces from the 2010 roll of honour have dropped out. Vinod Mehta has retired from active journalism and remains Chairman of Outlook. We wish him well. Suzy Roy has moved from part-time lie-mongering to full-time Maoist-Hurriyat sympathiser. ‘Pastiwalas’ are over-joyed at the ever growing size and weight of her 50+ page essays – they’re the only ones handling them now. Prannoy Roy was also dropped. He is now more into barbeque chats than any serious attempts at journalism. Even elections don’t arouse him. But there are some new faces with the old ones. Polling for IWJ ended today and thanks to all those who voted. So here are the winners from the poll, the list ofIndia’s Worst Journalists-2012 from the poll results. Their 2010 ranking is indicated after their name:

Large & Larger..

10. Nidhi Razdan, NDTV (New entry): She has come to prominence more for many reasons other than journalistic skills. ‘Left, right, centre’ is her signature programme and happens to be one of those mindless debates on every topic under the sun. She is proof that you can be an expert on everything with specialisation in nothing. The best part of Nidhi? Now, don’t get me wrong, she likes everything large. Whenever confounded by a brilliant argument or point by a panellist she quickly jumps to her favourite line “let’s look at the LARGER picture”. One would have thought that debates are meant to look at the finer small details. No, not with Nidhi, the larger picture is a convenient exit. Training from NDTV helps. My prediction for this debutant is that she is likely to go higher up in the list in the future.

Friendly five member

9. Kumar Ketkar (New entry): Somewhere a brief bio about Ketkar says “He started his life as an active communist worker of the Lal Nishan Paksh (Red flag party)”. Now why is that not so surprising? And that also explains Ketkar somewhat. He is also reported to be a former speech writer during elections for Congress members. Isn’t that an accomplishment any journalist would be proud of? He has been mostly a Marathi journalist and last heard he is editor of Divya Marathi. A respected veteran, he was one of the privileged Five invited to a private press meet of PM Manmohan Singh around June 2011. Ever since, it has been downhill. He achieved his right to be on this list through his performances as a panellist. What can I say? I hope being a veteran he doesn’t appear here in the future.

Your Banal

8. Arnab Goswami, TimesNow (2010 #3): There can be no denying that Arnab is one of the rare patriots among journalists. Almost every one wishes our judiciary could be as quick and decisive as Arnab is. Which is the reason I conferred him the title ‘Justice Arnab’. His performance on TimesNow has definitely battered ratings of NDTV and CNN-IBN. Pick up any scam, any scandal Arnab can throw the documents at you. IB, RAW, GOI have no escape – all documents and papers have to pass through Arnab. Sometime back I remarked: Most of us wake up in the morning and want Coffee or Tea! Not Arnab, he just wants ‘answers’. Such are the never-ending questions he has. Much before Arnab became a journalist the rock band U2 wrote a song for him – “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. They were the only ones to anticipate all the unanswered questions he’d come up with. Undeniable fact is that Arnab has dropped from #3 in 2010 to #8 in 2012 on this list. That is proof of his ever-growing popularity. He can out-shout anyone in this world. Anyone, except Meenakshi Lekhi and Smriti Irani.

Fine WhINES

7. Vir Sanghvi (2010 #9): I honestly don’t have any idea whatsoever what Sanghvi currently does. I don’t even see him on any Cookery or Foodie show. He must be doing something to merit an appearance on this list again, at a higher position even. Radiagate has damaged him far more than any other journalist, which is unfortunate. He managed to surface sometime back on his home channel NDTV claiming the Radia tapes were doctored and weren’t authentic and were tested by reliable foreign forensic labs. Nobody bought that though. Sometimes, a wayward journalist, at his peak, forgets simple decency. Sanghvi will forever be haunted with two things: Radiagate and the fact that he called Narendra Modi a ‘mass-murderer’. He will regret both episodes. Had it not been for Modi ignoring his stupid outburst Vir Sanghvi would have been in prison writing a cookery book or his autobiography titled “Fine Whines!”.

No facts, please

6. Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism. One can say he has improved a bit but still retains the unwanted scowl and growl when interviewing people. Madhu Trehan in herNewsLaundry interview showed up KT for the little puppy he was. Like the ones who just need a hug and a cuddle once in a while. And if you thought you knew nothing about KT, never mind. All you have to do is hear his signature line on his promo for his show on CNN-IBN: “I don’t want to go into the facts, the facts are disputed”. LOL! Facts are disputed? You have to undo a lot of learning to understand that facts aren’t facts and can be disputed. The worst job KT did in 2011 was massaging Kapil Sibal’s brazen attempt at pre-screening content on the internet. As if that wasn’t enough he pulled out Brajesh Mishra, former NSA, out of nowhere to call serving army chief, Gen. VKSingh, the worst ever chief of army in history. My prediction: As long as he is in the business, KT will be on this list.

