Views on News by viewsonnews

JUST NOT SPORTS

CONVERSION CONUNDRUM RAHUL PANDITA IS MEDIA ‘SEXING’ UP THE ISSUE? 24

CLAMOR FOR AWARDS OPENS UP A PANDORA’S BOX 39

AUTHOR OF THE ‘ASPIRATIONAL’ RESIGNATION LETTER 36

VIEWS ON NEWS

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THE CRITICAL EYE

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

`100

Pushing the edge

DILIP BOBB EXAMINES THE ISSUE OF CREATIVE LICENSE AND ITS LIMITS 12

METRO READS

Junk the style and content, fast - paced books are in 33

EDITOR UNPLUGGED

Vinod Mehta’s racy account of his roller coaster journey 30

COMING SOON

In India Legal The shocking— yet untold— inside story based on recordings and documents of how former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha used his position to derive benefits from:

POLITICIANS BUREAUCRATS BUSINESSMEN INVESTIGATORS MINISTERS VIPs UNDER CBI AND POLICE INVESTIGATIONS POLICE OFFICERS

EDITOR’S NOTE

THE REAL STORY ALL TOO OFTEN, the media, in the mad rush to outpace

tainly, the same question that many Indians are asking.

competition in order to catch a fast flying story nets the

But what the media is missing is the big Modi mes-

tree and misses the forest. That’s really a mixed metaphor

sage to the Indian middle class and Delhi’s voting public.

to try and illustrate how journos fail to grasp the essential

Over the past several months, as the Hindutva brigades

analytical elements of a good story while chasing simply

have become more shrill than ever on matters such as

the facts. This, I believe, is well illustrated in the latest po-

religious reconversion, India being a “Hindu nation,” the

litical, current affairs development that’s been grabbing

RSS’s khaki knickers becoming more visible than others,

eyeballs all over the nation.

Mohan Bhagwat hogging the airwaves, Modi has re-

Every newspaper, magazine, and TV channel is run-

mained mysteriously silent. His middle class as well as

ning helter-skelter in trying to gather facts, factoids, and

poorer supporters who voted not for the BJP or RSS ide-

behind-the-scenes gossip about who-did-what-to-whom

ology but for Modi’s image as a reformer, a transformer,

and what-happened-where-and-when to give the reader

a torchbearer for speedy economic development and van-

or viewer that “extra” bit of information, or that “special”

quisher of India’s dynastic rule were getting increasingly

byte on the events that led to the induction of former

frustrated that Modi was allowing his development

Anna Hazare revolutionaries into the Sangh Parivar and

agenda to be hijacked by the reactionary brigades.

Narendra Modi’s bear hug. But in their hurry to be the

Well, the Kiran-Bedi-Shazia-Ilmi induction–spear-

“fastest with the mostest” as the saying

headed by Modi against the wishes of the hardcore RSS

goes, our newshounds are missing out on the

and BJP brigades–shows that Modi has spoken loudly

diagnostic elements of this significantly im-

and clearly. He was keenly aware that he was losing a

portant political development.

large chunk of influential support. To their former political

We’ve all seen the press conferences.

colleagues, Ilmi and Bedi may be deserters and turn-

We’ve all seen TV anchors Rajdeep Sardesai

coats. But to Modi supporters who were losing their faith

and Rahul Kanwal rake Kiran Bedi and Shazia

in him to carry out his “modernist” agenda, the two

Ilmi over the coals and watched these two in-

women represent modernity, the anti-corruption ethos,

trepid, feisty women wither under fierce ques-

entrepreneurship, secularism, and a proven addiction to

tioning: Weren’t you poles apart from Modi

good governance.

and his right-wing Hindutva followers when

If Modi’a gamble pays off–trading off some of the old

you were part of the Anna Hazare left-of-cen-

BJP debris for new blood–in an electoral victory in Delhi,

tre secular brigade? Didn’t you condemn the

he will emerge as the unchallenged champion of the new

BJP as the flip side of Congress’s corrupt

Hindu Center as against the old Hindu Right.

coin? Didn’t you believe and tweet for the

That’s the real story.

record that Modi should have been prosecuted for the hate crimes that bloodied the streets of Gujarat in 2002 when he was chief minister? All legitimate questions, and cer-

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 3

VOLUME. VIII

ISSUE. 09

Editor-in-Chief Rajshri Rai Managing Editor Ramesh Menon Deputy Managing Editor Shobha John Senior Editor Vishwas Kumar Associate Editor Meha Mathur Deputy Editors Prabir Biswas Niti Singh Assistant Editor Somi Das Art Director Anthony Lawrence Senior Visualizer Amitava Sen Graphic Designer Lalit Khitoliya Photographer Anil Shakya News Coordinator/Photo Researcher Kh Manglembi Devi Production Pawan Kumar

C O N

Chief Editorial Advisor Inderjit Badhwar CFO Anand Raj Singh VP (HR & General Administration) Lokesh C Sharma For advertising & subscription queries sales@viewsonnewsonline.com

Published by Prof Baldev Raj Gupta on behalf of E N Communications Pvt Ltd and printed at Amar Ujala Publications Ltd., C-21&22, Sector-59, Noida. (UP)- 201 301 (India) All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Requests for permission should be directed to E N Communications Pvt Ltd . Opinions of writers in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by E N Communications Pvt Ltd . The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material or for material lost or damaged in transit. All correspondence should be addressed to E N Communications Pvt Ltd .

OWNED BY E. N. COMMUNICATIONS PVT. LTD. NOIDA HEAD OFFICE: A -9, Sector-68, Gautam Buddh Nagar, NOIDA (U.P.) - 201309 Phone: +9 1-0120-2471400-432 ; Fax: + 91- 0120-2471411 e-mail: editor@viewsonnewsonline.com, website: www.viewsonnewsonline.com MUMBAI OFFICE: Arshie Complex, B-3 & B4, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri, Mumbai-400058 RANCHI OFFICE: House No. 130/C, Vidyalaya Marg, Ashoknagar, Ranchi-834002. LUCKNOW OFFICE: First floor, 21/32, A, West View, Tilak Marg, Hazratganj, Lucknow-226001. PATNA OFFICE: Sukh Vihar Apartment, West Boring Canal Road, New Punaichak, Opposite Lalita Hotel, Patna-800023. ALLAHABAD OFFICE: Leader Press, 9-A, Edmonston Road, Civil Lines, Allahabad-211 001.

4 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

LEDE

Charlie Hebdo: Defiant or foolhardy?

With increasing intolerance and radical elements on the prowl, can the media afford to expose itself and others to danger? DILIP BOBB’s assessment

Are you Charlie? The debate— Terror versus freedom of the press—has split newsrooms across the world, writes VISHWAS KUMAR

T E N T S MY SPACE

Seize the moment RAHUL RAO looks at the various possibilites that Obama’s R-day visit throws open for both countries

SPORTS

Race for awards

By recommending Saina Nehwal’s name for Padma Bhushan, the sports ministry may have stirred a hornet’s nest, writes V KRISHNASWAMY

REGULATION

Pay and publish

STOPLIGHT

Laundering the soul

PUBLISHING

VIVIAN FERNANDES examines media reports on conversions

REVIEW

When the tables are turned

Vinod Mehta’s book Editor Unplugged takes a close look at the corporatization of media and other issues plaguing journalism, writes RASHME SEHGAL

The commodification of popular literature

Books today are racy, priced cheaply and churned out fast to grab a wider market. Style and content hardly matter, writes SHAMITA HARSH

INTERVIEW

“Very few editors can call a spade a spade” 36

Rahul Pandita talks to SOMI DAS after his resignation from The Hindu

The choice is between self-regulation and having multiple regulators to kill the scourge of paid news. A report on the Law Commission’s consultations with journalists on media regulations

R E G U L A R S Edit................................................03 Media-go-round............................06 As the world turns.........................07 Vox populi.....................................08 Anchor Review..............................11 Breaking news..............................46 Tattle Tales....................................50

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 5

EDIA-GO-ROUND

SC asks Goa police to give documents to Tejpal THE SUPREME COURT has asked the Goa police to hand over all relevant documents to Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal in the sexual assualt case against him. The court has given him three weeks to collect the documents and evidence to argue his case. The apex court has also directed the Goa trial court to adjourn the proceedings of the case for that period. Earlier, Tejpal had moved the Supreme Court, opposing a move by the Goa trial court to proceed

Kareena on cover

Dilip’s home in

of VHP mag

Pak to be museum

THE COVER PHOTO of the latest issue of Himalaya Dhwani, a magazine brought out by the women’s wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called Durga Vahini, has gone viral for it features the morphed face of actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, half covered with a burqa, reports The Indian Express. A strap below reads, “dharmantaran se rashtraantaran” meaning “conversion of nationality through religious conversion”. Durga Vahini has launched a campaign to convert Hindu women who married Muslim men, claiming the ghar wapsi campaign must address “love jihad”.

THE ANCESTRAL HOME of Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar in Pakistan’s Peshawar city will be converted into a museum and a national heritage site, said Pakistan’s provincial government in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.In the first phase, the damaged portion of Dilip’s house in Mohallah Khuddadad at the back of historic Qissar Khwani bazar would be repaired, director, Musuem Peshawar and research officer, Bakht Muhammad, told India Today Online.

“Ajay sans emotion in erotic scenes” MANASVI MAMGAI DEBUTED in Bollywood with a cameo in the Ajay Devgn starrer, Action Jackson. Her turn, as a vamp drooling over the hero, grabbed eyeballs even though Yami Gautam was the film’s leading lady. The model’s onscreen attempts to seduce Ajay were steamy. When asked if the sequences made her uncomfortable, she told Mumbai Mirror: “Ajay was focussed on the role and emotionless during those erotic scenes. I learnt how to get under the skin of the character from him. At the end of it, he was impressed by my vamp skills.”

6 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

with the sexual assault case against him without him getting all the relevant documents. The Tehelka founder had alleged that the prosecution repeatedly failed to comply with the trial judge’s order to supply all the pertinent documents to him so as to help him prepare his defense. These records included unedited camera footage and phone records, which, among other evidence, have been relied upon by the police in its chargesheet.

S THE WORLD TURNS

Murdoch sparks Twitter row IN A QUICK reaction to the Charlie Hebdo attack in France, media mogul Rupert Murdoch tweeted: “May be most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.” The controversial tweet met criticism from the online community. According to BBC, several on Twitter, including many

Australians, apologized for Murdoch and claimed responsibility for incidents perpetrated by people from their respective countries or faiths. “As a conservative white Australian, I sincerely apologize for Rupert Murdoch. #JeSuisEverybodyNewsCorpAttack,” Murdoch thinks all Muslims should apologize for terrorism. So on behalf of white people I’d like to apologize for Rupert Murdoch,” wrote novelist Matt Haig. “Most Ruperts are reasonable people, but until they stand up to and apologize for @rupertmurdoch they must all be held responsible,” joked another user.

