Desicritics Category: Media: Newspapers

Deccan Chronicle And The Naked Art of Selling News

Kishore — Sun, 8 Jun 2008 08:49:25 EDT

In the age where our most inner and intimate matters have been commoditized by corporations, it’s no surprise that sex is being used as a tool to sell products. Many critics of popular culture use the adage "sex sells" to justify the means. Well, though there may be some truth in it, it’s disgusting if a product that comes with an element of the proverbial "social responsibility" resorts to a juvenile representation of its target market for the sake the one thing all business needs – sell more.

A Deccan Chronicle hoarding

If the advertising guys at Deccan Chronicle think this is what young minds are – one heck of perverts ogling at hoardings of naked woman embossed in newspaper prints all over her body, metaphorically meaning to read the newspaper giving particular attention to detail, or whatever crap that was meant to mean – then there has just been a little mistake. Just that we youngsters have a little more sense than to get swayed by pictures of naked women to buy a newspaper.

What’s more intimidating is that their ad doesn’t even talk about the quality of news – the least you would expect of a newspaper – and whenever they remotely do, it’s again a skin-deep expose. Chennai Metblogs carried a post on similar lines with more pictures. Probably the in-house talent pool of Deccan Chronicle Marketing ran out of concrete ideas to increase youngsters’ readership and resorted to the only supposedly sure-to-work strategy – sex appeal.

An independent survey conducted by research firm MediaAnalyzer states that,

While almost half of men (48 percent) said they like sexual ads, few women did (8 percent). Most men (63 percent) said sexual ads have a high stopping power for them; fewer women thought so (28 percent).

If only 8 percent of women give a damn to such an ad, then was it all about increasing Male leadership? Am I hallucinating or does it really sound awkward? If you still think this would make Deccan Chronicle the-ultimate-choice-of-the-young-minds then take a bite at this MediaAnalyzer finding,

Men tend to focus on an ad’s sexual imagery (breasts, legs, skin, etc.), which draws their attention away from other elements of the ad (logo, product shot, headline). This may be why men’s brand recall was worse for the sexual ads than for the nonsexual ones.

So there goes the sex sells theory. Trying to fit an ad suited enough to market a lingerie brand into marketing a newspaper looks as awful as it sounds. They would do a lot of good to themselves, if the nice folks at Deccan Chronicle could stuff their ad-women with some clothes and talk more about how good their news reporting is, so we know exactly what they sell. We youngsters like to see naked truth in newspapers, not naked women.

Indian Media-Leader Oriented, Reader Neglected

Abhinandan Mishra — Thu, 6 Mar 2008 02:37:44 EST

'Freedom of media' is a relative term. It is just not limited to the freedom enjoyed by the media to report everything without being stopped forcefully but also obliging the members of media fraternity so as to stop them from giving out a true picture. The term "obligation'' assumes enormous proportions in the backdrop of media ethics. The modern media is like the now banned 'Mumbai's Bar Clubs' with Market guiding them in all respect. Editors have become Bar Girls? .
All major Indian newspapers with few exceptions have now turned into what is popularly known as "Response run" rather than "editorially run" papers. There was a time when management people were given independent responsibilities to generate revenue and the editorial wing was consider sacrosanct. Now the most of the editors of these papers have to cut a sorry figure in face of a Harvard, IIM or any management institute educated manager, and wisely they have now learned to buckle under the demands and whims of the Response. These days an MBA has more say than an editor in deciding the contents or colour of a newspaper.
As a result of this approach content and quality wise these newspapers are heading southwards and there is nothing astonishing in it as when Ad and revenue generation becomes important the priority than the quality of newspaper goes down. This is a cardinal principle which is always true. The newspapers and magazines have now become any consumer product with perishable value.They have lost their retention capacity by the readers.
The Correspondents are now given the additional responsibility of procuring state sponsored advertisements for their respective newspapers. There are examples of the state and district level or even block level stringers being asked to collect advertisements for special supplements to be brought on Republic Day, Independence Day, State Foundation Day and even foundation Day of the newspaper itself. This is happening even in the villages of Bihar, UP and Jharkhand, where Hindi readership is very large.
This is true for almost all the publications, and in this context it would be foolish to expect that a newspaper will encourage the correspondent to report against the same government which is providing the publication with advertisements that runs into crores.
The 'old lot of journalists' who started their career in the 60s or 70 now find it increasingly difficult to function in this comparatively new Response oriented market environment which demands from them a lot more than just good writing skills.
Everyone knows that Vinod Dua, Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt recently accepted the state sponsored Padma Shri but not many are aware of the fact that Pranoy Roy declined the same when it was awarded to him just after the UPA came into power.
There was a time when even the fear of state sponsored prosecution was not able to stop media from speaking out against Indira Gandhi and emergency. Sadly the times have changed.
Readers who have been committed readers of the the self proclaimed Leader of newspapers ,particularly those preparing for the Civil Services now do not subscribe the paper as they are getting better contents in other newspapers. They are getting thought and views from non-leader newspapers as the Leader has lost its serious reader value contents. The Leader is growing in the Market, but not among the Minds as its has lost its "Retention Value". The Leader is more concerned about its TRP now giving good bye to quality reading materials and news. The Response oriented editorials are not liked by the serious and committed readers.
Readers loyalty has shifted from the Leader as the paper has now turned into a 'skin-friendly' paper of the establishment of the Day. The Leader's editorial page which perhaps was its best part too has deteriorated and as for the Sunday pull-out page the less said the better. It is neither interesting nor entertaining leaving alone educative.
This nexus between media-politicians, media-industrialists has always been there but earlier it was healthy interface and the media always knew that being the fourth estate it is under the obligation to keep a check on the other institutions of democracy. And I don't deny that the checks and the controls are still there but now it is more of a "manipulated checks''.
The Freedom of Press is meant only for the Leader and its subsequent followers, not for Readers is confirmed now.

