During the whole #barkhagate or 2G scandal or Nira Radia imbroglio the Indian media has played it incredibly safe. Not wanting to move an inch against the key media members involved, most of the journalists perhaps held by some 'Omerta' or honor code or intimidation by higher powers have stone walled.
However in what is really a landmark initiative shown by vigilant citizens leveraging the power of social networking tools - Blogs, Tweets etc. have forced the media to cover this issue.
Props have to go to cHindu's Rasheeda Bhagat who writes for the the Business Line exposes the media hypocrisy in this article - Those living in glass houses….
The entire article is written with a brutal honesty one looks for cHindu to provide. By giving more credit to Rasheeda here we would be praising someone for sticking up to their journalistic ethics which is wrong.
But it deserves to be recognized when her peers have chosen silence to exposing the truth.
However in what is really a landmark initiative shown by vigilant citizens leveraging the power of social networking tools - Blogs, Tweets etc. have forced the media to cover this issue.
Props have to go to cHindu's Rasheeda Bhagat who writes for the the Business Line exposes the media hypocrisy in this article - Those living in glass houses….
Our TV channel debates are infamous for their high decibel levels and, on some channels, the anchors out-shout everybody else on the show. But all these channels, their anchors and expert commentators have gone into silent mode since the Radia tapes have aired in public the participation of some top-notch media personalities in animated conversations pertaining to the formation of the UPA-II government. The main hitch then, it may be recalled, pertained to the DMK demanding more than what the Congress was willing to offer. There were also issues pertaining to internal wrangles within the first family of the Dravidian party.
The entire article is written with a brutal honesty one looks for cHindu to provide. By giving more credit to Rasheeda here we would be praising someone for sticking up to their journalistic ethics which is wrong.
But it deserves to be recognized when her peers have chosen silence to exposing the truth.
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12 comments:
Indeed. That's a pleasant surprise coming from the cHindu sister publication
Media Watch site The Hoot is inviting journalists and individuals to comment on the Radia tapes.
http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=4960&mod=1&pg=1§ionId=19&valid=true
Interesting views from individual journalists like Neena Vyas and others. Though none of the media houses are still taking this up with the seriousness it deserves!
Great find, RR:
Neena "Quote-Worthy" Vyas: Would anyone believe that Raja was handing out undervalued licences without a quid pro quo? Why should we think that journalists were saying they would do this or that favour without a quid pro quo? Because they are morally superior journalists and not immoral politicians? I simply do not buy that.
Chindu has a leader page article on the Wednesday edition from Priscilla Jebaraj.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/24/stories/2010112453631200.htm
The article doesn't go far enough in condemnation of the unethical media practices and seem at odds with the stand taken when the Paid News controversy broke. Seems more weightage is to quotes defending Barkha / Sanghvi obtained from other journalists. Seems more like Chindu's partnership with NDTV and known closeness with the DMK coming against usage of stronger words that are used by Chindu journos such as Neena Vyas and Mahesh V in the Hoot site.
Chindu has an editorial on the need for a JPC (Wednesday). The most interesting section is this:
"The recent publication of officially intercepted phone conversations between a corporate lobbyist and a raft of politicians and power players in Delhi suggests that the role of a number of industrialists and others also needs investigation."
See the use of the word 'power players' instead of 'journalists'? Such extreme defensive behaviour in calling them by their profession? What else to expect?
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Dinesh,
Agree I was shocked and had to pinch myself.
RR,
Thanks for the link. I've been following the Hoot and Mint which have been more forthright on this issue.
XR,
Surprised that neena vyas would be blunt on this. Lets see if she can get her opinions published on a newspaper though.
RR,
That article must be the one that SV has been trumpeting about. Will publish our view on this.
More than blogs and websites, I think the American media articles about corrupt Indian media have touched a raw nerve.
DD... Congragulations should also go to Venugopal, the de facto editor of Business Line, for towing an independent line, and for keeping LIC and Maa Loony away from the BL.
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