Zomato enters US market

ONLINE RESTAURANT SEARCH service Zomato has acquired Urbanspoon for an undisclosed amount in an allcash deal, marking its entry into the US. According to Business Standard, the deal is learnt to be in the range of Rs 300-350 crore. This is Zomato’s sixth acquisition in six months. It has bought local restaurant search entities in New Zealand, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy. According to the company, the Urbanspoon buyout establishes Zomato’s presence in Australia and Canada, while adding to its position in the UK and New Zealand. After the acquisition, Zomato will be present in 22 countries. Its coverage will increase to more than one million restaurants.

TRANS GANGA HI-TECH CITY THE UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT THROUGH UPSIDC A ZERO POLLUTION AND ZERO DISCHARGE CITY

Akhilesh Yadav Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Kanpur UPSIDC Complex, A-1/4, Lakhanpur, Kanpur. Ph: 0512-2410027 website: www.upsidc.in

OX POPULI WHAT PEOPLE WANT

Where is my

NEWS?

With new digital properties emerging fast, giving stiff competition to old media (read print and electronic), VON talks to a cross-section of people in Delhi to understand how they are accessing news

I alternate between TOI online and the NDTV app on my phone daily. Both are very informative and interesting. The lifestyle section in TOI is very engaging, and NTDV Good Times for food and cooking programs are a total thumbs up. — Minal Gupta, voice-over and makeup artist

I look out for all news through NDTV alerts. Then I follow the political news, both Indian and global, that interests me. I access the same website for that and for visuals, I see them on BBC and CNNIBN. I like the double page spread format of Mail Today, which covers a single story in detail. Drive time radio keeps me connected to news. For gossip and trivia, it’s Yahoo news, Mail Today and HT City. Can’t stand debates on TV news channels, so I don’t access those at all. — Prof Ashu Bhalla, AIIMS

I look out for national news alerts through NDTV and Zee News. For electronic media, it is BBC and Aljazeera; and for print, it is The Times of India and The Economic Times. Politics, policies, international affairs, legal stories, sports updates, editorials and wellness are some of the topics I look out for. — Harsh Pathak, advocate, Supreme Court 8 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Very often, TV or the net is the first source of news, though I prefer print. A newspaper gives you a range of news, and you can pick and choose the news you want; just read headlines or go into a story that is of particular interest to you. These days newspaper stories are often rendered redundant because you have already ‘seen’ them on the TV or the net. I prefer The Indian Express because of its perceived anti-establishment image. But then the family subscribes to HT and I am forced to submit to their choice. Indian newspapers are rather poor at covering global events. So the web is a better source. A lot of global news comes from friends sharing Guardian or NYT links on social media. — Ashim Chowdhury, author of The Sergeant's Son

I get my news from the digital media, or more precisely from the social media, which is easy and quick. TOI, Times Internet, Life hacker, Business Insider are my preferred destinations for news. I usually look out for current affairs and political news updates. — Aadi Sharma, healthcare professional, Fortis Noida

Expertspeak Sevanti Ninan

“Print will survive though its market will shrink” In a brief interview with VON, journalist and media observer SEVANTI NINAN says the content of print media is more substantial than what digital platforms offer A lot is said of the changing reading habits of the younger generation, who prefer to get news on digital apps than read the paper. Do you think print will survive these changing fashions. Print will survive for maybe another decade at least. But its market will shrink. What are the strengths of print media vs TV or digital? What does it need to focus on? Print offers infinitely more to the consumer in India today, in terms of information and commentary. It deploys far more people across the country for news gathering than television does. Its content, when offered on a digital platform, is far more substantial than what many digital-first platforms offer. It needs to

focus on reporting from the ground which it does best because of the number of news gatherers it deploys. Media has steered various movements, like the Anna movement or the Nirbhaya, in recent times. Why don’t we have more such movements, like for instance, for the rural sector. Media cannot create movements; people do, when they come out in response to events. The media may take the lead but only so long as people are responding to a cause. They respond to emotive issues such as corruption and violence against women. People are not stirred into joining a movement by an issue such as rural development. How much do you think the in-

creasing role of the marketing is affecting journalism ethics. A very broad question. Marketing affects journalism ethics when the distinction between advertising and news is not clear to the reader. You have written a book Headlines from the Heartland. How is interior India journalism different from national media. Journalism in the districts focuses much more on local news which affects people’s daily lives. It is less about politics and governance. When did media as a story begin to emerge. Perhaps during the Emergency when censorship was clamped across the country for the first time. VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 9

U O

T E S

“The financial model for all news organizations must be a realistic model. If the financial model is not realistic, imperfections will enter. And these imperfections will lead to aberrations. Paid news is one such aberration.” — Arun Jaitley, Minister, Information and Broadcasting

“I once referred to my late father, Dilip Sardesai, as the Dhoni of his generation in the 1960s. Born in Margao, he remains to date the only Goa-born cricketer to play for India. I remember asking him once why he thought he had succeeded at the game whereas I hadn’t. ‘Fire in the belly son, you big city boys just don’t have it’!” — Rajdeep Sardesai, TV news anchor, in Hindustan Times

“We journalist are not the stories…the most interesting stories are usually far away from the newsroom and the TV studio.” — Raj Kamal Jha, Editor of The Indian Express and author, in an interview to Mint

10 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Virr Das, comedian and actor Have an idea. Let's have a 'You can't talk about religion' week...give all our politicians unlimited free TV time, and watch the silence.

Barkha Dutt , anchor, group editor, NDTV

Perhaps France like many others guilty of dual standards in Free Speech Debate. That cannot diminish the horror of the terror attack.

Suhel Seth, socialite and adman Let me say it straight. There was no one with more promise than KEJRIWAL then. There is no one with more promise to fail NOW. Come troll.

Shekhar Gupta, editorial advisor, India Today Group Lanka result reaffirms the humbling beauty of democracy. Nobody invincible, no matter how dominant, dictatorial, Indira Gandhi to Rajapakshe.

Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's GPS

How long do moderate Muslims have to condemn terrorism? As long as terrorists keep killing in the name of Islam.

managing editor, TV Today Network

You break a story. Full two hours later two other channels start shouting that THEY broke the story! Maturity? Honesty? Integrity?

Anchor Review

Rahul Shivshankar

Arnab’s pale

SHADOW R

ahul Shivshankar, editor-inchief of NewsX, once worked under the editor-in-chief of Times Now, Arnab Goswami. Since then, Shivshankar has risen steadily in his career. However, the fact that he was trained by his former boss shows up each time he faces the camera for his primetime show Nation @9, which looks like a poor version of The Newshour. The similarities are inescapable. The same red and blue graphic plates and ticker bands cluttering the screen, multi-guest panels, similar hashtags, and the same dare-youutter-a-word-on-my-show expression on the face. If you are a regular Newshour viewer and happen to flip through NewsX between breaks, chances are, at the first instance, you might blink twice. A younger and sleeker Arnab? Has he gone under the knife? It takes, however, only a few minutes to tell the original from the fake. For Shivshankar is no Arnab. This was evident on the day when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, named “person of interest” in the Sunanda Pushkar murder case, held a 5-mintue press conference but refused to answer any questions from the media. Having debated “Sunanda Pushkar—suicide or murder?” ad nauseam, Times Now decided to target Tharoor for calling a press conference and “insulting the media by not taking questions”. Arnab called Tharoor’s one-sided press confer-

ence an attack on the media. Shivshankar soon followed the “media insulted” editorial line. A livid Shivshankar questioned the panelists if Tharoor had wasted the opportunity of clarifying his role in the “open and shut case by not taking 12 questions from NewX”. Shivshankar began his show by asking Suhel Seth: “Should Mr Tharoor have taken these 12 questions straight? Many would argue that Tharoor missed the opportunity to take the podium and answer direct questions, kill the innuendo and therefore bring a closure to the questions raised by those who have been completely taken by surprise by the 360 degree turn in the case.” Seth punctured Shivshankar’s arguments with the reply that Tharoor shouldn’t have taken even one question, let alone 12 questions by NewsX and the only people he owed an answer to were the investigating authorities. After the snub, Shivshankar never really recovered his confidence. It showed in his frequent awkward pauses and in his inability to keep the debate going with relevant questions. On the other hand, Arnab had plenty to offer to his viewer. After bashing Tharoor for not taking questions from the media, he swiftly moved on to letting a vociferous Shobhaa De reveal some “startling” facts about Pushkar’s life. Although

not many of the facts were particularly new, the author and socialite kept the audience interested by recalling fresh instances of conversations she had with Pushkar about the latter’s health and relationship with Tharoor. De also gave Times Now viewers a sneak peek into her conversation with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on the issue and how Tarar exclaimed: “How could she (Pushkar) do this to him (Tharoor)!” on meeting her. For the drama-seeking viewer, the so-called revelations by De must be far more entertaining than Shivshankar’s contrived and drab harangue on Tharoor snubbing the media. It may be a matter of coincidence that NewsX and Times Now are frequently locked into TRP wars, with both channels claiming to be the highest TRP grossing channel. The TRP war aside, as an anchor Shivshankar needs to understand that to beat Arnab, he has to first stop trying to be Arnab. Rating- ******Hoping that he will try being original, we give Shivshankar a 6/10. (Reviwed by Somi Das) VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 11

Lede Media censorship

Charlie Hebdo:

Defiant or foolhardy? Freedom of expression should come with caution and wisdom, not irreverence and insults. With increasing intolerance and radical elements on the prowl, can the media afford to expose itself and others to danger? BY DILIP BOBB

Protestors gather in Nantes to show their anger against the Charlie Hebdo killings

Lede Media censorship

his is a defining moment; for the media, for democracy, for freedom of expression, for governments, indeed for the global community at large. One relatively obscure magazine in France has created this pivotal situation, tragically, in a hail of bullets and bloodied bodies. Yet, even as we rise to salute the cartoonists and journalists who died in that demented act of terror in the name of the Prophet, we also need to revisit the debate over freedom of expression and its limits. There is satire and there is subversive satire. Charlie Hebdo took pride in the latter form. Its latest issue, almost predictably, had a cartoon showing Prophet Mohammed holding a banner with the words that have become a global anthem of defiance against Islamic extremism: “Je Suis Charlie”. It was not the first time that Charlie Hebdo had portrayed the Prophet, an act considered the ultimate form of blasphemy among Muslims. In the light of the tragedy that claimed 17 lives, and the global revulsion and show of unity in the Paris protest march, the reaction was muted and perhaps ominously quiet. It has, however, raised troubling questions for the media and supporters of free speech. Was the cover an act of defiance and bravery or foolhardy and needlessly provocative? Salman Rushdie should know all about that, having spent long years in hiding after the fatwa, the death notice, and a reward on his head for his depiction of the Prophet in his book Satanic Verses. In his reaction to the Paris events, he said: “Artists who go to that edge and push outwards often find very powerful forces pushing back. They find the forces of silence opposing the forces of speech. The forces of