Where’s the smirk?

5. Vinod Sharma (New entry): For those who don’t know, Vinod Sharma is the political editor of Hindustan Times. That’s right, ‘Political’ is the key word – less of an editor and more of a politician. It’s not very hard to recognise VS on a friendly channel. He has made the ‘smirk’ more popular than child-molester DGP Rathore on television. Sharma has also been acknowledged by many political spokespersons and viewers as the most loyal spokesperson of the Congress party. No matter what the scam or what the scandal you can expect him to staunchly defend even the worst misdeeds of the Congress by blaming it on the opposition or anyone else he can lay his hands on. The one chance to get him off TV for longer periods was a Rajya Sabha ticket, when Shobana Bhartiya, his boss at HT exited, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. So we’re going to be stuck with VS for quite a while. His best moment in recent times was during the debate over Gen. VK Singh and the Tatra trucks scam. He was angry that the debate was going one way (in favour of Gen. Singh) so had to somehow twist it against the tide. In his business time VS writes a blog titled ‘Separated at birth’. I guess that refers to some Pakistani connection or maybe his journalistic independence was separated at birth. Someday we’ll find out.

He's no Egghead

4. Shekhar Gupta (2010 #10): When he appeared on the last list, a fan of Gupta wrote in stating he will email my post to SG for his response. I was wondering whether that fan objected to SG being at #10 and wanted him to be lower on the list. I guess that fan’s prayers are answered. SG has sunk further in the rankings and his Indian Express is almost on doles from the govt. His senseless programme ‘Walk the talk’ , the equivalent of ‘Koffee with Karan’ or ‘On the couch with Koel’, continues on NDTV but what sunk SG the most is his misadventure with an article on Army troop movements. In his quest to please SG’s UPA, this SG splashed a headline in IE that nearly implied the army, led by Gen.VK Singh, may have dreamt of a coup. Worse, there have been reports that the troop movement story was stale and SG’s version was actually a plant by a union minister. SG laid an egg alright but ended up with more on his face. He will forever be credited with reducing a fiercely independent newspaper like IE to a mouthpiece of a political party. His permanent place on this list is forever assured. 

I washed my hands in the Hammam

3. Rajdeep Sardesai (2010 #6): Hmmm! The guy is making progress alright. I have always maintained there are two Rajdeeps – One on TV and one off it. Whenever he is off TV his conscience strikes and one can hear a sane person, sometimes profound, sometimes emotional. But his character loses focus in front of the camera. Recently, he lamented on Twitter about being abused as a’Muslim whore and a Motherf$#!#*’. Bad, but the kind of abuse of journalistic ethics that Rajdeep has frequently allowed under his watch is far more serious. He has even given the media the right to ‘conduct hearings’ against personalities. While he wonders about ‘image makeovers’ for others, there is no way he can ever get past the Cash4Votes bungling or the terribly biased reporting on Gujarat riots. His 2007 conduct of an HT Summit which featured a key speaker reflects a character of pathetically low moral values and journalistic ethics. And to top that he defended the tainted Radiagate journalists and was rightly ‘slapped’ by his own community. Death of decent journalism owes a small debt to him. He has rightly earned the nick name ‘Hammamboy’!

If it's Friday, it must be...

2. Sagarika Ghose (2010 #2): Ms. Cacofonixstays where she was: at No.2. You can’t fault Sagarika for not trying hard enough to be India’s worst journalist. She has made every effort in the recent past to get to #1. Journalism gives her a bad name. For her truly pathetic and fraudulent ‘live’ show with SriSri she would have been sacked from any TV channel in the world. That in itself is a reflection of the ethics and morals practiced at CNN-IBN by her and her boss Rajdeep Sardesai. You can imagine the skulduggery behind all other programmes and debates. And if that wasn’t enough she misses no chance to prove she is a ‘journalistic bimbo’ by mindless tweets on the social network. Be it about ‘ugly Indian males’, or Orange being a colour in our national flag or sending out a Good Friday greeting and withdrawing it she is truly the court-jester of Indian journalism. What can I say? Better luck next time!

