Media folly of all kinds

Prof Kishwar has done a great job in profoundly analyzing the facts about Gujarat's Chief Minister Modi's recent speech in the State of Himachal Pradesh. It is worth to ponder over the below paras.

• "If Modi’s concern for reducing women’s drudgery is genuine, if he has actually delivered piped gas to seven lakh rural households and intends to cover all the rest, if every household in rural Gujarat is getting round the clock power supply, his frivolous remark against Sunanda Tharoor is not enough to damn him for being anti-women. Mere lip sympathy for women won’t do. I prefer politicians who care for women’s well-being in concrete ways.
• No politician dare marginalise the life concerns of the mass of our women as systematically as large sections of our media do, with their disproportionate attention to glamour dolls, film stars and the doings of the fashionable elite. It is easier to call monstrous politicians to account than media monsters."

Vivekananda, Bose and New Centre

Half a century after the Chicago lecture, Rajaji said in simple words, “Swami Vivekananda saved Hinduism and saved India. But for him we would have lost our religion and would not have gained our freedom. We therefore owe everything to Swami Vivekananda. May his faith, his courage and his wisdom ever inspire us so that we may keep safe the treasure we have received from him!” More here.

The biggest cover-up about Subhas Chandra Bose

Really good news about the News pokers.

Very interesting new initiative and I am very much looking forward its way of functioning on its affairs. 

How free are you in this age of corrupt kingdom of media in India?

Prof.Sen says: 

• Not only is access to the Internet and world opinion uncensored and unrestricted in India, a multitude of media present widely different points of view, often very critical of the government in office. India has a larger circulation of newspapers each day than any other country in the world. And the newspapers reflect contrasting political perspectives. Economic growth has helped—and this has certainly been a substantial gain—to expand the availability of radios and televisions across the country, including in rural areas, which very often are shared among many users. There are at least 360 independent television stations (and many are being established right now, judging from the licenses already issued) and their broadcasts reflect a remarkable variety of points of view. More than two hundred of these TV stations concentrate substantially or mainly on news, many of them around the clock. There is a sharp contrast here with the monolithic system of newscasting permitted by the state in China, with little variation of political perspectives on different channels. 

See Prof Ajay Shah post! here.

Who don't welcome 2011?

1. Eleven things you shouldn’t do in 2011
2.  Books and films I would like to see
3.  News TV 2010

The State: paid news, food security

P. Sainath on Food security:

• The food security legislation in the form that now seems likely weakens and dilutes the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Indian Constitution. Those are universal, not targeted. Sure, we have to move towards making them real. But we need at every stage to ask whether the steps we take strengthen or weaken the Directive Principles. These steps on food security weaken them. Also when we act in isolation in one sector like food, we undermine the vital others. What we could do with is a comprehensive universal programme that covers nutrition, work, health and education. At one time, for one nation.

Sunil Jain writes on paid news and the stupidity of The State

• Despite the sub-committee report documenting all this, the PCI’s 13-page “detailed report” does not mention even one instance cited in the 71 pages of the sub-committee report which, it says, “may remain on record of the PCI as reference document”, nor does it annex the report — the actual report, though, is not on the PCI’s website (it can be accessed at http://www.scribd.com/doc/ 35436631/The-Buried-PCI-Report-on-Paid-News).

The apathy of paid news

The apathy of paid news and free politics free means free from control of any kind.

Media apathy

There is a news saying “Commerce Minister Kamal Nath”. In this same newspaper few days back it was mentioned “Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath” this simple wrong information happens in almost every policy action under The State!

Socialist Ramraja and Liberal Express

There is an interesting development is taking place in Indian newspaper business companies. What is more interesting is the reporting of one news and suing of that news because of that reported news has no ground to believe.

Almost everyday there are thousands of such news being printed. How many are really sued for lack of authentic sources?

Infact it is laughable that a 132 year old Newspaper company did not have any “stipulated a retirement age for board members and also, the editor-in-chief”

For long the Hindu newspaper has been said as Socialist/Statist newspaper in India. The present case is an example for such polices adopted in pre 90s in India!

Read the full stories from below links:

1. Will sue The Indian Express, The Financial Express: Ram
2. N. Ram to sue Indian Express
3. Battle for control breaks out in 132-yr-old The Hindu
4. The Hindu editor to sue Indian Express

Forget inequality, Liberty will Triumph in its own course

In the Weekend Ruminations the Business Standard T N Ninan pose an interesting question but wrong conclusion and with wrong theory in head. So what is that question?

• “Which country would a poor person like to live in? He has two options. In Country A, the average income per head goes up by 1 per cent each year, while that of the poor goes up by 1.25 per cent. In Country B, average income goes up by 3.5 per cent each year, but that of the poor goes up by only 3 per cent. It is easy to see what will happen over time in the two countries. In A, inequality will reduce and everyone will become more equal. In B, however, poverty will reduce much faster, even though the level of inequality will increase. So which of these two countries would a poor person choose?”

The answer is known at least decades back as has been clearly pointed out by Professor Mises.

Statues eat a lot!

Today’s ET editorial woos politicians for statues:

“Tamil Nadu and Karnataka just seem to have buried the hatchet by unveiling a statue”

“The battle even extended to erecting statues of each other’s saints and poets. Yet, with the unveiling of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar’s statue in Bangalore, we might yet enter a new era of actually tolerating each other’s presence. And we do this by erecting each other’s statues in our own territory.”