“Anything that can hurt the convictions of someone else, in particular religious convictions, should be avoided—freedom of expression should be exercised in a spirit of responsibility.” —Former French President Jacques Chirac 14 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

censorship against the forces of utterance. At that boundary is that push-and-pull between more and less. And that push and pull can be very dangerous to the artist. And many artists have suffered terribly for that.” It is indeed a long list, which also includes victims of Hindu fundamentalists, MF Husain and Wendy Doniger, to name just two. India was, in fact, the first country to ban Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, setting off a chain reaction. That is indeed the dilemma and the defining moment. SELF-CENSORSHIP NEEDED Intolerance is on the rise in most societies, encouraged in part, by the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, and the formation of a Narendra Modi-led government in India. For many governments, there are also issues to do with voting blocs and electoral pressures. For the media in general, it requires a dif-

ferent set of rules from those that existed before, and one of those is self-censorship. Charlie Hebdo could not have been published in India, or America, or in most parts of the free world. They all have laws that censor offensive, insulting, humiliating speech that could cause religious or ethnic offense and create a law and order problem. Charlie Hebdo once published a cartoon which showed an Indian man looking after his cow but mistreating his wife. Since it was a niche, limited circulation magazine in Paris, no one took notice, unlike the uproar last week over an American beer with an image of Gandhi on the label. The Paris attack has sharply divided opinion on freedom of expression. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot remarked that “freedom of expression is the cornerstone of a free society”. True, but in most democracies, including India, free speech is a fun-

damental human right but not an absolute right. In the immediate wake of the Paris killings, emotion trumped reason. In an editorial after the Paris attacks, Canada’s The Globe and Mail stated: “We honor Charlie Hebdo but we don’t want to be it.” It reinforces an unspoken truism; that every publication has the right to make its own choices, the right to defend Charlie Hebdo without holding its work up as canon or endorsing everything the satirical magazine did. In its January 8 print edition, Mint, the business paper published by Hindustan Times, frontpaged some of the cartoons and covers published by Charlie Hebdo. Two days later, it yanked that collage

ATTACK ON FREEDOM (Below) French citizen Fritz-Joly Joachin, suspected of being in touch with one of the Islamist militants responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attack, covers his face inside a courtroom. (Left) Scene outside the Charlie Hebdo office after the killings

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 15

Lede Media censorship

WASTED EFFORTS The late MF Husain, who was a victim of Hindu fundamentalists, spent many years in exile in Doha

from its online edition. There was a small explanatory paragraph which said that it was removed because the paper had received feedback that it had offended some, and that was never its intention. EXISTENTIAL CRISIS Others are now reflecting on what is becoming an existential crisis for many. Arthur Goldhammer, a polymathic translator, gave an erudite survey of Charlie Hebdo’s lineage in an article for Al Jazeera.com. “There is an old Parisian tradition of cheeky humour that respects nothing and no one,”

It is part of French tradition for satirists to puncture the self-puffery of the high and mighty. But in taking on Islamic fundamentalists, they are exposing themselves to danger.

16 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

he noted. “The French even have a word for it: gouaille. Think of obscene images of Marie Antoinette and other royals, of priests in flagrante delicto with nuns, of devils farting in the Pope’s face and Daumier’s caricatures of King Louis Philippe.…It’s an anarchic populist form of obscenity that aims to cut down anything that would erect itself as venerable, sacred or powerful.” As in many countries, France has a substantial body of hate law—it’s wrong to insult, slander and defame, to discriminate or to incite hatred based on religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, gender or sexual orientation. In 2008, actress Brigitte Bardot was found guilty on the basis of a letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, then France’s interior minister, in which she repeated her oft-stated view that Muslims and homosexuals were ruining the country. In 2011, designer John Galliano lost his job for his anti-Semitic ranting at patrons in a Paris cafe. When Charlie Hebdo republished the controversial Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in 2006, then French President Jacques Chirac issued a swift rebuke: “Anything that can hurt the convictions of someone else, in particular religious convictions, should be avoided—freedom of expression should be exercised in a spirit of responsibility.” The New York Times rationalized this position by saying it is “a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols, especially since the cartoons are so easy to describe in words.” Andrew O’Hehir, writing in Salon, put it in proper context. “The gunmen targeted an exposed and highly vulnerable node of democracy, a publication at the outer edges of acceptable public discourse, one that—once we get past the initial shock and the high-minded statements of principle—not everybody is ultimately eager to defend. Charlie Hebdo did not give a crap about a harmonious and orderly society, and didn’t even want one. It refused to submit to any authority, least of all the authority represented by good taste and sober judgment.” It was a view echoed by Tony Barber of Finan-

cial Times. While Barber stressed he was hardly condoning the killings, he wrote: “It is merely to say that some common sense would be useful at publications such as Charlie Hebdo, and Denmark’s JyllandsPosten, which purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims, but are actually just being stupid.” Ultimately, it is not just one image, one cartoon that offends. It is the accumulation of preexisting insults and perceived persecution. Amedy Coulibaly, the terrorist in the Jewish deli in Paris, went on about French forces in Mali, banning the hijab, taxes and fellow Muslims in jail before gunning down four innocent people in cold blood. INTOLERANT WORLD Here’s the conundrum. In many eyes, the assault on Charlie Hebdo represents a clash of civilizations: a Western one that champions freedom of speech and an Islamic one that does not tolerate offenses to its religious symbols. But the actual conflict is really one to do with freedom of expression and the growing intolerance in societies across the world. British writer Kenan Malik argues that the response to the fatwa and similar threats has been counterproductive. “Internalizing the fatwa has not just created a new culture of self-censorship, it has also helped generate the same problems to which selfcensorship was supposedly a response,” he writes. “The fear of giving offence has simply made it easier to take offence.” This dynamic, in turn, is breeding an insidious form of censorship, which is much more powerful and constraining than official censorship, and more difficult to confront. Even the United Nations noted last year that the threats to freedom of expression in North America and Western Europe are now coming more from private organizations than governments, with the principle especially contested online. Increasingly, plays, books and artwork are kept from the public because they could cause offense to one group or another. The slightest protest is often enough to make publishers and curators bow to the intimidation. Radicalization of the religiously vul-

To some, the assault on Charlie Hebdo represents a clash of civilizations: a Western one that champions freedom of speech and an Islamic one that does not tolerate offenses to its religious symbols. nerable translates into “take no prisoners”. Ahmet Merabet, a French policeman paid with his life—on live TV—defending a stance advocated by another Frenchman, Voltaire, the philosopher, who is credited with the phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The French wear it like a badge of honor. It is part of French tradition for provocateurs and satirists to puncture the self-puffery of the high and mighty. But in taking on Islamic fundamentalists, they are not just exposing themselves to danger but the entire

DANGEROUS LICENSE Salman Rushdie spent long years in hiding after a fatwa for his depiction of the Prophet in his book Satanic Verses

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 17

Lede Media censorship

FIGHT AGAINST TERROR Candlelight protestors gather in Berlin to say no to terrorism

French populace, including its police. The media may be a symbol of freedom and democracy but in times of heightened ethnic and religious tensions, that freedom must come with caution and wisdom, not irreverence and insults. There is another issue that affects the media all over the world. CORPORATE INTERESTS Publications like Charlie Hebdo are an exception, but as a rule, most media outlets, print, TV, digital, are part of a larger corporate entity. Sony’s decision not to air The Interview, a satire on North Korea’s leader, was in view of its larger corporate interests, not to mention the threat of violent response. Eventually, it was digital terrorists, hackers, who embarrassed Sony with leaked conversations and emails. In India, big business is increasingly investing in established media houses, to the point of dictating its editorial stance. Thankfully, the Indian media still remains a powerful pillar of democracy, but ownership by big business is starting to impact its credibility. The events in Paris have brought the struggle for free speech into stark relief. At times like this, the so-called liberal media shows its liberal side by providing a platform to radicals on both sides of the religious divide to air their views. It’s a knee-jerk

18 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

reaction that can backfire. The outpouring of support for freedom of expression immediately after the Paris attacks was countered by backlash against an op-ed piece written by Anjem Choudary, in which the radical British Islamist justified the attacks by claiming that Muslims don’t believe in free speech and that France shouldn’t have allowed the cartoons to be published. Many people argued that he shouldn’t have been given a platform in the press, particularly at a moment like this. We are all just getting used to the radically altered climate of public discourse in the Internet age, which has given voices and platforms to all sorts of people and groups who didn’t have them before. Social media can rouse righteous anger against powerful people but it can also unleash overheated, uninformed assaults against what is seen as offensive, insulting voices. Voices like Charlie Hebdo. It is time to accept that the unceasingly intolerant world we live in is the new normal. Freedom of expression is a right we should preserve with all our might, while also being mindful of the fact that we live in an imperfect, fractured world. The media does not have to abandon its basic principles but it needs to remember the words spoken by that same French writer and satirist, Voltaire. “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Lede

Media censorship

Are you

CHARLIE?

