Thursday, December 27, 2007

Biased Media? Really?

There is a mail circulating among members of the Editor's Guild of India which essentially ccuses the Gujrati media of 'corruption' and bias and that they tacitly supported the BJP during the recently held elections. Of course, some members are crying 'blue bloody murder' and demanding a 'fact-finding panel' which of course gives unemployed former journalists something to do. Now, I do know that media in smaller towns are far more 'commercial' and more in the 'old school' of 'I'll rub your back if I you can do something for me later on', and some of it is pretty crude, but then again, local TV channels and media outlets in many cases in Gujarat were already owned by BJP members.
Anyway, my point not arguing that the media in Gujarat was biased, but so was a vast majority of the national media against the BJP. So please go ahead and appoint a fact-finding panel but also investigate the role of the clowns who were sent to report from the frontlines, heck, cover the international media as well, because their reportage is almost completely based on that of the Delhi-based english media. Bhupen Chaubey aside, most TV reporting was virulently anti-Modi. Print reporting was a bit more balanced despite the screams of Tehelka which got lost in their own hype, even the Indian Express was a bit more rational.
Back to the point, can the media help but being biased? The Gujarati media was in a sense reacting to virulent Anti-Modi talk spouted by incompetent reporters (yes, I mean you NDTV - send people with brains to cover elections next time and not people who try and find people to find their stories) by the Delhi-based media. So what we got was no sense of balanced reporting, other than the occasional agency article from either. So, so to those guys who are suggesting that the role of the Gujarati media should be investigated, do a through report and do some introspection.
What say?
Plus this comment got me making many phone calls at night, and two people didn't confirm it, but did not express surprise either. "What did you expect with a clown at the top?" one told me. I've heard that there are lay-off's happening at that channel, and some of the boffins over on the print side are rather happy of this state of affairs.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

[...]MSM ‘participated’ in this election as an ‘interested party’ - where as its mandate is to report objectively and truthfully- and they threw all their weight (!) behind the single objective to defeat MODI by ‘hook or by crook’! No tricks in their bag were spared, motivated sting operations, singularly biased reporting against Modi, questionable and motivated ‘exist’ polls, screaming headlines, breathless accusatory tone, etc. etc.
At times it seemed as if “they” were fighting elections against Modi![...]

veni-vidi-vici-narendra-modi

PI

http://theprudentindian.wordpress.com/2007/12/25/veni-vidi-vici-narendra-modi/

thalassa_mikra said...

People are promoting their blogs on your comment section K - you're that good :)!


So does this mean Arnab makes his way back to his old mentors. The good times never last, do they?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
K said...

Last anon whose comment I deleted, IP trackers are nice things. But I would really suggest that you call up my editor and complain to him since you are so frikkin whiney. want his mobile number, mail me.

Anonymous said...

Hoi!! Why dont you publish the IP details of the posters whose comments you delete? And also, can we read the deleted stuff as special feeds or something?

Rajagopal said...

namo namaH,

In the column by Shri Karan Thapar,
http://www.hindusta ntimes.com/ StoryPage/ StoryPage. aspx?id=8368a158 -42d4-466c- ba71-685eb2bbc20 4&&Headline=%E2% 80%98Modificatio n%E2%80%99+ of+politics

he writes in the last para:

"Only the sudden removal of Narendra Modi can stop this."

I am unable to interpret "sudden removal".

I may or may not agree to anybody's expression but I will defend their right to express.

In my humble opinion this is a very, very strong statement against a democratically elected leader by a senior journalist and I feel it is a very inflamatory. IMHO it has crossed the boundary and it is irresponsible journalism

For your information and necessary action, if any, is possible.


Best Regards

Sincerely

aa no bhadraaH kratavo yantu vishvataH
(Let boble thouhgts come to us from the Universe --veda)

Rajagopal