Blogging and Journalism: Amongst the Best the Line is Blurry

temporal — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:56:21 EST

With easy internet access and free blog hosting sites many people are sharing their thoughts on different topics. Some share their special interests and form groups. Others publish their creative writing. But the biggest beneficiary of blogging has been journalism - specifically citizen journalism and its impact on professional journalists.

At this time let us get some descriptions out of the way.

Journalism: reporting, writing, editing, broadcasting, as an occupation.

It flows from above that a journalist is a paid reporter working for a media organisation or as a freelancer for several media organisations. He may directly report on news or may interpret news and write view points and investigative reports. He is usually a specialist who covers a specific field or interest.

The journalists are covered by a code of conduct by the media organisation that employs them or it could be self imposed. They are team players.

A blogger could be any person who has access to a PC and internet, has a host blog and writes entries in it. They are the solo fliers. Generally, there is no compulsory code of conduct, though this distinction is increasingly getting blurred as journalists working for major media organisations are encouraged to have have their own blogs.

What is this code of conduct for journalists? Broadly it covers accuracy, objectivity, truthfulness, fairness, and impartiality. For a more detailed examination you can read the codes for Al Jazeera, CBC and BBC in order of complexity and depth.

The fault line is ever shrinking between Blogging and Journalism. Blogging - specially News and Political blogging has come of age. Gone is the period where it was words and opinions essentially unsubstantiated and based on murky half baked thoughts or hearsay borne out non-conviction and lacked clarity, vision and conviction.

Journalists - serious journalists - even if they are freelancers abide by a code of conduct, keep slant or bias to a minimum, language straight forward and error free.

In the earlier days bloggers were deemed to be free of any constraints. It was their blog, they could write whatever they wanted, they thought.

I once rejected a shoddily written, plagiarized article. The writer submitted another atrociously written article the next day. I patiently pointed out the deficiencies and errors in detail and suggested a serious re-write. He submitted a third article that was also filed under G. He complained.

In his defense the writer claimed all those articles were found acceptable and published at another site and provided a link to it. It was another site that hosted member blogs and his "articles" were "published" on that site under his blog! He was subsequently caught for plagiarizing, sacked and all his articles deleted from that site.

Today, bloggers have matured and an increasing minority is serious about their writing. And their efforts are being recognized. Read this: A Landmark for Bloggers -- and the Future of Journalism.

The journalist also has a distinct advantage over the blogger. He has support of the organisation - editors, fact checkers, proof readers all help in delivering a good copy.

The blogger in most cases is on his/her own. That makes the job not only arduous but also more interesting and gratifying.

As the lines get blurred between good journalists and good bloggers, the bottom lines becomes clearer - the best among both are those where the writing is well grounded in facts, clear, lucid, precise, objective and geared for the target audience.

The Marathi Manoos versus the Thackeray Brand

Aditi Nadkarni — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:22:53 EST

On reading Anuradha Goyal's recent article on Desicritics titled Dear Marathi Manoos Thackerays I thought it might be timely to dissociate the identity of the long suffering "Marathi Manoos" from the Thackerays.

Of all the available discussions in the blogosphere, the one I found most interesting about the current Thackeray circus in media was a report by CNN-IBN where Raj Thackeray's mother-in-law claims support for Raj's crusade in the same breath as voicing her concern for Raj Thackeray's son's impending SSC exams. It is ironic that while Raj Thackeray seems to be rallying for the "Marathi Manoos", the "Marathi Manoos" is probably at home doing what Raj Thackeray should be: supporting his son during the notoriously hectic SSCs.