Me, Myself & I

1. Barkha Dutt (2010 #1): For the second time in a row Barkha retains her position as India’s worst journalist in the poll, by a whopping margin. The only road to redemption is apologising for past blunders. While she and another one have been vocal in demanding apologies and expressions of remorse from public figures the same standard doesn’t seem to apply to her. No matter what she does the taint of Radiagate and many other indiscretions are unlikely to disappear. The accusations of causing deaths in Kargil or in 26/11 are also going to linger.  She is probably the only news celeb on TV that has a ‘wardrobe sponsor’. All the image makeovers may not help much. Most of us have held Rahul Gandhi for the Congress’ UP election disaster but Barkha and NDTV must be credited with the disaster too. No one has singularly promoted RG and his cause and almost turned him into India’s saviour till the engine got derailed. Her penchant for Pakistani politics and politicians is another thing that disgusts many viewers. In the meantime her language keeps getting better and better. In a recent tweet she responded to sarcasm with: “… ‘Nazi Dogs’ .. if ever language betrayed desperation of loser, it is here…” Losers or not, with over 70% of the votes polled, Barkha is the absolute winner here. Cheers!

So there you are. Let’s also not forget that are many journalists who now increasingly seem to be anti-nationals. Their ties to Ghulam Nabi Fai aren’t even being investigated by the govt. Industry leaders usually raise the standards of performance of the industry as a whole. The opposite seems to be true in the media. Systematically, many of India’s journalists have brought the profession to rock bottom over the years. I continue to maintain, they are the greatest threat to our democracy.

By the kind courtesy of
http://www.mediacrooks.com/2012/04/indias-worst-journalists-2012.html

The views expressed and Information provided by the author is his own and left to public to judge and rationalise for themselves.

Is Indian Media Saleable/Sold : The jingle of coins Between the lines ~

by Kuldip Nayar

The author, a veteran Indian journalist who has been an editor of a National daily, frankly and thoroughly analyses the Indian media and throws light on their current/prevailing culture.

Since the relationship between business and editorial has become blurred, free expression has got restricted and day-to-day interference has increased. That many media owners are sitting members of the Rajya Sabha is not as important as is the fact, that they cultivate political parties for seeking favours 

What the New Yorker, an American fortnightly, has said about the Jain brothers, Samir and Vineet, presiding over the Times of India group, has been known to most. The contribution by the New Yorker is that it has nailed the doubts and confirmed that the biggest media moguls of the country believe that there is nothing sacrosanct about news columns and these can be sold for a price because a newspaper for them is a commodity, like talcum powder or tooth paste.

A reader may be shocked to know that the news he avidly reads is paid for. His frustration and helplessness is heightened because he does not realise which part of the story is news and which part is fake. This violation of editorial standards does not bother the Jain brothers because they treat the profession as a money-making enterprise. They feel proud that they have torn ethics into tatters and yet the newspaper they helm have remained the No. 1 daily in India. Not only that, they make more money than probably any other newspaper in the world. The great Rupert Murdoch’s empire is 20 times bigger than the Times of India. Yet he earns less profit. 

  

In a nine-page article, the fortnightly narrates how the Jains treat journalism merely “as a necessary nuisance and celebrates the advertiser as the real customer.” Not surprisingly, the Times of India does not carry the name of its editor in its print line because the paper does not have any.

Someone, not they, had said long ago that writing in a newspaper was writing on the back of advertisements. The Jain brothers practice this both in letter and spirit. “We knew we were in the business of aggregating a quality audience. Before that, we just sold advertising space.” The New Yorker article carries no direct quotes of the Jain brothers. They probably refused to be interviewed.

However, their lackeys, thankfully none from the editorial side, have given a peep into their mind. One lackey says: “Editors tend to be pompous thundering from the pulpit, speaking in 80-word sentences.” Mr Vineet Jain himself is clear that to succeed in newspaper business, one must not think like editors. “If you are editorially minded, you will make all the wrong decisions.” True, the Jains have made newspapers into a ‘news’ paper business. But that is because they have perfected the art of packaging their newspaper, cheapening it and bringing it down to the level of yellow journalism. Yet they do not mind this because they have the distinction of converting the profession into an industry. Editors for them are cheaper by the dozen.  

I recall Girilal Jain, the then editor of the Times of India, ringing me up one day to ask whether I could speak to Ashok Jain, the owner whom I knew well, to get his son Samir Jain off his back. Giri said that Ashok Jain, whatever his preferences treated him well but Samir’s attitude was humiliating. Ashok Jain said in reply that he could buy many Girilal Jains but he could not find one Samir who had increased his revenue eight times. Inder Malhotra once recounted to me how senior journalists were made by Samir to sit on the floor in his room to write out the names of invitees on cards sent by the organisation. 