This is the debate which has split newsrooms all over the world as they discuss how to report acts of terror vis-Ă -vis freedom of the press BY VISHWAS KUMAR

SYMBOL OF PROTEST A protestor holds the Je Suis Charlie poster that has become the anthem of global defiance

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 19

Lede

Media censorship

he cold-blooded killing of staffers of French magazine Charlie Hebdo (CH) by terrorists on January 10 has thrown up a host of questions that have become part of debates in newsrooms all over the world. Leaked emails from Al Jazeera, the Doha-based English news channel, have revealed that the questions include: Was the killing an attack on the freedom of press or was it an act of revenge for the magazine publishing cartoons lampooning Muhammad? Was the magazine’s lampooning of the high and mighty and icons of various faiths a “misuse of freedom of press”? Who is to decide what is offensive or not? Rule of law or a mob? These issues have become much more contentious in global media organizations as staffers come from different backgrounds, cultures, religions

and identities and there is little consensus on them. This was evident recently when leaked e-mails from the Al Jazeera newsroom were published by the New York-based National Review magazine and showed the split between the network’s Arab core and Western journalists working for them as they debated the line to take in the Charlie Hebdo attack. LEAKED EMAIL Soon after the killing in France, Al Jazeera’s English editor and executive producer, Salah-Aldeen Khadr, sent out an e-mail reminding staffers that “we are

PR DISASTER (Left) The Al Jazeera newsroom that debated hotly what line to take on the Charlie Hebdo issue. (Above) People in Paris react as they attend a national tribute for those killed in the CH attack

20 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Al Jazeera!!!" and therefore should question and raise the following points in their coverage. He wrote: “This was a targeted attack, not a broad attack on the French population a la Twin towers or 7/7 style (London tube bombing). So who was this attack against? The whole of France/EU society? Or specifically this magazine? The difference lies in how this is reported, not in how terrible the act is obviously– murder is murder either way… but poses a narrower question of the ‘why’? Attack on French society and values? Only if you consider CH’s racist caricatures to be the best of European intellectual production

(total whitewash on that at the moment).” He continued: “Was this really an attack on ‘free speech’? Who is attacking free speech here exactly? Does an attack by 2-3 guys on a controversial magazine equate to a civilization attack on European values…? Really?” “‘I am Charlie’ as an alienating slogan —with us or against us type of statement—one can be anti-

“Defending freedom of expression in the face of oppression is one thing; insisting on the right to be obnoxious, offensive just because you can is infantile.” —Al Jazeera’s English editor and executive producer, Salah-Aldeen Khadr

CH’s racism and ALSO against murdering people (!) (Obvious I know but worth stating),” he suggested. Suggesting that Charlie Hebdo was deliberately provocative, he concluded: “Defending freedom of expression in the face of oppression is one thing; insisting on the right to be obnoxious and offensive just because you can is infantile.” CORRESPONDENTS RESPOND Khadr’s email got quick response from Al Jazeera correspondents posted in various places. US-based correspondent Tom Ackerman wrote back quoting an op-ed article by Ross Douthat in The New York Times: “If a large enough group of someone is willing to kill you for saying something, then it’s something that almost certainly needs to be said, because otherwise the violent have veto power over liberal civilization.” Doha-based correspondent Mohamed Vall Salem responded to Ackerman: “I guess if you encourage people to go on insulting 1.5 billion people about their most sacred icons then you just want more killings because as I said in 1.5 billion there will remain some fools who don’t abide by the laws or know about free speech.” Salem added that he thought “what Charlie Hebdo did was not free speech, it was an abuse of free speech,” and ended by condemning the “heinous killings” and saying: “I’M NOT CHARLIE.” Salem’s rejoinder prompted senior correspondent in Paris, Jacky Rowland to write: “We are Al Jazeera. So, a polite reminder: #journalismisnotacrime.” This led another staffer, Omar al Saleh, to say: "First I condemn the brutal killing. But I AM VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 21

Lede Charlie Hebdo attack

SIMILAR PHILOSOPHY Novelist and writer Taslima Nasreen in an article came out in support of the caricature artists

NOT CHARLIE. JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME. INSULTISM IS NOT JOURNALISM. AND NOT DOING JOURNALISM PROPERLY IS CRIME.” Al Jazeera’s newsroom debate was also reflected in public discourse in India. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, while condemning the killing, added that it was an “obvious backlash” to the “war on terror”. He said: “It is a horrible thing that has happened, I am outraged. However, there is no war in which the enemy does not hit back and what we are seeing is that terror groups are hitting back in the war against terror that was unleashed after the 9/11 attacks." This elicited sharp reaction from everyone, including his own party. TASLIMA SUPPORT However, the best response came from novelist and writer Taslima Nasreen. In an edit page article in The Times of India, titled, “Will gunmen get me too?” she wrote about her own experience of facing threats from Islamic fundamentalists and shared a personal

“If a large enough group…is willing to kill you for saying something, then it’s something that almost certainly needs to be said, because otherwise the violent have veto power over liberal civilization.” —Ross Douthat in The New York Times 22 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

note on a meeting she had with CH cartoonists and staffers in Paris. “If they (CH) kept drawing ‘offensive’ cartoons, they were told, they’d be murdered. And they still drew their cartoons. Their office was firebombed, their names appeared on Al-Qaida’s most wanted list, and they still didn’t close their doors. Many artists feel their plight today — fighting fatwas, death threats, exile,” she wrote. Referring to the people at CH, she wrote: “They were all such wonderful human beings—those cartoonists. They were adept not only at the art of comedy; they dearly loved a laugh themselves. Their philosophy was similar with mine—they absolutely rejected religious fundamentalism, violence and terror. They were, on their part, worried about my safety and security.” She defended CH’s lampooning as “intelligent works of art. Some people complain they were provocative. But they have all the right to be provocative and no one should have the right to kill them….” She strongly advocated reforming Islam to check fundamentalists. “Islamic fundamentalism is not a negligible problem. If one wants to address this problem, one has to go to its very roots…. as long as Islam remains unreformed, there can be no end to terror.” And it is these voices raised globally to the “I AM CHARLIE” campaign and the debate it has sparked within the Muslim community that has proved that the pen is mightier than the gun.

My Space

Rahul Rao

Obama visit

Seize the moment U

S President Barack Obama’s visit to India for Republic Day expectedly grabbed the media spotlight. Details of the chief guest’s visit, his security arrangements, the special preparations undertaken by Air Force One, the Presidential aircraft, flitted across the Indian media. The fact that this was the first time a US President was visiting India as chief guest for Republic Day made it a historic visit. Naturally, the euphoria was triggered by expectations of better geo-political and economic relations between the two countries.While many argued that Modi’s “biggest diplomatic coup” was nothing more than a symbolic visit, quietly both sides were working to put on table a host of issues that lie at the heart of Indo-US relations.

PIB

Speaking at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Secretary of State, John Kerry said the countries would broadly focus on four key areas of engagement: climate change, defence, civil nuclear cooperation and economic partnership. Both counties realize the importance they have in each other’s scheme of things. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal stated: “We see this as an incredibly important opportunity.” Experts credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his pro-active foreign policy in this renewed interest in India from global leaders. Harsh V Pant, Professor of International Relations at King's College, London, wrote in his column for NDTV: “A lot of credit for this new-found American seriousness towards India should go to Modi's bold foreign policy moves since assuming office.”During Modi’s maiden

One hopes, Obama’s R-day visit would go beyond symbolism and photo-ops.

visit to the US in October, the duo didn’t get much time to develop a personal relationship. They did visit the iconic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. They again met at the ASEAN summit, where Obama called Modi “a man of action”. But the kind of “selfie” clicking friendship Modi shares with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is not what he shares with the US President. Modi has to build on the goodwill he created on the American home turf. While Modi’s US visit was more of a show of strength for the Indian-American community, with numerous possibilities knocking at the door, one hopes that Obama’s R-day visit would be more than just a photo-op. Rahul Rao is Senior, Edgemont High School, New York VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 23

Spotlight Conversions

LAUNDERING THE R SOUL eports of conversions in some of the mainline English newspapers over the past month have served as a megaphone for the exaggerated claims of Hindutva votaries. They have fanned the perception of Hinduism in danger. The reports paint an alarming picture but provide little evidence to support the charge of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliates that Christian outfits deploy stacks of cash, supplied by Western evangelical organizations, to grease the religious crossover of Hindus. If there is money in it, it may be for the pastors as incentives are attached to numbers. The Christian converts have to reckon with the loss of welfare benefits, like scholarships and reservations or free electricity, like in Punjab. RSS volunteers admit to using this deterrent to prevent conversions and to win converts. The reporters may not be biased; their overstatements may be a tactic plan to secure prime space for their stories. The headlines and blurbs given by sub-editors tend to be at variance with the substance of the stories and at times, plain wrong. This effort at “sexing” up the story may be to attract eyeballs. The reports analyzed for this story appeared in The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Economic Times but are not individually mentioned below, unless they belong to another daily or website. These papers have been vocal in their denunciations of attempts to create communal discord. Hence, institutional bias can be ruled out. A December 22 report has the RSS and its affiliates claiming the conversion of 8,000 Christians in

24 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Mainstream newspaper reporters, in a hurry to grab prime space for their stories, may be fanning communal tensions by not questioning conversion claims BY VIVIAN FERNANDES

Punjab over three years, 3,500 of them in the past year. Another RSS outfit, in another daily, puts the number of reconverts in the state from Christianity at 17,000 in just one year—or more than 46 a day. There is no way to verify these figures. This, however, serves the purpose of the Hindutva-vadis. VOTEBANK POLITICS The reports say the RSS is actively engaged in reversing largescale desertions from Sikhism to Christianity in the border districts. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal is reportedly miffed because Dalit Christians are its vote-bank, proof of which is Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s promise of building “Masihi Bhavans” in the state. The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Com-

mittee (SGPC), which controls Sikh places of worship, is reported to be indifferent to the ghar wapsi campaign, which is the RSS’s euphemism for conversions to Hinduism. SGPC spokesperson Dalmegh Singh declares the Committee is not involved in ghar wapsi. He reiterates the position in the December 30 edition of The Tribune, in response to a Hindu outfit’s claim that 128 Christian families had converted to Sikhism in Amritsar. “We have nothing to do with it. The gurdwara, where the event was held, was not under the SGPC. We

oppose forced religious conversions,” he says. But a woman member of the SGPC admits she is engaged in the campaign in her private capacity. She is alarmed; conversions to Christianity are happening even in Amritsar, the seat of Sikhism (which might well be true, but what is the scale?). If there were mass desertions, would the SGPC outsource reconversions to the RSS? A reporter says the Shiromani Akali Dal (which controls the SGPC) no longer espouses only the Sikh cause; in 1996 it inserted “secularism”

IN THE NAME OF RELIGION VHP performing a ghar wapsi ceremony in Agra in December last year

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 25

Spotlight Conversions

into its constitution. Dalit Christians are its supporters and it has been fielding Hindu candidates. But a change of labels is not proof of deep-seated change in the party. The SAD is not averse to playing the communal card. Badal has sought the release of 13 Khalistani terrorists serving sentences in various states. His party also did not prevent the honoring of Prime Minster Indira Gandhi’s killers by the SGPC. It is difficult to believe that the party would countenance a depletion of its core constituency (Sikhs) on the assumption that those migrating to another faith (Christianity) would still leave its vote base intact. TRIGGERING CONFUSION A report, “Christian conversions fuel tension” in The Times of India, should have been more appropriately headlined as “Conversion talk fuels tension” or “Reconversions fuel tension”. The story is an amalgam of reports from Bahraich and Agra. It is quite confusing. An Agra woman is said to 26 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

have converted to Christianity. The police deny it. After the act, she disappears. The reporter says she has gone underground. The police say she has left the village for work! A police complaint is said to have been filed in her name. Did she file it? She is said to have been accompanied to the police station by two VHP members. She claims to have been lured to Christianity with material inducements but the complaint is against two Hindus! In Bahraich’s Navinagar Mohraniya village, 70 Hindus are reported to have converted. Cops call it a rumor. The same reporter had on December 20 said a similar number of Hindus converted to Christianity in Kamalapur village. The symmetry of numbers raises doubts about their veracity. A December 25 story mentioned that an RSS affiliate had put off its planned ghar wapsi of 5,000 Christians and Muslims families of Aligarh on Christmas Eve. The report painted a fantastic picture of “cadres” lying in wait for the winter session of parliament to end. They were said to