Barring one reported death in Maharashtra and a few customary automobile-burning incidents, the actual city of Mumbai where all Shiv Sena associated drama usually unfolds, was uncharacteristically calm. I am both proud and impressed. The unemployed youth who usually carried out the Sena's antics seem to be more suitably employed at the city's call centers or at swanky malls in upper class neighbourhoods. The country as a whole is moving forward and as part of the nation's commercial capital, these young people probably do not want to be left behind executing the schemes of jingoists who just happen to have political power.

While one Thackeray is engaging in a ridiculous anti-North Indian rhetoric, the other, very senior Thackeray in a laughable attempt at re-terrorizing the city, is now kicking a fit over Valentines' day celebrations. People will exchange Hallmark and Archie's cards, a few may throw a party to rejuvenate schedules lost in the city's bustle and who knows some lovestruck souls may even buy one of those red heart shaped balloons sold at traffic lights. And this, says Mr.Thackeray, will affect our Hindu culture. If we are to believe Mr. Thackeray, our ancient civilization is under serious threat from none other than St. Valentine. Now if only his idea of protest was to not buy the heart shaped balloon, we could have all heaved a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, what Mr.Thackeray does not realize is that the violent rampages he sends his lads out on every once a while are probably more of a threat to the Hindu preachings of non-violence than heart shaped balloons and Hallmark cards will ever be.

It is time to notice however that in recent years the sometimes anti-Muslim, sometimes anti-non-Maharashtrian rhetoric propagated by the Sena is starting to fall on deaf ears and evoking a lukewarm response from a city that now wants to move ahead. People who had once supported the Sena's "Marathi Manoos Jaaga Ho" ("Wake Up Marathi Man") rallies now have sheepishly realized that the Sena has no idea who the Marathi Man really is. Very simply, there is a divide of class and caste under the supposed "Marathi Manus" label itself. Raj Thackeray had once brought with his dynamic youth following, hopes of a new, evolved political party in Maharashtra and instead he too has jumped on the extremist bandwagon. He doesn't realize that the "Marathi Manoos" himself no longer has a singular identity separate from that of his beloved city. This real "Marathi Manoos" does not want skirmishes over Valentine's day and Chath Pooja by North Indians. Like any other conscientious, law abiding Indian, he too wants a decent education for his children and a steady occupation to fund his retirement. In fact, the violence that Thackerays' irresponsible words unleash into the city, robs this weary Marathi Manoos of his peace and does nothing for him or for any other of the city's residents.

The truth is that while the Shiv Sena is trying to rouse the Marathis, the actual Marathi Manoos (Marathi Man) lost sleep a while ago. He first woke up to the Sena's absurd and obsessive attempts at changing the names of roads, suburbs and airports to their original, pre-British, Marathi titles. In his alert wakefulness he also noticed that the Sena somehow forgot to change the very anglicized, "Thackeray" to "Thakray". Since then, the "Marathi Manoos" with the rest of Mumbai residents has been sitting wide-awake, at the edge of his seat, on tenterhooks watching in dismay the Sena's regressive demonstrations, hearing with disbelief Balasaheb's loud claims of idolizing Hitler and suffering in silence the damning economic consequences of senseless city bandhs and violent morchas. These very Thackerays who attack harmless Valentine's Day parties to oppose "Western" influences had once organized a Michael Jackson concert in Bombay that halted traffic and city functioning for days! Apparently Jacko's thrusting pelvis apparently wasn't as threatening to "Hinduism" as heart shaped balloons and Valentine's Day parties.

I would like to add that the real power in Mumbai has and always will rest with the city's youth. Whenever the students have come out and made their voices heard, the law enforcement and the city officials have found it necessary to take a stand. If the Mumbaikers/Bombayites do not want the embarassment of having their city's name be associated with a regressive, fascist school of thought in the 21st century then it is time for the college crowd to do more than just gather around and pass time at local Cafe Coffee Days. If anything, the Marathi Manoos should now stand up only to resist the Sena's claims of being his self-proclaimed representative.

For years, we, the residents of Mumbai have lived like a family with people from all over the nation. The cultural aptitude and tolerance bestowed by the rich experience of having lived in this indiscriminate potpourri come handy today for my life as an immigrant in a foreign country. So to me, when the Thackerays question this indomitable spirit of the city, it only goes to show that their world is really very small - as is the extent of their power.

Urdu Poetry at a Funeral

Shantanu Dutta — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:14:22 EST

“Isliye rah sangharsh ki ham chune/Zindagi ansuon me nahae nahin/Shaam sehmi na ho, raat ho na dari/Bhor ki ankh phir dabdabai na ho”

(We must choose the path of struggle, so life shouldn't get drowned in tears. The evening shouldn't get enveloped by awe and night shouldn't be fearful. And the dawn shouldn't crack with tears welled up in its eyes)

I like revolutionary poets for some reason; especially the Urdu ones. The Urdu revolutionary poets were giants – Sahir Ludhianvi, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and all the rest. I don’t know what it was in that generation that produced so many giants in progressive poetry; but their sheer power, beauty and idealism is itself awe inspiring, even if some of their Persian rich vocabulary is a bit difficult for those of us for whom Hindustani is not the first language.