What the Jain brothers have done in their venture to make money is to reduce newspapers to a title-tattle. Journalism is just a facilitator in their business. To ensure this, the newspaper, according to the New Yorker, tries to maintain “a robust degree of optimism even in the news space ~ despite murders and rapes and accidents and tsunamis ~ and prefers to talk to the inspirational young. Poverty stories are given a low billing.”

 Business or management departments have come to have more say over the years. I think the tame role of the Press during the Emergency is one of the reasons why commercial interests have come to take precedence. When it was seen the pressmen had caved in without a fight, the management began to push them from the pre-eminent position they once occupied. They are at the beck and call of the business side. We used to throw the Press note with BM (business must) inscribed on it into the dust bin.

Since the relationship between business and editorial has become blurred, free expression has got restricted and day-to-day interference has increased. It is an open secret that the management or the business side dictates a particular line dependent on their economic and political interests. That many owners are sitting members of the Rajya Sabha is not as important as is the fact that they cultivate political parties for seeking favours.

And their indebtedness or proximity to the party or the benefactor is reflected in the columns of newspapers. This relationship is what has got translated itself into “paid news”. Stories are sought to be written in a manner where a particular person or a point of view is projected in news columns. Readers seldom detect when information is laced with propaganda or when advertisement is woven into the text of news columns.

However, the time has come when a media commission should be appointed to look into all aspects of newspapers, television and radio. When the last Press commission was appointed in 1977, we did not have private television because it did not exist in India at that time. The whole gamut of media needs to be looked into to determine, among other things, the relationship between owner and editor, journalist and owner, who has circumvented the Working Journalists Act to introduce a contract system, and linkage between TV and the print medium. Today, a newspaper can own a television channel or radio. There is no bar on cross-media ownership. This is leading to cartels which ultimately affect the freedom of the press.

For reasons best known to the ruling party, it does not want to appoint a media commission. Could it be because of the influence of the Jain brothers who have a lot to answer for? The Jain brothers must understand that the right to freedom of expression was given to a scribe so that he or she could say anything without fear or favour. If the piper is to call the tune it will only raise serious questions about the freedom of expression. In democracy, where free information stirs free response, the Press cannot be at the whim of a few. A restricted Press may well violate the Constitutional guarantee for the freedom of expression. 

The views expressed and Information provided by the author are his own and left to public to judge and rationalise for themselves.

Indian media ...a blot on the Society

A MUST READ for all those who have slightest of love and regards for their Motherland and its brave SOLDIERS 

Dear Editors of HT, TOI, Indian Express and The Hindu, NDTV, CNN-IBN, I got the mail below from a friend of mine and following the unwritten code of conduct, I am reproducing it here for all my friends and Indian citizens, but all efforts of people who have been forwarding this mail would go waste, if this is not seen or known by YOU....... 

Isn’t it Something to think about in a serious and applied manner and a Shame on Indian Media??? Really what a shame... 

By the time you PEOPLE OF INDIA read this news, the body of a dear son of India, Major Manish Pitambare, who was shot dead at Anantnag by terrorists in an effort to do a national duty of utmost importance, would have been cremated with full military honours.

On Tuesday, this news swept across all the news channels 'Sanjay Dutt relieved by court'. 'Sirf Munna not a bhai' '13 saal ka vanvaas khatam' 'although found guilty for possession of armory, Sanjay can breath sigh of relief as all the TADA charges against him are withdrawn' Then many personalities like Salman Khan said 'He is a good person. We knew he will come out clean'. Mr Big B said "Dutt's family and our family have relations for years he's a good kid. He is like elder brother to Abhishek". His sister Priya Dutt said "we can sleep well tonight. It's a great relief" 

In other news, Parliament was mad at Indian team for performing bad; Greg Chappell said something; Shah Rukh Khan replaces Amitabh in KBC and other such stuff. But most of the emphasis was given on Sanjay Dutt's "phoenix like" comeback from the ashes of terrorist charges.

Surfing through the channels, one news on BBC startled me. It read "Hisbul Mujahidin's most wanted terrorist 'Sohel Faisal' killed in A nantnag , India .. Indian Major leading the operation lost his life in the process. Four others are injured. 