MORE THAN FRINGE POLITICS? Mass reconversions were being carried out by the VHP in Gujarat when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (below) gave his stamp of approval to the ghar wapsi drive for the first time in a speech made in Kolkata

be “camping” in the nearby villages (with soul traps presumably) and keeping an eye on the “target” families so that “missionaries” do not persuade them to take part in Christmas celebrations. The Hindutva outfit was apprehensive the local administration might help church representatives talk to those waiting to make the crossover. Has the church co-opted the UP administration too? CONJECTURE AND CONFUSION Numerous other newspaper articles have added to the confusion over conversions. A January 11 feature story in a Sunday newspaper said a convert from Christianity to Sikhism in Amritsar “made SOS calls” to RSS activists as several pastors from the neighborhood “descended” on his house and asked him to seek forgiveness from the Lord for “straying”. It is the kind of attention that an organ failure patient on death bed would get. Such is the imagery invoked. The guy may have been put under psychological pressure to rethink his decision (his house is attached to a Pentecostal church) but

would that necessitate emergency calls? The 44-year-old small-time A report says a caterer was born a Christian. He adconvert from mits he was a loser of state benefits beChristianity in cause of his faith. His family, including Amritsar “made two sons, has taken on Sikh names, but SOS calls” to the “it will be hard to forget Christ so RSS, as pastors soon.” Is it all for convenience? came to his A widow with a fractured leg in house, asking Bhikhiwind (Tarn Taran district) is rehim to seek portedly intercepted by an RSS volunteer while being helped into a car by a forgiveness Pentecostal pastor, and taken to a hosfrom the Lord. pital where the tab is picked by donors. The Good Samaritan says but for his timely action “they would have converted her”. The conjecture is not questioned. Gandhi Ram, 60, a daily wager, says he was born to Christian parents and “returned” to Hinduism. If he was born a Christian he was never converted. How can he return when he was never a Hindu? Gurmeet Kaur, 46, of Gurdaspur, says free VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 27

Spotlight Conversions

ATTRACTIVE VOTEBANK Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (right) has promised to build “Masihi Bhavans” in the state

medical treatment of her husband did the trick for her (the word used is “enticed”). She gave up Christianity after 27 years. Not a long time to suffer a fraud? A painter, who was a Christian, says he was “enlightened” about his Valmiki roots by his Hindutva guide. He does not speak; his mentor does. Rajbir Singh, 36, a Mazhabi Sikh of Dasuya, says he returned because he was troubled that he had upset the gurus. A December 30 report from Gaya gives a different spin to conversions. The story is about 42 Mahadalit families converting to Christianity on Christmas Eve. Rajniti Devi, one of the converts, is described as illiterate but articulate and aware. She is the wife of a mason, a reformed alcoholic. Far from giving them money, the pastors (called “missionaries”) taught them expenditure management, she says. They campaigned against gambling and alcoholism, which the Mahadalits used to ascribe to evil spirits. Sadly, the report is based on just one conversation with a convert. A previous day’s report speaks of the Mahadalits seeking police protection after their village is raided by a group of people. DETAILED REPORTING A good investigative story on conversions is by Supriya Sharma in Scroll.in on December 28. She visited a dozen tribal villages in Gujarat’s Valsad district four days after a mass “reconversion” event was organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). This was around the time when RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat declared, on December 21 in Kolkata, that India is a Hindu country and there is nothing wrong

It is difficult to believe that the SAD would countenance a depletion of its core constituency on the assumption that those migrating to another faith would still leave its vote base intact.

28 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

in getting stolen “maal” (read converts) back. Sharma met a VHP worker, earlier a mobilizer for Oxfam, a London-based NGO that champions fair trade. He said tribals convert to Christianity in the hope of cures but revert when they are disappointed. Those who participated in the Valsad ceremony had stopped practising Christianity for some time .The “reconversion” was only a formality, in his view. A tea vendor in one of the villages sported a Hanuman locket, proof that he was at the reconversion ceremony. He said he was drawn by the prospect of a meal of baigan ki sabzi, dal and rice. Sharma speculates that the large crowds at the Valsad ceremony were attracted by the food. Earlier, adivasis were one people, said a tribal. But they are now divided into sects like Moksh Marg, Swaminarayan and Sanatan Dharma. Christianity would have fitted in, except that it is a break from tribal culture, says Sharma. Christian converts did not participate in the Vagh Baras ceremony because idolatry is forbidden. When Sharma visited a village, preparations were on for Natal, as Christmas is known in these parts. Converts told her they changed faith to feel better, to get rid of pain. She found a church nearly empty on Christ-

mas Day. Tribal folk were attending a get-together of faith healers (bhagats) organized by the VHP with lunch thrown in. Elsewhere, there was an 11day Bhagwat Katha underway at a temple. Certainly, there is competition to grab tribal eyeballs. “The act of changing religion is hardly a dramatic one as the sands of faith are constantly shifting,” says Sharma. The reasons could vary from mental solace to material relief. Sukhdev Singh, 58, of Amritsar, says he converted from Sikhism to Christianity three years after a pastor of the Church of Nazareth tended to him after he puked blood. His son is a pastor, his son-in-law too and now he has himself become one. He cannot read, so he does not know much about his religion. They get a small salary and “by the grace of Christ, have built a new house.” He has retained his surname so he can get SC benefits.

Buta Masih, a pastor of a Bengaluru-based missionary society in The reasons for Gurdaspur’s Dinanagar, says many of converting could his relatives are pastors and they earn a vary from good living. “The church helped my mental solace to brother to build his house, bought a material relief. motorcycle for him and also gives him It is hard to fuel. He is given a good salary which shake the rises according to the number of conversions he is able to do.” feeling that this It is hard to shake the feeling that issue has more talk of conversions and reconversions to do with has more to do with politics than with politics than faith. And perhaps money for those with faith. who launder the souls. By not interrogating the claims, reporters may be inadvertently causing communal unease and harming our secular democracy.

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Review

Editor Unplugged

WHEN THE TABLES

ARE TURNED

Vinod Mehta’s book takes a close look at the corporatization of media and other issues plaguing journalism BY RASHME SEHGAL inod Mehta belongs to India’s exTata and Mukesh Ambani, “less by her beauty and more tinct breed of great liberal editors. by her brains”. A 20-minute meeting with Ratan Tata He has done more to enliven the went on for two hours and left him so impressed that media scene with a string of he ended up sacking 14 PR agencies servicing the 90successful newspaper and magaodd companies he controlled to hand their account to zine launches than probably any Niira on a platter. Ambani followed suit and hired her other editor in post-Independence India. to help lobby on behalf of his controversial RIL gas His latest book, Editor Unplugged, may have been fields in the Krishna-Godavari basin. And as she flitted written in his deprecating, understated across the country, working hard to enstyle but is high on wit and substance. sure that DMK’s A Raja in his avatar as In the book’s opening pages, Mehta telecom minister helped twitch the syswrites about the string of publications tem in favor of her client, she moved he has helped launch, including from lobbying “into the realms of crimDebonair, The Sunday Observer, The Ininality”. What Radia did not know as dian Post, The Independent, Pioneer and she manipulated the system to get her Outlook, and how he groomed an even job done was that all her conversations longer list of outstanding journalists. with her political well-wishers and However, it is really with his descripclients were being recorded to be selection of Niira Radia and her ability to dig tively released by her opponents. her tentacles into two of our biggest Mehta’s decision to carry the tranBook: Editor Unplugged corporate houses —Tata and the Amscripts of the Radia tapes in Outlook By: Vinod Mehta bani groups—that the book comes alive proved his undoing. Not only did Tata Publisher: ePnguin Books India to expose the sleaze and skulduggery retaliate by filing a criminal defamation Price: Rs 59, Pages: 30 that has become an indelible part of suit against the Outlook group on India’s political landscape. grounds of breach of privacy (since the tapes carried Radia was able, according to Mehta, to “mesmerize” conversations between him and Niira), but the 90 or so two of India’s leading corporate heads, namely, Ratan companies under his stewardship also withdrew their 30 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

advertising, running into several crores annually. As Mehta girded his loins to walk into the sunset, he drew strength from the experience of many of his glorious predecessors, who had also been dumped in a most inglorious fashion. He cites the example of the coup d’etat conducted by Samir Jain when he wanted to get rid of Girilal Jain in 1988. He waited for him to leave the country and had the print line changed just as The Times of India was going to the press. MJ Akbar met the same fate. He was informed by colleagues that his name was missing from the masthead of The Asian Age. No wonder the vice-chairman of Bennett & Coleman is alluded to as “Samir the destroyer”. Mehta himself beat an inglorious exit from The Times of India because he could not reconcile himself to its reigning philosophy of ensuring editors remained subservient to the marketing sections of the newspaper. Not that Samir Jain is the only proprietor with a reputation of being an editor-eater. Another proprietor who made short shrift of Mehta was the late LM Thapar, who owned The Pioneer.

ehta’s departure from The Pioneer makes for riveting reading. He writes: “The late LM Thapar humiliated me for an act of insubordination he considered unforgivable—I walked out of a meeting he was chairing during which I was unfairly targeted.” Mehta went on to offer him an explanation and a full apology—both of which were rejected. Some intermediaries arranged a meeting where it was agreed Mehta would repeat the apology but Thapar was not present at the appointed hour, leading Mehta with no choice but to write his resignation. Mehta’s book touches upon several key subjects which continue to plague Indian journalism. One subject that he discusses at length is the increasing corporatization of the

Mehta’s decision to carry the transcripts of the Radia tapes in Outlook proved his undoing. Tata retaliated, filed a defamation suit and the 90 or so companies under his stewardship withdrew their advertising. media. He believes this is inevitable, given that corporate houses alone have deep pockets that can sustain such an expensive business. Unlike in the past, where media houses were owned by dominant families, the present trend is for corporates to buy into established media houses without acquiring majority share. Consequently, while formally and officially a media company like Living Media, founded by Aroon Purie, can run several newspapers, weeklies, fortnightlies, monthlies and also two TV news channels, the Aditya Birla Groups sits on 27.5 per cent of its equity. Similarly, Prannoy Roy’s NDTV has sold 14.7 percent shareholding to Oswal Green Tech, a company connected to former Congress MP, Naveen Jindal, who has also launched his own Hindi

COURTING CONTROVERSY Vinod Mehta’s book touches subjects that plague Indian journalism