I do not know who out of these eminences composed these verses that activists sang at the state funeral of Baba Amte the other day. The Indian Express does not report this, but I am amused and also touched that activists and the State who rarely sleep on the same bed ever, got together at the funeral of the giant that Baba Amte was. If I am correct, it was the first State funeral of a private citizen in a long time – perhaps the first after Mother Teresa. And while the Baba looked grand wrapped in the Tricolor, it is a bit ironic that no one thought in the establishment seems to be have thought of honoring him with the Bharat Ratna while they were squabbling abut other octogenarians who were in the race.

“Haath lage nirman me, nahi marane, nahi mangane (let's use our hands to create, not beg or beat)”

I don’t know who wrote that piece either. I read those lines about not using our hands to beg or to beat with supreme irony. While Baba Amte’s body was being lowered into na pit in Anandwan in Maharashtra, in the state’s capital of Mumbai; North Indians who had come to work in the city because they did not want to beg were being beaten into submission and occasionally into death and destruction.

Aggression is every where and those Urdu poets had it all wrong. They wrote poetry to inspire revolutions and willed struggle for themselves, so that there would be no tears for the others to drown in. but we have turned the phrases all upside down. We are in more and more moving towards a society where the others struggle and it is our design increasingly that if it is possible at all to live a life that is free of tears , than that life should be ours.

It is ironic that the last movement that Baba Amte was involved in was called the Bharat Jodo or the Knit India movement. Pity that he was too old by then for the movement to benefit much from his leadership and there isn’t any one it seems who will effectively take over that piece of the Baba’s work. For in the midst of a Bharat todo movement, a Bharat jodo movement is much more needed than ever. As discordant voices and slogans rend the air and people talk of distributing sticks and swords, Baba Amte must be turning over in his grave. Very literally.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Beatles

GV Krishnan — Fri, 8 Feb 2008 10:52:48 EST

Newspaper obits on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi highlight the time spent by the Beatles at his Rishikesh ashram in the 60s. For those of us in newspapers, the Beatles’ stay at the ashram in 1968 was a major media event. Several reporters, including many representing the British media, descended on Rishikesh, a sleepy pilgrim town in North India peopled by saintly souls and yogis on a renunciation mode.

Most other residents opted for Rishikesh so as to lead a life of relative obscurity at the Himalayan foothills. Mahesh Yogi wasn’t a seeker of enlightened anonymity. He probably chose Rishikesh because it provided the right address for those with spiritual credentials. His ashram, not an open house, was being run like a gated spiritual community. Located on the far side of the Ganges, his place was accessible from Rishikesh town only through a pedestrian suspension bridge over the river (Lakshman Jhoola). You needed clearance to gain entry to the Maharishi ashram, tucked away in the densely wooded hill area.

A helipad near the ashram, built with Mahesh Yogi’s blessings, facilitated his high profile disciples who preferred to air-dash to the ashram backyard, rather than motoring from Delhi to Rishikesh. The cottages at the ashram had all basic comforts, including geysers and air-conditioners, suited to VIP lifestyle.

Secluded location and the security arrangements at the ashram ensured that the celebrity inmates were insulated from the prying outsiders, notably the media. Newspaper reporters were not allowed. I went into the ashram for a look-see under the pretence of being part of a TV documentary crew . Newspaper reporters, under pressure to produce stories on the goings-on at the ashram, relied on visitors’ tales and accounts of obliging ashram staffers.

News agencies such as PTI and UNI maintained a constant watch; and major newspapers had their stringers camping at Rishikesh. The Statesman, New Delhi, deputed a reporter on the Beatles beat. My friend Saeed Naqvi of The Statesman, along with a staff photographer, drove from Delhi to Rishikesh every weekend looking for a Beatles story. I don’t know if Saeed ever got an interview with them.

I did manage to spot Paul McCartney, and even exchanged pleasantries with him, while location scouting for a documentary on the pilgrim town. He had apparently strayed out of the ashram and was walking about on his own, on an isolated stretch of the river bank. Our TV producer Yavar Abbas, for whom I was then a legman, and his cameraman from London, walked up to him for a chat. The Beatle, suitably amused to see a fellow Brit at such a desolate spot, indulged in small talk for a while.