It was past midnight , I started visiting the stupid Indian channels, but Sanjay Dutt was still ruling. They were telling how Sanjay pleaded to the court saying 'I'm the sole bread earner for my family', 'I have a daughter who is studying in US' and so on. Then they showed how Sanjay was not wearing his lucky blue shirt while he was hearing the verdict and also how he went to every temple and prayed for the last few months. A suspect in Mumbai bomb blasts, convicted under armory act...was being transformed into a hero. 

Sure Sanjay Dutt has a daughter; Sure he did not do any terrorist activity. Possessing an AK47 is considered too elementary in terrorist community and also one who possesses an AK47 has a right to possess a pistol so that again is not such a big crime; Sure Sanjay Dutt went to all the temples; Sure he did a lot of Gandhigiri but then.......... .. 

Major Manish H Pitambare got the information from his sources about the terrorists' whereabouts. Wasting no time he attacked the camp, killed Hisbul Mujahidin's supremo and in the process lost his life to the bullets fired from an AK47. He is survived by a wife and daughter (just like Sanjay Dutt) who's only 18 months old. 

Major Manish never said 'I have a daughter' before he took the decision to attack the terrorists in the darkest of nights. He never thought about having a family and he being the bread earner. 

No news channel covered this since they were too busy hyping a former drug addict, a suspect who's linked to bomb blasts which killed hundreds. Their aim was to show how he defied the TADA charges and they were so successful that his conviction in possession of armoury had no meaning. They also concluded that his parents in heaven must be happy and proud of him. 

Parents of Major Manish are still living and they have to live rest of their lives without their beloved son. His daughter won't ever see her daddy again.

So please CONVEY this message around so that the media knows, which news to give importance, as it is a shame for us since this Army Major's death news was given by a foreign TV channel!!!

Jantar, Chhu Mantar

indianexpress.com
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/jantar-chhu-mantar/790720
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by Shekhar Gupta

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As you savour this election verdict, remember the line that the Jantar Mantar candle-light vigilantes so loved to paint on their Gandhi (Anna) caps: Mera neta chor hai. It was spoken with such vehemence, and so adored by PLUs, that you had to be suicidal to question it. Defending the politicians? Have you had your head examined lately? Your best friends would catch you in five-star hotel lobbies and chide: “You defending the system? What’s wrong with you, you were such a nice guy? This mood is not against democracy. This is against bloody politicians.” “Apolitical”, or “people’s” democracy, was the flavour of that heady fortnight.

It was a matter of time — actually very little time — before the clamour of mera neta chor hai brought to us its inevitable echo, or the other side of the same philosophical coin: mera voter chor hai. That was always the sentiment underlying the Armani-Jimmy Choo “Revolution” of Jantar Mantar: that our democracy only installed illiterate, crude, crooked, good-for-nothings in power while the really virtuous, the self-styled EPs (“Eminent People”), leaders of the self-defined Civil Society, who mostly spoke with each other, activists and busybodies, the really smart and honest Indians, were excluded.

REGARDING JANTAR, CHHU MANTAR

A REJOINDER

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A letter written by our daughter in response to Shekhar Gupta's middle in Indian Express. Says it all.
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Satish Bahri
Lt Gen SK Bahri Retd
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by Nandini Bahri-Dhanda
nandini@by-design90.com
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To: sg@expressindia.com
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Dear Mr. Gupta,

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This is in reference to your article- Jantar, Chhu Mantar in IE 14 May 2011.

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Frankly I was initially quite bewildered at the hostility from newspapers and its editors, sociologists and intellectuals at Anna Hazare's fast, his demands for modifications and changes etc in the Lokpal Bill, his drawing attention and articulating the general public anger at corruption.

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I read article after article of regular contributors and columnists of your newspaper whose writings I had over the years read and enjoyed. Whose opinions I had respected and if I had for some reason disagreed, it had atleast opened my mind to another perspective.

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However this time round I have seen the pettiness, the vindictiveness, the disdain, the cynicism of these writers and contributors , including you Mr. Gupta.

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“The Lokpal Bill is not going to end corruption”....no one claimed it would. It was only a first step in the right direction.

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“Who chose these members from the civil society?”..... these people volunteered, came forward and offered their services and expertise. Was anybody of stature and repute not allowed to participate?

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“This Committee would by-pass the Parliament”......yes it would in the Bill formulating stage but it had to be eventually passed by the Parliament.

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In most developed democracies citizens do push and articulate bills and laws which are then eventually passed by their Senates, Congress or Parliaments after further debate and discussion.