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 31

Review

Editor Unplugged

HYPE AND BUST Niira Radia, whose leaked conversations created a sensation

channel. There are many such examples in his book, leading to the conclusion that corporate buying of media is inevitable as they are the only people who have deep pockets. For Mehta, the issue of concern is not corporate control of the media as much as increasing levels of cartelization, resulting in media dominance by a few media merchants. He cites the example of how Reliance Industries Limited, owned by Mukesh Ambani, has emerged as the largest media conglomerate in the country having first bought CNN-IBN and then, buying over the entire TV 18 group.

he author worries that corporate ownership should not end up as an “oligopoly” where a few firms dominate a market, with the larger media companies buying out the smaller companies. The only way the media scene can survive in a democracy is by ensuring media plurality. Mehta cites the examples of smaller publications such as Tehelka, The Caravan, Economic and Political Weekly, Prabhat Khabar from Jharkhand and Jan Morcha from Faizabad as being gems, which despite miniscule resources, are doing excellent work, often exposing corruption in state governments on a regular basis. The book concludes with an essay on Narendra

32 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Modi where the author attempts to provide some insights into the Prime Minister’s little-known personality. He is not able to shed too much light except to inform the reader that Modi is a loner in the company of illustrious predecessors such as Albert Einstein, Greta Garbo and Alfred Hitchcock, who too were loners. To rectify this lacuna, he sent Outlook’s senior writer, Saba Naqvi, to Gujarat in 2007 on what he nicknames tongue-in-cheek as Mission Impossible. Saba was expected to put together a portrait of Modi as a human being. She failed in her objective. Mehta writes of her defeat thus: “Even the enterprising Saba had to concede defeat though she did manage to collect a few odds and ends.” Saba had little to report except to confirm that few get through “the armor of authority that he wears, no one can claim to have established a personal, warm relationship with the CM”. Saba also wrote about a popular joke about Modi, which was doing the rounds in the state BJP in Gujarat, where Modi was compared to Raju guide played by Dev Anand in the movie Guide. In 1996, he was exiled from Gujarat for fanning trouble and lived for several years in the national headquarters in Delhi. Five years later, he was catapulted as chief minister of Gujarat, allowing “Raju the guide became a Mahatma”. This could be one of the reasons why he remains obsessed with his public image and gets up at 4.30 am, to access his mail and check out all the Google alerts. Mehta laments that there is little personal information about Modi in the public domain unlike earlier BJP leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose unusual domestic arrangement involved living with his best friend’s wife or LK Advani, who dotes on his family, and has his daughter as his chief political strategist. “The people have a right to demand some familiarity with his likes and dislikes, his disposition. There is nothing prurient in the demand,” Mehta adds.

Publishing Metro reads

THE COMMODIFICATION OF POPULAR LITERATURE Publishing has undergone a change. Books are racy, priced cheaply and churned out fast to grab a wider market. As for style and content, that hardly matters BY SHAMITA HARSH

he age of Metro Reads in on. And if Rupa Publications has its way, it will have all of us believe that we live in the Age of Chetan Bhagat. But it wasn’t always like this; fast-paced reads were not an indelible part of Indian literature as it is now. Today, Bhagat’s books often sell beyond the million mark. But what is the USP? How can an author with no writing background and more importantly, no godfather in the publishing industry, achieve such glory? A dash of Hinglish, a pinch of masala, raciness, nominal prices and satisfying endings and voila, the potion is ready. Content and style are secondary. Sadly, this is what has become widely prevalent in our publishing i dustry. Though most of Bhagat’s critics mention his writing skills as “full of Indianisms” and “mediocre”, this seems to have become hisUSP.

SERIAL BESTSELLER Chetan Bhagat’s books often sell beyond the million mark

A DREAM RUN In 2008, The New York Times called him “the biggest- selling English language novelist in India’s history” and in 2010, Time named him as “one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World”. His books sell, he is popular and he has somehow managed to show a dream: anyone can be a writer. But no one has scrutinized how Bhagat singleVIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 33

Publishing Metro reads

GETTING THE FORMULA RIGHT (Below) Sachin Tendulkar at his book launch; (below right) Author Amish Tripathi, who came out with the Shiva Trilogy

handedly become a youth icon. How did he manage to get so many young minds to pick up a book, let alone read? Meanwhile, the publishing industry too started to introspect about why it was not doing well and why it was largely unrecognized. Then, things slowly changed. In streamed a horde of YouTube videos called Book Trailers, Facebook pages for Book Launch invites and promotion activities. From roughly one major literature festival a year, India saw 60 in 2013. The need to communicate with readers became more urgent than ever before, especially when there was such a massive young readership to be won over. The birth of the average middle-class reader, who couldn’t afford to shell out too much for a book suddenly found them costing less than Rs 200. What made it possible was the intense marketing of publishing house Rupa. Others followed suit. From Pen-

34 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

guin devoting an entire company for young authors called Partridge Publishing and acquiring Random House Publishers, to big giants opening a separate genre called Metro Reads, a revolution was well under way. Bhagat’s success was followed by a bunch of other aspiring authors who experimented with different formulas to grab the short attention span of today’s reader. Young authors like Nikita Singh,

SOME METRO READS

Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams: PG Bhaskar No Deadline For Love: Manasi Vaidya What Did I Ever See in Him:Amrita Sharma Love Over Coffee: Amrit N Shetty Where Girls Dare: Bhavna Chauhan Can Love Happen Twice?: Ravinder Singh She Broke Up, I Didn’t: Durjoy Datta Love@Facebook: Nikita Singh

Ravinder Singh and Durjoy Datta marked the age of newbie writers leaving their small yet consequential imprints on the market. They picked up slice-of-life stories from India and compiled them into coffee-table books. Romance bestsellers too swamped book stores, captivating young readers. The demographic change had started affecting publishing too. HEAVY MARKETING But there was a loophole: Discoverability. And in order to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;discoveredâ&#x20AC;?, every author had to do heavy marketing and extensive interaction on social media. Gone were the days when only booksellers were targeted. Today, there was a wider audience to be grabbed. Outsourcing distribution became the key to success, saved budgets and spread profits wider. Many authors also resorted to self-publishing. In the process, they forgot the dark reality. A one-book wonder was not enough to sustain

them; a series would be better. And in this department, author Amish Tripathi created quite a sensation with his book, The Immortals of Meluha, the first novel of the Shiva Trilogy. Non-fiction too began to attract many authors. Celebrities were coming out with autobiographies, looking for grounds to inspire, and opinion leaders were delving into grave issues of our democracy. But despite this great churning, there was a certain sortcoming. Even though India is the seventh largest book producing nation, there was little discipline in the publishing industry. There were endless chains of publishers, opening box-sized offices in Daryaganj in Old Delhi and competing with big publishers. Delusional contracts, unkept promises and demanding writers-this is what Indian publishing has been reduced to. If the publishing industry has to survive, it needs to change its practices and stop the commodification of literature.

GARNERING INTEREST Javed Akhtar and Ila Arun at the Jaipur Literature Festival, 2014

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 35

Interview Rahul Pandita

“VERY FEW EDITORS TODAY CAN CALL A SPADE A SPADE” There is much that is ailing journalism, says RAHUL PANDITA, after his resignation from The Hindu RAHUL PANDITA recently quit The Hindu after writing a blunt letter to editor Malini Parthasarathy. It went viral immediately. It documented the daily struggles he battled to fulfill his duties as the opinion and special stories editor. He said that as an op-ed editor he had to be left free to run the page but there was absolutely no freedom for him to do so as every article to be commissioned has to go through her approval. “I am bogged down with this hourly need to consult you,” he wrote. The author of Hello Bastar and Our Moon has Blood Clots, however, has no illusions about the fact that his mail wouldn’t change the attitude of seniormost editors and proprietors in terms of giving editorial independence to their staff. He talks to SOMI DAS about his resignation, the state of conflict reporting in India and future plans. What role did you have at The Hindu? When I joined The Hindu, my role was clear: to anchor some top-notch reportage. Also, I wanted to bring new and fresh voices to the Op-ed pages. But it was becoming increasingly difficult. Since I don't see myself as a clerk, or a private secretary, I quit. How did your resignation letter go viral? That is the nature of social media —it is very egalitarian. It cannot be controlled by a newspaper or an individual. It has a life of its own. My resignation letter said everything. A letter like this is also very aspirational. Many journalists want to do this. But they cannot do so since they have families and EMIs to take care of. Even I have, but I don't care. 36 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Many editors have resigned from The Hindu in a short span of time. What happened? I cannot comment on why others left. They need to speak for themselves. More and more journalists are declaring their resignations either on social media or they get leaked. Isn’t that being unfair to the organization one has worked for? Why is resigning and airing your differences a private affair? Doesn’t the media talk about accountability and openness from politicians and government servants? Why can't they be under the scanner themselves? Sermonizing about account-

ACTION-PACKED LIFE Pandita camps at a Maoist shelter in Bastar

ability and not practicing it is complete hypocrisy. What are you future plans? I have a life beyond journalism. I am working on a screenplay for Vidhu Vinod Chopra, based on my Kashmir memoir, Our Moon Has Blood Clots. I am also very passionate about running and want to do a 100-km run by the end of this year. I want to resume travelling to Maoist areas. I want to be known as the best-ever scholar on David Foster Wallace. I want to read tons of Hindi poetry. Many young journalists are choosing to become independent professionals rather than be confined to a major newspaper. Last year, some of the best

Media is only interested in Maoist areas when there is a big attack on the paramilitary forces. It does not care a fig about the North-east. It has largely no understanding of the region. stories came from independent journalists like Neha Dixit and Priyanka Dubey. What is the reason for this? This trend will only increase. I think the internet is an independent journalist's best friend. Space for good and solid journalism in conventional media is shrinking. That is why we need more reporters like Neha and Priyanka. May their tribe increase. VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 37

Interview Rahul Pandita

AN ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE Rahul Pandita’s book Hello Bastar deals with Maoist voices. His second book, Our Moon has Blood Clots, on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, is being made into a film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Most journalists are only interested in power-play, and in getting close to politicians and lobbyists. Many have been exposed in the last few years. To me, field reporting is paramount.

a fig about the North-east, nor has much understanding of the region.

Where do you think conflict reporting stands in India? Do journalists from Delhi really understand the problems in J&K, the North-east or the Maoist problem? No, they are not interested in conflict areas. Most are only interested in power-play, and in getting close to politicians and lobbyists. Many have been exposed in the last few years. People will reject them completely. To me, field reporting is paramount. I do not compromise on it. And someone who doesn't do that will never care about whether he has a platform like The Hindu or not. If there is no platform, I'll put my stories on my blog and a few hundred will read it anyway.