The chance encounter would have given Yavar valuable footage. But then our cameraman had left behind his equipment at Shivananda ashram, across the river. That was where we were staying. The next day we gained access into the ashram, thanks to the glib talk by Yavar who was filming a documentary for telecast by BBC. We had an audience with Mahesh Yogi, but the Beatles were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, we found a large group of Russians at the congregation. They were officials and technicians visiting a public sector drug manufacturing unit set up at Rishikesh with Soviet collaboration. The next day my newspaper carried a story headlined – Mahesh Yogi Ropes in Russians.

What Differentiates Journalists and Bloggers - Money?

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:59:38 EST

A pressing issue seems to be agitating many people who are in the publishing business. There seem to be two camps, the first camp is the journalist camp and the second seems to be the bloggers. And boyo, do these two camps fight or do they? They fight over who is right and who is wrong, who is going to survive and who is going to die. But for what its worth, here is my take on this rather interesting debate.

Let us define some terms which will be used in this essay. There is little agreement about even these common words. A journalist can be a reporter who writes for a journal but also a person who keeps a journal or a diary, which may or may not be published. A blogger is a person who blogs (writes) about his thoughts on various topics in an online medium. A reporter is usually employed by a media house to report on daily or periodic going ons in the world. This reporting can be online, radio, TV, magazine, newspaper, etc. The reporter is also required or may create a blog or further discuss his/her story online.

Confused? Let me carry on, What about an essayist? Somebody who writes an essay which is usually longer than 800 words (the sort of word count which generally is more than a news story but is less than an essay which can be anything more than 1.500 words or upwards). How about a pamphleteer? It is a word which is not usually used that much these days, but it is also a type of writing on a particular topic. How about a columnist? A columnist is a person who usually has a brand name, writes on some particular topic on a regular basis in a newspaper, magazine, online and/or in print.

What about an author who can write fiction as well as non-fiction? So what’s the boundary between fiction and non-fiction? Very confused boundary indeed. Say a reporter is trying to explain the settings of a particular event such as the state of the nation address by the US President, George Bush. And he talks about “the swirling wintry blowing snow” which he uses as a metaphor to describe the challenges facing the US president. Now what is fiction and what isn’t? I strongly recommend this book which talks about the difficulties that a poet faces in a newspaper. ( W. Dale Nelson. Gin before Breakfast: The Dilemma of the Poet in the Newsroom. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2007).

Do you see where I am going with this as to how difficult it is to categorize people? How about commentators? People who comment on particular aspects? Say a cricket match? Or the results from a conference? Or following a political campaign? Now the only difference I can see is that the person could be commenting online, on radio, on TV, in a newspaper, in a newspaper online, real-time. Now I have thoroughly managed to confuse myself. The only common thing that I can see in all these definitions is that they write for some medium with some expectation of being read. So no, I am not clear about the definitions at all.

Let me expose my personal biases. For what it's worth, I have been on both sides of the fence, and still am. A purist would say that I am not, I am still writing op-eds, so that's not pure journalism, but then which reporter does not write facts with a bias or which columnist does not opine with some facts? Then there is the other debate around reporters and historians and I straddle that fence as well. Goodness, all that straddling fences and my backside is becoming numb. Blogging is something that I have recently picked up and it is an interesting experiment that I have been engaging in, but more about that later on. I also write essays, magazine articles, academic papers, commercial papers and have reported sometimes on certain events. Oh! I am also planning on writing some books. So I am afraid the fence is now dangerously looking like a bed of nails, well, with my heritage, I should be perfectly comfortable, no?

While debating this topic with a journalist friend, the discussion suddenly heated up, and she said that journalism requires passion and that I do not have this passion and more importantly I would not understand this passion. This puzzled me, what exactly is this passion and why is this passion different? And why on earth can I not understand or appreciate it? I write about terrorism, history, military science, politics, children, humour, media, business, technology, etc. etc. Now I don't have a passion for dung beetles, so I do not write about them. I also have a very small readership and I do not charge them to read me, but I am very grateful to them for devoting time to read my twitterings!

Is this passion a desire to report facts? Then I have that. Is this passion to communicate? I would be a poor teacher and writer if I did not have the desire to communicate. Is this a passion to search for facts? Well, I think I do like to check and read up on facts. Me and my sister spend hours debating and delving into the strangest things which nobody else seems to understand or care for. Now besides making us strange, it also makes us passionate. Or is this passion solely restricted to people who work as newspaper reporters? Do TV people not have this passion? How about radio people? How about people who write for charities? Or how about special investigators who investigate war crimes or development agencies who help in the development of famine stricken or medical problem infested areas? Or does this relate to the use of printers' ink, but surely the use of printers ink is sort of outdated anyway. Sniffing glue I have heard, but sniffing printers ink? How about Rudyard Kipling who is famous for his books and stories, but was also a great journalist of his time?