God had decided to place under a terrible rain shadow

Shekhar Gupta has two quite interesting article on new India and old election. In the first article he writes: 

“Chandrababu Naidu was once the darling of reformers, of free-market economists, the Indian and foreign media and of course the larger, liberal intellectual class. All of which, he now tells us over a multi-course and fiery coastal Andhra meal, were the reasons why he lost power. “I got so obsessed with praise from all of you, that I lost contact with people,” he says. And then goes on to explain with the sort of candour and articulateness you wouldn’t expect from an Indian politician, particularly a regional, third-front type: “I became a nationalist, a statesman, and got obsessed with that image. I forgot my villages, the voters, and I will never make that mistake again. Five years out of power have been terrible. I have really suffered and struggled.” He then unveils his modified “reform” thinking. Pro-market reforms, he says, must continue, but you can’t wait for trickle-down as “I did the last time.” Reform will create wealth, he says, but the state must distribute it immediately. His solution, however, is more immediate than you would have imagined: he carries an ATM machine with him and tells voters how he will give cards to all the poor so, once a month, all they need to do is push the card into the machine, and Rs 2,000 will come out, and this is how. At a fairly energetic campaign meeting in the heart of Nellore that has at least a dozen OB vans (all from local, Telugu channels; most of them owned by politicians) in attendance, he gets a response when he explains his cash transfer scheme. As he would, at least initially, from reform economists who have been asking for just this in place of the usual government schemes for years. Except he wants this to be in addition to all the rest, including NREGA. And from where will he get the money to finance these? Naidu has some ideas that come straight from hell. 

Chiranjeevi, whom we catch up with in Palakollu, his parents-in-law’s town, not far from coastal Rajahmundhry and one of the two constituencies he is contesting from. He invites us to dinner at one of his friends’ (a film producer) plush home but turns up himself only well past midnight, fresh and on-the-go as if another day’s work was just about to begin. He is too simple and uncomplicated to be a politician yet. Born Konidela Shiva Shankara Vara Prasad to a police constable, he says he changed his name to Chiranjeevi after a dream. Then, having spent more than two decades thrashing the baddies and inevitably destroying all evil, he has now jumped into politics, with pretty much the same intention. But he acknowledges real politics is not like the movies and the victory of “good” over “evil” is not pre-ordained. He admits he has not been able to build a real organisation, is not sure if his politics is anything like the Robin Hood socialism that many of his movies portrayed, but between Chandrababu Naidu and Rajasekhar Reddy he seems to know who is the greater “evil”, even if he won’t say so in so many words.”  

The second part is here.

India's newspaper reading culture

India's newspaper reading culture

Blind media….

In the business of reporting news many misreporting happens in all kinds of media. 

See today’s one in the rediff: 

• “In a surprise move, the 84-year-old Chief Minister drove to the memorial of late C N Annadurai early this morning and sat on a fast there demanding immediate ceasefire in the Sri Lankan army's offensive against the LTTE. 
  
• Pranab Mukherjee [Images] and AK Antony have been discussing this with their officials over phone. These two are busy in electioneering. Hence they may not be arriving before noon in Delhi. Doctors attending on DMK chief Minister Karunanidhi have expressed concerns over the health of 88-year-old politician.” 
  

This is only one example, think of every reporting persons do the same in some or other day.

The news items are already skewed, now again misreported means what sort of services these people are doing for The Society? 

Make to Works of Small Screen

This year January may be ended with a new version of induced CRITISIM of Newspapers-MINTLIVE, BUSINESS-STANDARD etc. Now it seems to me that the February wanted to end with “conspicuous presence” of small screen revolution in India. 

A veteran Sociologist Andre Beteille argues like was holding a stock of CRITISM in full stomach for years. For instance see the below paras: 

• “Not all the information provided on television is of significant value. Much of it is trivial and ephemeral. The analysis provided is sometimes acute and incisive, but often it is empty and vacuous. There is a strain towards the presentation of information in a striking and dramatic form. Much of what takes place in our public life is ordinary and humdrum, but with some effort even the most banal happenings can be given a portentous air. Television reporters and anchors habitually adopt a breathless manner, which even the most seasoned newspaper columnist or radio broadcaster cannot easily simulate. 
  
• Doordarshan held the field by itself, there was very little entertainment, and the information was bland and stereotyped. This has changed with the entry of private television channels into the field. Even Doordarshan is now less dull and stodgy than it used to be. Our newsreaders do not have to be grim faced as in China or Russia, and the women among them do not have to cover their heads as in Iran and Pakistan. It is good to see greater variety in dress and deportment although, personally, one regrets the passing of the sari.  
  
• The line between entertainment and information is in any case never clear and, where there is acute competition to hold the viewer's attention, it is easily crossed. Leaving aside the embarrassment and anguish caused to individuals and households, matters of public security and institutional propriety tend to be given short shrift. Newsreaders and analysts know how to simulate both grief and concern, but this loses something in credibility when their presentation is regularly interrupted by commercial advertisements that are anything but solemn or sorrowful. 
  
• What is worrying about private television is the cut-throat competition between rival channels. The competition affects the manner in which news is presented and, in the end, also its substance. It is natural that when an interesting or important story comes to light each channel should strive to be the first to present it to the public. It is also natural that it should wish to claim that its own story is exclusive. But such a claim serves mainly its own commercial interest rather than any identifiable public purpose. 
  
• Private television channels should not be blamed for seeking to augment their revenues, but they, on their side, should not cut too many corners. Nor should they be blamed for seeking credit for providing a useful service provided they do not make lofty moral claims about being the citizen's shield against the authorities. It should not be too difficult for the citizen to determine what they do in the public interest and what they do for profit and, further, to see that the two are not always convergent”. 
  

See the other post here