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And then the most hypocritical, inverse snobbery where one of your contributor’s mocked Hazare’s statement that he would never be able to win an election because he did not have the power of money to give TV’s, alcohol or sarees to buy his vote. Hazare’s disain for the Indian voter was dangerous she said, almost fascist!

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The gloating that we are a democracy that has thrown out non performing governments 4 times in 64 years is pathetic!

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It seems most of our intellectuals, sociologists, writers, journalists, editors, industralists are cynical, hardened and a part of the system.

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They “enjoy” proximity to the powers that be.

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They “enjoy” their largesse, a Rajya Sabha seat perhaps?

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They “socialise” with this lot. Some write little bits to keep their worth and value and some offer favours in a quid pro quo.

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They are cynical to believe that this is how it is and will remain so.

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Mr. Gupta your Jantar- Chhu Mantar is a misplaced piece of writing.

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This election did not prove anything except the Indian voter just carries on and on the cycle- exchanging one lot for the other.

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We are to put it mildly, a passive democracy.

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We exercise our vote every 5 years and throw one lot out for the other.

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DMK this time and the AIDMK last time.

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In the next elections DMK will be back.

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Is this a mature, thinking, aware voter?

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The DMK has looted enough to feed Tamil Nadu 20 times over for seven generations. They have not been punished- they are being “rested” in Karunnidhi’s own words.

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Did your mature voter ever demand what happens to our money? Where is it being spent? Why aren’t thieving people in prison?

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No- we simply vote them out.

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Then allow this lot to loot and plunder and bring the old lot back.....”vibrant” democracy indeed.

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Are we perhaps mistaking “noisy” for “vibrant”?

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I was given to believe that a vibrant democracy is where citizens demand accountability from the people who have been voted in to administer and govern.

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Where they question and deserve a response.

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Where citizen groups and pressure groups see that the government “works”.

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Where the citizen expects justice as a right and not a favour.

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Where citizens do not have to grovel for what is basically theirs.

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An aged man of another era from some remote part of the country, who cannot by any defintion be called cool, came to the Capital and drew the middle class out....and that is what has worried everybody.

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These were not Jimmy Choo and Armani clad glitterati that could be smirked at.

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These weren’t your Great Unwashed who could be talked down to.

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This was the Indian Middle Class Mr. Gupta which has so far been ignored.

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I know because I was there.

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I met a young man from Badarpur.

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He had recently filed his tax returns- for the first time he said with some pride. His two brothers were still looking for jobs.

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He worked 10-12 hours a day, drove back and forth his motor cycle on pot holed roads, returned home to electric outages and no water. He wanted to add a floor to his house but the MCD and police were harassing him......the same old story Mr Gupta...Ghar ghar ki kahani.

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The MLA of his locality spent 50 lakhs on his daughter’s shamiana and Kalmadi made those crores and crores, Raja made more......his anger was palpable.

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I walked alongside a 45 year old single woman with 2 children who ran an export unit in Okhla. There was stinking garbage on her street which was not picked in weeks, electric outages, inspectors who demanded hafta, MCD would not let her raise her boundary wall despite 2 break-ins, no police patrolling. She paid her taxes but what was she getting in return? ...Sheila Dixit had made millions, substandard material was used in flyovers, there were 23000 MCD ghost workers....she was angry.

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The word on the street is-

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Sharad Pawar, why is that man in every cabinet? Who does not know that he could buy India twice over? In another country, another democracy he would be serving a prison sentence. Any scam and his name is there !

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About Sonia Gandhi, the less said the better.

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Her son-in law, a costume jewellery businessman can buy The Aman.....??!

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Who will punish these people? Where is justice?

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My parents, in their 70’s walked from Jantar Mantar to India Gate. My father, an ex soldier who has served in the army for 38 years and fought in 4 wars, believes the enemy is within. But then you don’t have much time for ex serviceman either, do you Mr. Gupta?

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You feel these chaps are paid to lay down their lives and they have no right to ask for higher salaries. Your opinion as been articulated in article after article that they should be there for patriotism and glory.

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I wonder if you have such advice for Karunanidhi’s brood or Sharad Pawar’s offspring?

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This was not Tahrir Square.

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This was Jantar Mantar swarming with Middle Class India. Not with Anil Ambani and his pals, not with Rahul’s convenient Kalavati.

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But Jantar Mantar with educated, hardworking Indians who pay their taxes and try everyday- everyday to be honest.

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Listen to their voice.

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They are no pushover.....otherwise we may live to regret it.