So you might well ask, what DO I think about the future of the media? Well, I have written about this before. Also, here's a classic debate about bloggers and journalists. At a recent Business Week Conference , I heard one of their senior editors say that the line is blurring between the journalists and bloggers. Previously, a story would be filed and they would forget about it. But now, they are expected to defend their stories online in a rollicking debate. So where does one draw the line? And if I am submitting my blog entries to a site like DesiCritics which has an editorial process, is that site a news-site or a bloggers site or what? Life is changing, my friends!

I am also not so sure about this passion for facts. In a debate about MEMRI (I already talked about how none of the media outlets are actually thought to be totally fair and balanced). Even the doughty BBC frequently gets accused of getting its world famous journalistic independence and “lean” wrong. Somebody once did an analysis of the political leanings of the BBC group on Facebook and found that the number of left liberals is vastly and overwhelmingly greater than the conservatives. Take Middle East Reporting for example, whether you are talking about MEMRI, Jerusalem Post, NY Times, CNN, FOX, BBC or Al Ahram, each and every one of these media outlets have made spectacular howlers in reporting.

I mean, when you have a mainstream media outlet publishing howlers such as saying that President Sarkozy of France is a Zionist agent, then one seriously wonders. So while both bloggers and journalists go for facts and figures, both make mistakes and while one has an editorial process to trap mistakes, the line is blurring as bloggers may and do get some comments and feedback about obvious mistakes and different opinions (such as my post about the EU Budget. Where is this desire for facts and freedom of speech when the US Media actively collaborates with the US Government to suppress facts in the name of national security ( which I can understand, btw)?

Bill Keller, executive editor, New York Times, delivering the 2008 Memorial lecture at the Chatham House in London talked more about the challenges facing journalism from new media and Web 2.0, how they have so many reporters on the ground in Iraq and along with the strong sense of standards, that distinguishes between reporters and bloggers. Well, agreed. But how come that this does not explain how most of the reportage which we have recently started to see like Typhoon Sidr, Glasgow and 9/11 Terrorist Attack and the Christmas Tsunami were from bloggers who were using their blog sites, video cameras, YouTube and even uploading into mainstream media sites such as BBC? He talks about how Google never reported from a riot or never stood in the middle of a tsunami. Well, neither did he nor his band of intrepid men. So he isn’t so right about the reporters on the ground bit and not so right about the standards bit (he himself admitted for example that his newspaper ignored the Holocaust as it was happening!!) so I am not very sure what is the difference he is claiming.

Now that I have come to the end, I am even more confused about the difference. Is it the money? I mean, if you get paid and received a fixed salary to write stories, do you become a journalist? How about people who make money out of writing stories online such as through AdSense or some other advertising medium? Or those who are independently wealthy and do not need the money but write as a second career? I just had an amusing thought. Would the ancient world’s town crier and the stone column carver have had a similar debate three centuries ago? So no, this debate is facile, the mediums are changing, the fact remains is that we are all communicating and being social animals. To concentrate on the means of communicating to the exclusion of the content is wrong and misguided.

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!

Technorati Tags: Journalism , Internet

Sri Lanka Plans Ramayana Tourism Package, Seeks India's Help

Blokesablogin — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:51:28 EST

This simply takes the cake! Here we are, the progenitors of the Ramayana, denying the existence of Rama and his bridge and the "vanquished" country wants to develop Ramayana sites for tourism!

Life is hilarious, especially when skimming through a newspaper. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Karunanidhi, wanting to push forth his Setu samudram canal project) laughingly asks, "Who is this fellow Rama? Did he have an engineering degree from any college to be able to build a bridge?" On the other hand, we have the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority chief, S. Kalaiselvam wanting to understand better the story of the Ramayana to help develop the places in Sri Lanka seamlessly.

Places like Goorulupota (sounds like Gurulu-pettai) renamed Sitakotuwa (sounds like Sita Kottai, meaning Sita's shed in Tamizh) where Mandodari was reputed to have lived, Sita Eliya, a cave where she was kept imprisoned include a temple for Sita and stand testimony for an old tale. Yudhaganapitiya, near Nuwara Eliya is reported to have been the battlefield where the Rama-Ravana war took place. A few Hanuman temples with legends of him bringing the Dronagiri mountain have a long historical presence in the country.

All these facts and more have been documented and compiled by the Sri Lankan Tourist Authorities to put together a "Ramayana Package". I would recommend that they call it the "Yuddha Kanda" package as per the section in the epic by Valmiki. It is appropriate in these times too, as a "war" is being fought over the historicity of the bridge between India and Sri Lanka. Maybe the Government of Sri Lanka can connect with the Tamil Nadu one to facilitate cruises via the soon to be built canal as most oceanliners cannot make it through the proposed canal.

