[airbender]

I know this is a forum for automobiles but could not resist touching upon this topic.

BarkhaGate or RadiaGate:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead...?homepage=true

We always talked about media being baised and about paid news. But till now we did not have any proof to say so. These leaks only make the argument stronger.
Journalists or media should only transit the news. They should not be part of it or or create it. Barkha case was more of a lobbyist and vir's case is a perfect example of paid news.

Most shocking of this episode is that indian media totally went for a black out on this initially. If not for facebook, twitter or wall street journal, we have never heard about this.

Barkha, Vir, Mr.Chawla defended themselves in their own way. But the most shocking was that of barkha. She published her argument on NDTV but disabled comments.

So coming to the question: Is the indian media baised or unethical?

What can we do as citizens?
My 2 cents: Stop watching NDTV & Hindustantimes as long as Barkha and Vir are not taken off air.

Any one participating in the poll please support your choice with proper comments.

Find some nice analysis here:

http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post.php?postid=319

[prince_pervez]

Airbender Welcome to reality. Biased media, fabricated news, sponsored news is nothing new. It has been since time immemorial. Atleast I can say for sure about sponsored news as I have seen truth being bended and presented as the large corporations and the other unseen and unknown bosses want them to be shown on TV.
For many the TV is the only source of news after a long day of work and the simplest and now-a-days the cheapest. I have seen dishes in slums, come on.
So people tend to digest what is fed to them. This is called people programming. Means the masses will be lead to believe what huge corporations and other dasterdly groups want them to believe. So if the media says xyz is a linked to Al-Crapa immediately we tend to look at him as terrorist or a bad guy w/o wanting to think about anything.
I had heard about Fox news in India about their biased news in favour of republican party and now I see it everyday at breakfast where after every 3-4 stories there will be something on Islam and Muslims to keep the masses refreshed and scared about terrorism. Once they showed that P**istanis are training monkeys to use guns and issued a photograph. All the other channels and late night show host had a ball for a month making fun of the 3 idiots presenting morning shows.

And so when at airports people are screened in a bad manner, the people have the bogieman alive in their head and submit to whatever unjust practices implemented in the name of security.

EDIT: Just remembered, the Quran has something to say about programmed people. "They have eyes but they see not, they have ears but they hear not, they are nothing but cattle".

Hey couldn't help but notice. I had been to Miami last week. Had a ball. You lucky bugger.

[vivekiny2k]

I just posted it in facebook. Immediately reminded me of "Jaane bhi do yaro". Bollywood figured it out decades ago.

[greenhorn]

they say that 90% of lawyers give the other 10% a bad name. I guess it applies equally to the media too I guess.
but still, lets not tar everyone with the same brush, shall we

[airbender]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Airbender Welcome to reality.

I know bit of realty my self. I know or experienced some incidents and can tell you media is both baised and unethical. But this is the first time we had some proof at the highest level. Most shocking of all is the black out by the indian media. Does that mean they are all in it together.
Where can we see hope? a wikileaks like thing in india may be.

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Hey couldn't help but notice. I had been to Miami last week. Had a ball. You lucky bugger.

winters are like heaven here. May be we can meet next time you are here.

Hey I like your signature.

I see some one had voted no. Any one voting No, can you please support your argument by proper comments.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

they say that 90% of lawyers give the other 10% a bad name. I guess it applies equally to the media too I guess.
but still, lets not tar everyone with the same brush, shall we

I agree, but that 10% would be largely print media and free lance journalism.

[airbender]

Another nice article.

This Is Not Journalism as We Know It | OPEN Magazine

Do you guys know any professional indian political forum?

[aargee]

I would stay neutral on this & be glad if a MAY BE option is added to the poll;

So people tend to digest what is fed to them. This is called people programming. Means the masses will be lead to believe what huge corporations and other dasterdly groups want them to believe.

I strongly support the above statement.

PS - For some reason when going through the article, mind was thinking about the incident with Princess of Wales.

[Ragul]

I already boycotted the media years back. I do not watch TV and do not subscribe to newspapers and rarely shell out 20 bucks to buy a magazine once a quarter. I do keep tabs on the media and choice of words used to frame issues, however.

All over the world the media is corrupt and driven by an agenda, but hold on - the scope of problem is wider. I will club some reputed universities in the U.S and PhD scholars into the list. When it comes to the study of Arts and Humanities, Religion and History or Anthropology. It is a dirty world where standards of academia are non-existent but the pretense of objectivity, intellectual rigor and neutrality is carefully propped and maintained. The gutter is polluted at the head of the river - starting at these Universities and much of what we read and understand about the world and its history from the media or modern paperbacks is a trickle down from these sewage factories. When you investigate the source of funding and grants for Universities and the media, and how acquiring a Chair depends on maintaining and pushing certain viewpoints approved by the sponsors, the larger picture will emerge. Many high brow academic publications in these fields periodically push a covert agenda of "whitewashing" minds in the guise of academic discourse.