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Incidentally, I don’t recall anyone in Jimmy Choos.

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Best regards,

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Nandini Bahri-Dhanda

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR THE TIMES OF INDIA NEW DELHI

Sir:

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Please consider the reports with the following headlines published in The Times of India today (February 7)--

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(1) "OMAR PULLS UP ARMY FOR VIOLATING RULES LEADING TO THE DEATH OF INNOCENT YOUTH IN VALLEY" (Bold headline in block capitals on the top of page 7 along with a photograph of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister).

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(2) "Omar slams Army for youth's death" (Three-column report on page 8 with a snap of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister).

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Earlier, on February 6, you had carried the reports headlined-- (3) "21-yr-old J&K youth shot dead by Army" (Page 1 of the newspaper).

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(4) "21-yr-old J&K youth shot" (Unnumbered "ADVT." page on top of page 1).

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(5) "Valley tense after Army kills an innocent--Family Alleges He Was Shot In Cold Blood; Omar Rushes To Prevent Protests" (Top of page 7 in a five-column report along with two photographs of the mourners). Of course, what the Army spokesman had said about the incident leading to the sad demise of the young man was consigned to the fine print in the rambling text of the news report!

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The story listed at (2) above has been shown by you as originating from PTI. This is patently incorrect. It is an almost word-for-word copy of the news that has appeared today (February 7) in the newspaper "EARLY TIMES" published from Jammu!!!!

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Faux pas pertaining to the material carried/not carried in the newspaper under your stewardship have occurred on many occasions and have also been at times pointed out to you over the years.

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This is not only against journalistic ethics and norms issued by media watchdog bodies but also extremely unfair to PTI--a news agency enjoying high credibility among the citizens--and the readers, particularly the Military personnel, both on active duty and veterans.

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What are your compulsions, if any, Sir?

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Does your management know about the harm you are doing to the trustworthiness of The Times of India? We sincerely hope that you are not being made a "whipping boy" (sic)!

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Or, are we in the midst of an ongoing endemic campaign to knowingly/unknowingly insult, belittle, humiliate, demonise, degrade and defame--also to seek to demoralise and weaken--the Armed Forces of this country?

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Or, Freedoom of the Press--what all crimes are often committed in thy name/wake in India!

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Be that as it may, for this serious lapse, Sir, an apology to all concerned is genuinely and inexorably called for and will be perfectly in order. The sooner it is done, the better.

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I strongly recommend--and request--that it be kept an in-house exercise for obvious reasons.

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This is not to gloss over the very unfortunate and untimely death of Manzoor Ahmed Magray. Our most heartfelt condolences to his parents. We do understand their indescribable grief, anguish and heartache at the loss of their son in the prime of his life. May the departed soul rest in eternal peace.

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Should we expect to hear from you, Mr. Editor?

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Warm regards--and good night.

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Sincerely,

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Wing Commander SC Kapoor (retd)

PAC & THE CHIEFS - EDITORIAL IN THE STATESMAN, JANUARY 11

Many a tricky query…

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GIVEN the huge importance attached to prestige, protocol and status (pique too), the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament asking the Service Chiefs to appear before it in person is decidedly unusual, and is likely to cause much misgiving in the military community. For while the “army” has always extended full respect to parliamentary institutions, it does not hold individual MPs in equal esteem ~ so the Chiefs being quizzed by politicians (generally perceived in poor light) will hardly be appreciated. Hence it would be appropriate for the PAC to spell out why this time around it deviated from the norm of the Defence Secretary and the Vice-Chiefs assisting its inquiries. Surely the PAC must be aware that the Chiefs have no personal or direct role in procuring rations. Was it because, as some reports suggest, the Service Headquarters had not responded to its queries based on the CAG’s observations on foodstuffs supplied to soldiers? In that case the MoD too could be faulted for not keeping the brass in line and responding on the military’s behalf, as has been the practice. But what causes disquiet even beyond the military are suspicions that the government is asking the Chiefs to go before the Committee as part of a strategy to accord exaggerated status to the PAC only to negate the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the 2G Spectrum scam. That would be dragging the Services into the murky arena of politics, and merits the most severe of condemnation. Yet if the CAG can be slammed by UPA-II, what’s to prevent it from sacrificing the dignity of the Chiefs when covering-up its shortcomings? If the Chiefs feel they are being thus misused they must place the honour of the uniform above all else and make their unease known to the Supreme Commander ~ the President. A major precedent is being set, all implications must be duly weighed. Never before ~ not after the 1962 debacle, Bofors or the IPKF misadventure ~ were the Chiefs personally queried by a parliamentary panel. The defence minister/ministry was “answerable” to the legislature. Why the change?