Even the ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) does not have a "Ramayana" Package. Even here, we are extremely "secular". Thanks to the Japanese and the money they are pumping in, we have a "Buddhist" package that takes you to all the places of significance to the Buddha and his life. But Rama, who is that fellow?

(Source article: Page #10, The Indian Express, North American Edition, Jan 08 2008)

Is The Guardian Seeing Pink Elephants?

Aditi Nadkarni — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:20:13 EST

Raised in one of the most liberal environments that a child could ask for, I grew up not being overtly conscious of my religious sensitivities and consider myself quite open to cultural critique. Even now as an immigrant, faced with intensely curious examination, I have always been able to address some of the more blatantly ignorant questions about Hinduism with a calm front, a straight face and the kind of dignity which only tolerance can bestow. Despite my allowances, there are times, I admit, when my undisturbed exterior of leniency leaves me seething from within. In recent times I have finally come to realize when and how my usually libertarian stance towards religious scrutiny takes a sudden curb towards a rigid and unforgiving disposition.

A recent encounter over the internet has caused me to conclude that my own intolerance towards ignorance and disregard for other religions boils over when it is a popular media form that is propagating the balmy inaccuracies and misinformation. Those in media, I firmly believe, should have the sense of responsibility to know the extent of their outreach. Ignorance is bliss for only those who indulge in it. Which makes it inexcusable when a media form chooses to propagate ignorance.

I come out of my two-month hiatus from DC today and step out from under the tightening noose of work schedule to vehemently criticize "an excerpt" by Chris Madigan that appeared in this month's Guardian Unlimited. Following is the discussed abstract that may leave the culturally savvy readers, completely incredulous and the religiously sensitive ones among us foaming at the mouth:

"Ganesh has always been non-Hindus' favourite Hindu deity, as he is most commonly represented in the incarnation of a jolly rotund elephant boy. He is particularly revered by the gay community in Mumbai during his festival in September, because he represents the removal of obstacles – and it's an occasion for them to express themselves as idols are plunged into the sea at Chowpatty beach. Self-expression for gay Mumbai usually comes – as it does at Mardi Gras and Pride parades worldwide - in the form of outrageous outfits and pounding disco. Only here, the pink pop songs are given a Bollywood cover version treatment."

Mr.Madigan has somehow managed to find a connection between Ganesh Chaturthi and get this, homosexuality. Why, you ask? Apparently, Mr.Madigan, inspite of his credentials and extensive travel history, has a relatively narrow outlook when it comes to the use of the color pink. A picture of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations accompanies this journalistic piece and is titled "The Pink Parade". Now if this casual connection were to be made in context of lets say films such as Pink Panther or Pink Cadillac, we could've all mustered at least a reluctant laugh at the sickeningly stereotypical humor in this association. However, Mr.Madigan chooses to make this far-fetched connection within the context of a Hindu god merely because the deity in question wears colorful garments and a pink crown. Literacy and even education, I now sadly infer, do not confer cultural sensibility. Mind you, I make this statement not against the alleged homosexuality association but in objection to the false and utterly misleading information being peddled in a unnecessary attempt to sell Mumbai's travel potential.

Picking September as the month to travel to Mumbai (Bombay), India, Mr.Madigan, explains how Ganesh Chaturthi is comparable to Mardi Gras and Gay Pride Parades. And yet, apart from the pink turbans and dhotis worn by the beloved Hindu diety, nothing about the religious festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi even remotely approaches the ambiance of a gay pride parade. While the Ganesh Chaturthi festival can be a culturally uplifting and festive experience for any visitor to India, it most definitely does not need to be marketed as a gay pride parade.

Mr.Madigan's ignorance itself is quite disturbing and yet what is even more reprehensible is The Guardian's complete lack of censorship when it comes to a piece that is not just hurtful towards religious sentiments but is deceptive information. Especially since "The Guardian's editorial code" unequivocally states the following:

"A newspaper's primary office is the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the supply is not tainted."

It is at times such as these that I wonder what role media actually plays in confirming or denouncing our biases, false prejudices and untrue generalizations. If a popular online news source such as the The Guardian can provide a platform for such a grave cultural misrepresentation, one wonders how educational our search engine exploits over the internet truly are.

As for Mr.Madigan, it may be interesting to note that the euphemistic phrase "Seeing pink elephants" describes drunken hallucinations resulting from alcohol withdrawal.

Pakistan - A Conundrum

temporal — Tue, 8 Jan 2008 04:30:33 EST

A quick google check of Pakistan as a failed state shows over 320,000 articles. Add to that the cover story in the Economist - Pakistan The world's most dangerous place - as if it was a state secret. The opening paragraph blares:

THE war against Islamist extremism and the terrorism it spawns is being fought on many fronts. But it may well be in Pakistan that it is won or lost. It is not only that the country's lawless frontier lands provide a refuge for al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, and that its jihad academies train suicide-bombers with global reach. Pakistan is also itself the world's second most populous Muslim nation, with a proud tradition of tolerance and moderation, now under threat from the extremists on its fringes. Until recently, the risk that Pakistan might be prey to Islamic fundamentalism of the sort its Taliban protégés enforced in Afghanistan until 2001 seemed laughable. It is still far-fetched. But after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, twice prime minister, nobody is laughing.