Journalists these days are often trolled, branded right-wing, left-wing pseudointellectuals, Naxal sympathizers and what not. Why is there so much anger against them? Journalists have partially brought it upon themselves. Today, there are very few editors who have the courage to call a spade a spade. A journalist should never care about what he is labeled as long as he remains true to his profession, as long as he goes out and reports. For journalists and editors who stay put in Delhi and think they know everything, I will quote these lines from one of my favorite lyricists, Shailendra: “Upar neeche, neeche upar, lehar chale jeevan ki, Nadaan hai jo beth kinare pooche raha watan ki. (The waves of life go up and down. Silly is he who sits by the banks and asks about the way to the country).”

Do you think enough space is being given to conflict areas by mainstream media. Media is only interested in Maoist areas when there is a big attack on paramilitary forces. It does not care

Will your resignation letter make proprietors and editors rethink their attitude towards journalists? Stop dreaming.

38 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Sports Controversy

ce shuttler Saina Nehwal recently created a stir by making her discontent public over the rejection of her name for the prestigious Padma Bhushan awards for 2104. Then, the Sports Ministry went ahead and recommended her name. While most sportspersons preferred to keep quiet over the issue, some came on record. Golfer Shiv Kapur stated that awards are to be got and and not demanded:“Sportspersons should consider awards as bonus and not their right.” He clarified that he was not saying this due to Saina’s demand, but had held this view for as long as he had been playing. “Awards will come, but you don’t play for them. You play to win medals.” Many other sportspersons concurred with the

view, but preferred not to criticize Saina publicly. Many felt that Saina, being a celebrated sportsperson, may have been “misguided” in demanding the award, alongside two-time Olympic medalist, wrestler Sushil Kumar. As time and sport move forward, there will be numerous Olympic and other world champions from India. Doubtless there will be a lot more sportspersons worthy of being decorated with the highest awards, including the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and even the Bharat Ratna. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar got Bharat Ratna at the end of his amazing career, lasting close to a quarter of a century. In 2010, four sportspersons, Mary Kom, Vijender Kumar, Saina Nehwal and Gagan Narang, got the Padma Shri and it was only a year later that wrestler Sushil Kumar was given the

RACE FOR

AWARDS Saina’s pique at being left out of the Padma Bhushan list can stir up a hornet’s nest BY V KRISHNASWAMY

Sports Controversy

SPORTSPERSONS WHO COULD HAVE BEEN IN RUNNING FOR PADMA BHUSHAN IN 2014 Achievements since 2008 Sushil Kumar: Padma Shri in 2011 2008: Bronze at Olympics 2010: World Championships and Commonwealth Games 2012: bronze at Olympics 2014: Gold at Commonwealth Games

Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal may have opened a Pandora’s box after recommending Saina’s name. There are many who may be feeling the same as Saina. PLAY THE GAME (Top right) Golfer Shiv Kapur stated that awards are to be got and not demanded

same award. Interestingly, Mary Kom got the Padma Bhushan in 2013, three years after she won the Padma Shri. Nobody complained and no one quoted rules stating that there should to be a fiveyear gap between the two Padma awards. The reason: Mary Kom won five world titles between 2002 and 2010 and women’s boxing came into Olympics only in 2012; it came onto the Commonwealth Games agenda in 2014. After recommending Saina’s name, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal may have opened a Pandora’s box. Why not recommend the names of boxer Vijender Singh, shooter Gagan Narang and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, since they all won Olympic medals alongside Saina in London? At the risk of sounding churlish, a noteworthy

40 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

Vijender Kumar: Padma Shri in 2010 2008: Bronze at Beijing Olympics 2009: Bronze at World Championships 2010: Bronze at Commonwealth Games and Gold Medal at Asian Games Saina Nehwal: Padma Shri in 2010 2008: Quarter-final at Olympics (no medal) and gold at World Junior Championships 2010: Gold at Commonwealth Games 2012: Bronze at Olympics, three events on badminton circuit, including a prestigious one at China Open Gagan Narang: Padma Shri in 2010 2008: Gold at World Cup (Bangkok) and bronze at World Cup (Beijing) 2009: One gold and one bronze at World Cup (Changwon, Korea) 2010: Four gold at Commonwealth Games, 2 silver at Asian Games and bronze at World Championships 2012: Bronze at Olympics 2014: One silver and one bronze at Commonwealth Games Yogeshwar Dutt: Padma ShrI in 2013 2010: Gold at Commonwealth Games 2012: Bronze at Olympics 2014: Gold at Commonwealth Games and Asian Games

point is that Saina was actually trailing by a game, when her Chinese opponent Wang Xin, injured her knee and withdrew, leaving the bronze in the playoff match to her opponent. Saina, who lost a close quarter-final in 2008, deserved the medal she won. Sportspersons who privately took note of the game, preferred to keep silent in public, simply because Saina is among the best sportspersons the game has ever seen. Without doubt, it does not befit a champion to demand awards. However, each year when the lists come out for the Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards or the Padma Shris and the Padma Bhushans, controversies erupt. Some athletes have even approached the courts on these issues in the past. The practice of sportspersons dragging in names of others, who may have got the award ahead of them, is not so sporty after all. Viswanathan Anand bagged the Padma Bhushan in 2000, 13 years after getting the Padma Shri and in 2007, he became the first sportsperson to get the Padma Vibhushan. In 2008, Sachin Tendulkar became the second sportsperson to get the Padma Vibhushan. Abhinav Bindra got the Padma Bhushan within a year of becoming India’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in 2008. These sportspersons never demanded these awards. No sports follower would grudge the Padma Bhushan Award for any of India’s Olympic medalists, but Saina would do well to keep the following in mind: • Leander Paes won an Olympic medal in 1996, but got the Padma Bhushan in 2014. • Mary Kom won five world titles between 2002 and 2010 and got the Padma Bhushan in 2013. • Karnam Malleswari, the first Indian woman ever to win an Olympic medal (in 2000) has still not got the Padma Bhushan. • Rajyavardhan Rathore, independent India’s firstever individual silver medalist (in 2004 Athens Olympics) has still not got a Padma Bhushan award. In the years to come, hopefully more and more

Mary Kom: Padma Shri in 2010 and Padma Bhushan in 2013 Five times world champion between 2002 and 2010 2010: Bronze at Asian Games 2014: Gold at Asian Games Boxing was not a part of Olympics till 2012 and it came into Commonwealth Games programme only in 2014

Indians will win Olympic medals. Their ability to cause trouble if they all demand awards cannot be underplayed. The Sports Ministry also can’t be recommending the names of all. The very concept of recommending sportspersons for awards should be done away with and an eminent committee with a proper research team to back it, ought to be assigned the task of deciding who should get what award. As for sportspersons, they should do what they are best at, play their sports and win medals for India. VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 41

Regulation

Compromised journalism

PAYAND PUBLISH Money makes the world go around. It is the same for news now. But paid news is hardly the way forward and should be curbed BY VIVIAN FERNANDES

RACTISING journalists participating in a Law Commission consultation on media regulation vehemently demanded a crackdown on paid news. However, they could not settle on a definition that was at once wide in scope to net most instances of compromised journalism, and also finely meshed to filter out those that were not. The Law Commission held the consultation on November 13 in New Delhi as part of an exercise to recommend to the government how best to regulate the media. It was arranged by the Foundation for Media Professionals, a Delhi-based grouping set up by senior journalists to uphold media freedom and promote quality journalism. Law Commission Chairman AP Shah, a former chief justice of the Delhi High Court, said any regulation should not gag the news media and the sanctity of Article 19 (1) (A), which guarantees that freedom of speech was inviolable. Since the commission wanted views to be freely expressed, the proceedAmitava Sen

42 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

ings were allowed to be reported without attribution. That protocol is being observed in this article as well. Media biases do not remain hidden for long. Making paid news a penal offence would not extinguish the practice but make it harder to detect. Many print publications and television channels, especially in smaller cities, were dependent on paid news for revenue, but chasing it was not worth the effort because of the difficulties involved. These were some of the arguments put up by those who advised caution. ESTABLISH NEXUS The editor-in-chief of a Hindi newspaper group with a large circulation, which also has television channels, said it was hard to establish a nexus. Payment need not immediately follow the publication of a paid news item; it could be in forms other than cash; the full advertising rate might be paid when a candidate was entitled to a discount; and it might even be for withholding publicity. Elaborating the last point, he cited the example of a politician who urged fewer repeats of visuals on the group’s television channels of burqa-clad women turning out in large numbers in his constituency on voting day. This was during the 2007 Gujarat assembly elections. The caller feared that a backlash from his rival’s voters in the state’s communally-charged atmosphere would hurt his chances of victory. Unscrupulous proprietors could exploit the candidate’s apprehensions for monetary benefit, the editor said. “Questions of legitimacy cannot be decided by legislation,” he asserted. The practice of private treaties or the swapping of small equity stakes by unlisted companies with media organizations for coverage that would flatter their share prices in the run-up to an initial public offer was also sought to be brought under the ambit of paid news. Journalists from the media group that is supposed to have pioneered the trend claimed they had never come under their management’s

pressure to oblige. In any case, they said it should be considered to be paid news unless there was disclosure at the end of the news item in question. Some practical difficulties were flagged off. Private treaties are for fractional equity stakes; so what was the size of the holding that would trigger a disclosure? What if a bank has a shareholding in a media organization? Banks trade in shares quite frequently. Should a media outfit be obliged to disclose every time it transacts in shares? Such doubts notwithstanding, it was felt that transparency would be aided by requiring news media organizations to disclose on their websites the companies with which they had such arrangements. DISGUISED OWNERSHIP Disclosures resonated quite well with the participants. A well-known television journalist felt that paid news was a chameleon-like quarry that changed color according to terrain, and therefore, not worth the chase. He saw a greater threat to democracy in the disguised ownership of news

Until a decade ago, candidates got free publicity; they were not obliged to pay. But now channels and publications have rates cards for the kind of news coverage candidates seek. channels and cable distribution networks by politicians, which the Law Commission should force out of the closet. In Nagpur, a channel he was working for had been blocked for 18 months after it broadcast a story about the business interests of a Nationalist Congress Party leader, who controls the city’s cable network. The channel was also yanked off in many districts of Karnataka after it had broadcast a documentary on the mining barons of Bellary.

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 43

Regulation

Compromised journalism

FOR A RIGHT BALANCE (Right) Law Commission Chairman AP Shah (centre) feels that any new laws framed to do away with paid news should not throttle news media and infringe upon freedom of speech

PIB

In Punjab, he alleged that the current ruling family, which controls the cable network, had ejected the un-bending founding editor of Day and Night News. If print publications, television channels, cable networks and websites were required to disclose who their beneficial owners were, the audience could make informed choices, he said. While the difficulty of detecting paid news was acknowledged, it was felt that blatant and egregious instances should not escape penalty. Currently, paid news is not an offence. The Election Commission considers it to be advertisement for the purpose of calculating election expenditure. Congress leaders Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam admitted to paying for favorable news coverage by stating that it was within the expenditure limit im-

Many print publications and television channels, especially in smaller cities, were dependent on paid news for revenue, but chasing it was not worth the effort because of the difficulties involved.