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This complex “development”, however, ought to generate deep introspection in the military, veterans included. For it is a reflection of how recent involvement of senior defence officials in a series of unsavoury activities ~ corruption, sexual misconduct, dereliction of duty, fake encounters, land scams and so on ~ have corroded the aura of probity that once shielded the military from normal public scrutiny. Who would have dared “summon” a Cariappa or Manekshaw?

The Ethics of Media Blackout

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 01:28 AM PST

Why are the journalist-lobbyist conversations not a news story for the Indian media?Let us start with a bit of history. The date was 15 March 1988. Eight opposition parties, including the Communist Parties, the Bhartiya Janata Party, the Janata Party and the Lok Dal sponsored a Bharat Bandh (an All India Strike) against the then incumbent Congress government headed by Rajiv Gandhi. State controlled Doordarshan was the only television channel around and a 20-minutes news bulletin was broadcast every evening on the channel. For obvious reasons, the news was always selected, edited and broadcast in a manner so as to show the ruling party in a favourable light.The day of the Bharat Bandh in 1988 was no different.

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Almost 15 minutes of the 20-minute long news-bulletin, if memory serves me right, were about some economic report released by the government that day. It spoke of some undecipherable data about industrial production, export figures, sector-wise GDP growth and other such statistics with graphs and charts of various colours, shapes and sizes. This was perhaps Rajiv Gandhi’s version of BJP’s later day slogan of India Shining. The news of the Bharat Bandh was however covered in 3-4 sentences, with visuals to show that the Bandh had limited success in a few opposition ruled states. Of course, the reality was radically different. The political opposition’s star was on a rise and by all other media accounts, the strike was an unqualified success.Cut to the present now.

There have been disclosures made by magazines about certain conversations between senior journalists and lobbyists. Without going into the ethical or legal dimensions of the case, or passing judgements on the professional conduct of the journalists involved, this certainly merits to be considered news-worthy by newspapers and television channels.

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But barring Open and Outlook magazines (which broke the stories), Mail Today, Daily News and Analysis, Zee News

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They should better their efforts to make more citizens aware > not difficult considering citizens also suffer the Moronic & Incessantly anchor Interrupted, half truths called newsand some regional channels, all other newspapers and channels have imposed a blackout on the story.

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This ganging up of almost all media houses today to censor news showing some journalists in an unfavourable light raises serious questions about the objectiveness, integrity and sense of fairness of India’s much-touted free, vibrant, unbiased and activist media.

Media is following the EXAMPLE of ROLE MODELS > netas - babus, & has STOOPED to their putrid levels. BRUSH TRUTH UNDER THE CARPET & call it EXPOSING Govt Corruption !

This situation is far worse than the situation existing in an era of a single, state-controlled television channel when everyone knew that the stories being broadcast were slanted in the favour of the government of the day.

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The current behaviour by the media houses is far more insidious and perilous for the country. This goes beyond the ethics and legality of individual journalists talking to a lobbyist.

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It is about the ethics of the media houses and the larger journalistic community as a whole.Of course, this is not the first time the media has tried to block a story which castigates the media houses or the journalists. The Press Council’s report on paid news during the recent elections was also given a quiet burial by most media houses. The media houses have all the avenues — from press council to courts — available to take on those whom they feel have unfairly accused them of wrongdoing.

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But they have no right to censor or blackout a piece of valid news, unless it involves national security or engenders lives of some Indian citizens.

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This raises the most important question: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Or who will guard the guards?

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This has gone beyond the usual context of the media keeping a watch on the role and conduct of others — from corporates to judges to generals to bureaucrats to politicians. It is about keeping a watch on the media itself.

From the coverage of 26-11 Mumbai terror attacks to paid news during elections to the current blackout of news, media has ostensibly showed itself as incapable of ethical conduct by self-governance.

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THE BEST ALLAIS, the Pakistani handlers got, ON THE SPOT; our MYOPIC MORONIC THOUGHT-LESS media !

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Let there be no doubt. The time has come for an independent constitutional body, modelled on the Election Commission, to act as a watch-dog over the Indian media. This is the opportune time for the government to institute such a body.

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After all, someone needs to guard the guards too.

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NOT THE HAND FED, WELL PAID; TAIL WAGING WATCH DOGS