Pakistan is a conundrum and an anomaly from the coastal deserts of Sind and Balochistan to the second highest peak (K2) in the world to the north. In between lie the fertile plains of Punjab.

It has natural and human resources. But it is also cursed with military-feudal-industrial dinosaurs that sit and crush the democratic aspirations of the people. The fundamentalist Talibanesque resurgence in the NWFP is the bastard offspring of this military-feudal-industrial complex.

Pseudo journalists and writers, afflicted with Islamophobia, Pakophobia and those who suffer from tunnel-vision syndrome show a proclivity to blame the army for all that ails Pakistan and for them President Musharraf’s picture comes in handy. At another time, it could have been the wily Zina ul Haq or Ayub Khan. Short on understanding, intellect and lacking rigours of scholarly credentials they tire not of parroting that Pakistan is a failing/failed state.

Even this writer blames in bold the occupying army for much of the travails of Pakistan. But his coinage of the occupying army includes the bureaucrats, the feudal lords, the beards and the big business octopus that has usurped and co-opted the governance from the people of Pakistan in collusion with the khakis – the khaikistocrats. And while things do appear bleak in the near future, he is aware of the grit and resiliency of the poor and the ordinary in Pakistan. The elites may do the Mexican jumping bean routine, but the poor and ordinary Pakistani has no time for them or their grim analysis.

It is sophistic to think a free and fair election would suddenly usher in democracy and its attendant rule of law and order and justice for all Pakistanis.

It is naïve to think of democracy as a panacea for the mismanagement of the country for the past 60 years. The elites have no choice but to assume the proportionate burden of responsibility regardless of whether they had a share in power or not.

It is equally absurd to think that any single event - doffing off the uniform, return of the army to the barracks (a euphemism for non-involvement in country’s governance,) free and impartial elections, restoration of 1973 constitution, bringing back the judges who took oath under the first PCO – would, in a blink transform the country.

At best, these will be ginger firsft steps in the long journey. Shaky institutions would have to be rebuilt. Shattered trust will have to be restored slowly. But can this be done if there are fires burning all around?

And all of it has to be done by Pakistanis themselves. It is from within that a new breed will have to come forward. This will take time, effort and sincerity of purpose. The new breed may or may not have the experience to run the affairs. So there are bound to be teething troubles.

Her enemies in the world at large, the die hard fanatics in neighbouring countries that have not accepted her existence, those in the OIC (Muslim world) and the old guards within Pakistan will be waiting to pounce on every single misstep.

Guarding the frontiers and helping the civilian government in times of natural disaster and catastrophes should be the Army’s true role. It should leave the new breed of civilians to tackle the gigantic problems facing this mismanaged country.

All this comes from a small time poet who is long on hope and optimism. Events in real life do not turn out as in dreams and conjectures. But dream we must. Those who indulge in speculations re: failing/failed state need to pay heed to Mark Twain.

Polya Lesova in MarketWatch wrote:
"Again, the knee-jerk reaction will be don't go Pakistan," said Bumfrey, who travels often to Pakistan. "However, as we've seen with the stock market since the imposition and abandonment of emergency rule, the stock market has continued to be positive. In the long run, Pakistan remains an excellent investment. It has good value."
It has rallied 47% year to date. By comparison, India's Sensex index has gained 46.6% year to date. "Pakistan was on the front edge of the frontier market phenomenon -- the quest for untapped value in emerging markets," Brandt said. "Pakistan is on the front end of that because its economy has been doing reasonably well with almost no fanfare."

Indeed, Pakistan's gross domestic product has averaged 6.9% growth over the past five years. MORE HERE

Despite the political vacuum, the social mayhem, the suicide bombings, the consolidation of the Talibans in Afghanistan and their spill over in NWFP, the proliferation of corruption and lawlessness, certain economic indicators have improved. And the credit has to be given to the same military-feudal-industrial complex that I have been so vociferously criticising earlier.

The new breed of politicians, the old breed in the khakistocracy ruling Pakistan and the others on the sideline should rethink their options and perhaps discuss joining forces. A modified version of TRC (South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission) should be considered as an option to let the old guard khakisocrats come clean.

A fresh start is possible. And it is not a poet’s dream: it is the aspiration of many.

Googling for Pakistan a failed state gets the following results: Results 1 - 10 of about 320,000 for Pakistan a Failed State. (0.42 seconds)