44 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

posed on a candidate. Making paid news an electoral offence would act as a deterrent, as candidates ran the risk of losing their seats and being disqualified from contesting. They were as much victims of paid news as beneficiaries. Participants were reminded that until about a decade ago, candidates got free publicity; they were not obliged to pay. But now channels and publications have rates cards for the kind of news coverage candidates seek; those without electoral heft risked being blanked out. In other words, it is extortion. Candidates could be required not only to disclose the amounts paid but also to name the beneficiaries. Since paid news is misrepresentation and breach of trust, it could be prosecuted under the relevant penal provisions. There were suggestions that provisions of the Whistle Blowers Protection Act (currently applicable to corrupt public servants) should be extended to media organizations. This would help ferret out paid news, which is hard to detect. Currently, prosecutors have to rely only on circumstantial evidence as direct proof is elusive.

CODE OF CONDUCT Self-regulation drew the most approval from participants. Drawing from current experience, they suggested that all news channels should by law be obliged to become members of a self-regulatory body and abide by its code of conduct, which must also have legal teeth. Compulsory membership was stressed because of past instances, where members had walked out of the association when strictures were passed against them. It should be funded from license fees, which channels pay. The adjudicatory bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the News Broadcasting Standards Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;should have, say eight members, who could be selected by a committee comprising the Lok Sabha speaker, the deputy chair of the Rajya Sabha and the chief justice of India. A majority felt that there should be no government influence over appointments or removals. Various suggestions were made regarding the composition. It was felt that there should have two members from among the broadcasters, two from the political establishment (government and opposition) and four eminent persons in public life. This body should have strong back-office sup-

Congress leaders Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam admitted to paying for favorable news coverage by stating that it was within the expenditure limit imposed by the EC on a candidate. port so that complaints do not pile up. Justice Shah said the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) of general entertainment channels would get 500 to 700 complaints when he headed it (till November ).For the print media, it was felt that the Press Council should be given statutory powers. It could also double up as an independent press complaints commission on the lines of the one in UK to redress grievances against the press (currently, the aggrieved have no recourse). Both would primarily work by naming and shaming. The strictures passed by them would be prominently posted on their websites and widely publicized. This would be accompanied with stiff fines. Since convergence is a reality, and the lines between print, television and digital media were blurred, it was felt there should be a unified regulator. The idea did not find wide favor due to differing cultures of broadcasting and print sectors. It was also felt that there was safety in having many regulators; if one of them didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live up to its ideals, the entire news media sector was not affected. VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 45

DATE 2/1/15

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NEWS Two constable accused in the Badaun rape case suspended, the suspension was ordered by CM, search on for fugitive constable RSS ideologue and ghar wapsi point person Rajeshwar Singh removed from his post, says he is on leave for treatment

NEWS

CHANNEL TIME

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Pakistan violates ceazefire; firing in Samba, Kathua and Harinagar. Mortar sheel falls in residential areas, residents evacuated.

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Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 102 th Science Congress in Mumbai. Modi says development and science are related to each other.

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Terrorists may hijack Delhi-Kabul Air India flight, intelligence agencies warns

Rajasthan govt cancels mutation of land purchased by Robert Vadraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firm in Bikaner, seizes 360 hectares of allegedly dubiously acquired land Parrikar on Pak boat explosion: It does not indicate any type of smuggling activity, smugglers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep in touch with Pakistani maritime agency or their army

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Owaisi on conversions: Everyone is born a Muslim, and then he is converted to other religions.

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Here are some of the major news items aired on television channels, recorded by our unique 24x7 dedicated media monitoring unit that scrutinizes more than 130 TV channels in different Indian languages and looks at who breaks the news first.

DATE 6/1/15

6/1/15

7/1/15

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NEWS Beant Singh's assassin Jagtar Singh 'Tara' arrested in Thailand, he had escaped from jail in 2004

CHANNEL TIME

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Sakshi Maharaj stirs controversy, says Hindu women should give birth to at least four children; give one to ascetics and army, he says.

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26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to remain in jail, Pakistan Supreme Court rejects bail order

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Police register murder case against unknown person in Sunanda Pushkar death; BS Bassi says, death due to poisoning

Gunmen attack the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, kill12 and injure10; attack seen as “revenge” for “offensive” cartoons onfMohammed VHP uses controversial picture of Kareena Kapoor Khan in burqa on ‘Himalaya Dhwani’ magazine cover

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Sunanda Pushkar case: No legal notice served to Tharoor, says Bassi 1:10PM

9/1/15

NEWS

Relief for Sunil Mittal, Ravi Ruia; Supreme Court sets aside lower court order summoning as accused Mittal and Ruia in additional spectrum allocation case

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DATE 9/1/15

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12/1/15

NEWS

CHANNEL TIME

Pakistan court grants bail to 26/11 mastermind Lakhvi in Afghan man’s abduction case.

11:35AM

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Miffed former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh meets Sonia Gandhi amid speculations that he could quit Congress

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Governor’s rule imposed in Jammu-Kashmir, NN Vohra to handle state affairs

Woman found murdered in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, police suspects gang-rape, woman’s semi-naked body found in the bushes of a nursery Sanjay Dutt surrenders, to return to Yerwada jail, Dutt had moved application seeking an extension of 14 days on health grounds German paper in port city of Hamburg attacked for rerunning Charlie Hebdo cartoons

Shashi Tharoor returns to Delhi, avoids talking to media, security tightened at his Delhi residence Shock defeat of BJP in Cantonment Board polls in Varanasi, Lucknow; all the seven seats in Modi’s home turf were bagged by Independents.

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3:47PM

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DATE 12/1/15

12/1/15

13/1/15

14/1/15

15/1/15

NEWS

CHANNEL TIME

Witness in Asaram rape case shot dead in Muzaffarnagar by unknown assailants, the witness was also Asaram’s former cook

10:35AM

10:37AM

10:45AM

Sunanda murder probe: SIT will question Tharoor, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi says

1:36PM

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) refuses to clear Messenger of God (MSG), the film stars Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

8:20AM

8:25AM

10:14AM

Amit Shah pulls up Sakshi Maharaj for his “4 children” statement, asked to explain comment.

10:13AM

10:15AM

11:22AM

1:38PM

10:17AM

Pakistan must fight all terror groups, it is profoundly in the interests of Pakistan and India to move this relationship forward, says US secretary of state John Kerry

10:49AM

10:52AM

10:54AM

Salman Khan Blackbuck case: Supreme Court sets aside the Rajasthan HC’s November 2013 order staying conviction, actor cannot travel abroad

10:41AM

10:43AM

11:00AM

Shazia ilmi joins BJP, will campaign for the party 12:14PM

12:15PM

12:22PM

12:24PM

1:22PM

I really want to expose AAP for what it is: Shazia Ilmi

VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015 49

All That Matters Tattle tales

Tardy Response he Prime Minister is ensuring proper attendance at government offices by monitoring babus through their biometric attendance records. However, the attendance at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan for the Prime Minister’s rally left much to be desired. Party workers were told to ensure a turnout of at least one lakh people. One news channel reported the turnout to be only 30,000. Though no other TV channel hazarded any guess on the number, the BJP top brass was not too happy with the response. Maybe Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay should have tried biometric attendance there too, to ensure a better audience.

Vibrant Bhutan mongst all the luminaries who attended the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the one who gathered maximum cheers and applause for his wit and humor was Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. A prominent industrialist joked that the event had become a Vibrant Bhutan summit. Tobgay said that the GDP of his country was less than the personal wealth of many present in the room. He was referring to Mukesh Ambani and other industrialists present. Bhutan’s GDP is pegged at $1.88 billion. Tobgay said he had planned a religious pilgrimage to the Buddhist sites in India, but decided to do an economic pilgrimage first and come to the Gujarat summit, since matters of commerce were more important.

Mahasangram rally a damp squib JP’s Mahasangram rally in Odisha was supposed to kickstart the campaign to eclipse Naveen Patnaik, as the party’s stalwarts in Odisha had been proclaiming. A lot was expected from BJP president Amit Shah’s speech here. However, all fire seemed to have run out of his speech. He commented only on poor governance and

much to the chagrin of workers, said nothing on scams and made no personal attack against Patnaik, as he had done in Kolkata against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Was it because Odisha elections are four years away, or is there a BJP-BJD truce coming up to help the ruling party in the Rajya Sabha? Only time will tell.

Coffers are

Giving up

Empty

Subsidies

he coffers are getting lighter by the day, and the man who is rightfully worried about this is Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. At a closed-door meeting, Jaitley expressed his concern over how high-profile schemes of the government like Swachh Bharat would be funded since funds were getting scarce. It was heard that every ministry’s budget was getting cut. The HRD Ministry’s budget has been cut by Rs 24,000 crore; the ministry is one of the partners of the Swachh Bharat program, one of the government’s most publicized programs.

il Minister Dharmedra Pradhan was heard calling up cabinet ministers and chief ministers, requesting them to give up the LPG subsidy. Information & Broadcasting and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal were quick to give it up. Some bureaucrats, who were more loyal than the king, also gave it up. While it is not known if any chief minister heeded Pradhan’s appeals, most bureaucrats are running for cover and wondering whether it would be impolite or politically incorrect to turn down such requests.

Jumping the Gun he plans of wannabe chief ministerial candidates of the BJP were upset by the sudden propping up of Kiran Bedi as the party’s candidate for the top job in Delhi. Bureaucrats in the HRD ministry had to shelve the celebrations. Many had

started speculating that HRD Minister Smriti Irani would be shifted to the office of the Delhi CM. Now that Smriti looks to be playing a longer innings in the ministry, celebrations in Shastri Bhawan have been stalled.

Adarsh Gram Yojna

Doordarshan is raining blunders

run Jaitley is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan. He had contested unsuccessfully for the Lok Sabha from Amritsar and has now adopted four villages from Vadodara district in Gujarat as part of the government’s Adarsh Gram Yojna. Many have been left wondering now what has led the Finance and I&B Minister to make this choice.

ith the new dispensation now over six months old, Doordarshan is yet to get its act together. First, there was the infamous anchor at the Goa Film Festival whose goof-ups went viral on social media; then DD made another faux pas on Twitter with an erroneous caption for a photograph of the prime minister with his cabinet colleagues. The caption read: “A Chinese zoo keeper

50 VIEWS ON NEWS February 7, 2015

feeding monkeys”. The latest blunder is the prominent coverage given to the fiery speech by the lawyer of the prime minister’s wife Jashodaben. He questioned the rules under which she had been denied a reply by the PMO on her query regarding the privileges of a PM’s wife. Last heard, the Ahmedabad correspondent was transferred to Andaman & Nicobar Islands. —Compiled by Roshni

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