Thought control in societies was not abandoned with WWII Germany or with the Stalinist/Leninist regimes. It is more prevalent and endemic in the so called "Free Societies" of modern western civilizations (and the rest of the world including India), much more than people realize. Mis-information and propaganda influences attitudes and outlook of common and elite people of all societies - actually they rule the world view of the masses today.

--Ragul

[Samurai]

Have you seen the movie insider? Similar stuff, media hushes up the truth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Insider_(film)

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

I have stopped watching any NDTV programming.
Barkha Dutt = ZERO Credibility
VIR SANGHVI = ZERO Credibility

in my books.

And take back that Award that she was given. What for ? Exposing our soldiers in Kargill & Mumbai terrorist seige ?

[bkbkr1212]

To top it all, NDTV had aired a show yesterday at 10 pm.
My God, Barkha was everything but convincing.

Barkha, for me has always been a drama queen. After Rajdeep left NDTV to form CNN-IBN she took the mantle of sensationalizing stories (yes, stories not news). Barkha reminds me of the Pakistani minister Qureshi. He dramatizes everything, sometimes to the extent of making him look like a fool, which he is anyway.

I have read somewhere that this lady had asked one of the military personnel to fire a shot during 26/11 for the camera. And that idiot (or poor chap) played on. He was promptly dismissed from service. And this lady continued without regret.

Forget Barkha. I am feeling read sad about Mr.Vir Sanghvi.

I always had great respect for this man since the views aired by him on various topics sounded very objective. Very frank, sophisticated and to the point. He generally comes across as a man of great integrity.

Now we read him heeding to a PR person and agreeing to publish news as per her wishes.

In one interview with CNN-IBN, N.Ram of Hindu told bluntly that these two should quit from their respective organizations. Period.
He said if this had happened in FT, NYT or other media houses journalists involved would not have been working there.

In the cricket betting scandal (Azhar-Hansie-Jadeja), one of the best sports journalists in India who worked for Hindu was also involved. Never saw his columns after that. His articles were like poems, pleasure to read.
He had to quit The Hindu

I can't understand TIMES NOW and the barking anchor who comes on their prime time show at 9 pm. Male Barkha, he is

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by airbender

What can we do as citizens?
My 2 cents: Stop watching NDTV & Hindustantimes as long as Barkha and Vir are not taken off air.

I stopped watching NDTV 24X7 the day they showed their might to a poor indo-canadian blogger after he critizised Barhka Dutt for her coverage of 26/11 live.
They completly forgot that media thrives on freedom of speech.

Originally Posted by airbender

Most shocking of this episode is that indian media totally went for a black out on this initially. If not for facebook, twitter or wall street journal, we have never heard about this.

There were some bravehearts like "NEW" Indian Express and DNA which covered the news in detail. The Hindu joined in later but not in a elaborate way. And hats off to the original whistleblowers Outlook and Open magazine.

Originally Posted by Ragul

Thought control in societies was not abandoned with WWII Germany or with the Stalinist/Leninist regimes. It is more prevalent and endemic in the so called "Free Societies" of modern western civilizations (and the rest of the world including India), much more than people realize. Mis-information and propaganda influences attitudes and outlook of common and elite people of all societies - actually they rule the world view of the masses today.

Very true..See how a handful of unelected people in Delhi are shaping the lives of 1/5th of the entire human population on earth.

Originally Posted by bkbkr1212

I can't understand TIMES NOW and the barking anchor who comes on their prime time show at 9 pm. Male Barkha, he is

another joker is their cricket correspondant, who reports every match as if a war is going on between India and the other nation.

[rock75]

Most of the news channel anchors have become a mafia in their own right. The news is not objective but motive driven and the viewpoint presented is paid for (as in Vir sanghvi's case). Since they have access to people in high places they become a part of lobbying network, like Barkha Dutt as observed in Radia tapes. Even politicians have to maintain good relations with these media barons as they can change public opinion with their lop sided coverage of news events.

In any case NDTV and IBN7 are anti BJP channels, Indian Express is known to be a pro Sangh parivar newspaper, similarly other channels too may have their priorities. In print media paid advertisements also determine the tilt of journalism towards a party/company.

Regarding Barkha dutt, once i saw she covering a news item on field with hundreds of people gathered, she asked a man on some issue(don't remember which) and even as he said one line, she almost shoved him aside and continued to speak herself for next 5 minutes! Such a mic hogger she is.

[srishiva]

Creating a sensational story or killing one when it is against one was happening all the time. No newspaper or TV was bereft of it.
What irks now more is the kind of influence being used to appoint ministers of ones choice. You dont have to do anything more worse after that.