Sunday, December 31, 2006
क्यों बिलखा रहा है टीवी...
सूचक
soochak@gmail.com
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क्यों बार बार दिख रहा है सद्दाम..
सूचक
soochak@gmail.com
Send your write-ups on any media on "mediayug@gmail.com"
Monday, December 25, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर(11 - 17 दिसम्बर)
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com
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Friday, December 22, 2006
2006: Media year of justice.
Soochak
soochak@gmail.com
Also look this link to see what they say, they the 'mediagurus'...
http://www.agencyfaqs.com/cgi-bin/re.html?u=http://www.agencyfaqs.com/news/stories/2006/12/22/16687.html
Send your write-ups on any media on "mediayug@gmail.com"
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Popular interest news?
http://indiapr.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-indian-media-biased-in-favour-of.html
Mediayug
A dedication
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Friday, December 15, 2006
9/11 REOPEN!!!
Go to this website and watch this film.........do it quickly as it has been pulled off several websites already!........afterwards you'll see why!
http://www.pentagonstrike.co.uk/flash.htm#Main
(SEE IT ONLINE!!!!!!!!!!!)
Journalist arrested: RSF calls for explanations!
Journalist arrested: RSF calls for explanations
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
Since 4 December, Abdul Rouf and his wife have been held under a weapons law. Police, who presented a first report (FIR 341/2006), accuse them of sheltering armed separatists at their home. The couple's family denies the accusations, saying that they have never committed any crimes. Between 21 November and 4 December, the journalist was held at the Special Operations Group (SOG) centre without ever going before a judge. A police officer in Srinagar, reached by telephone by Reporters Without Borders, refused to give any information about the reasons for their detention.Described by his colleagues as "calm and loyal in his work", Abdul Rouf was a calligrapher for various publications in Srinagar for 15 years. For the past four years he has worked as deputy editor for "Srinagar News". The couple's two daughters, Rafiya and Rubiya, and their son, Amir, who is a deaf-mute, told the newspaper "Greater Kashmir" how the SOG agents searched the family home in Srinagar on the night of 21 November. They have been forced to take refuge at the home of a neighbour. They have been unable to return home since the house has been sealed and "police are preventing the children from having access to their clothes, books and toys," the journalist's brother told "Greater Kashmir".
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF._
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Outfoxed...Mind Control by Rupert Murdoch
Outfoxed - Mind control techniques used by American Media - Now being replicated on Indian News channels at a television set near you. Excellent documentary on mind control techniques used by media corporations in U.S.A. All the more relevant for Indians here because Rupert Murdoch has a large presence in India through Star Network. I recommend all readers view this. Even user's with low bandwidth and slow internet connections will be able to watch this. OUTFOXED Outfoxed examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. This film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know. The first minute of this video is in Dutch - The remainder is in English Click on the link below to watch this video...
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7798.htm
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
BBC CENSORS CALLER
On Sunday 26 November 2006, at 17-45, BBC Radio 3 had a programme entitled "Is Communism bad for art".
It is obvious from the blurb, see below, that the focus of the programme was to discuss the "horrors of communism". However, the, so called, discussion was little more than a crude rant against an invented "communism" which it was clear that Lebrecht knows nothing whatsoever about.
When John Sanderson, a jazz musician and communist rang in to point out that capitalism has murdered untold millions of people he was quickly taken off air and told, by Lebrecht, that his view was "historically inaccurate".
After complaining about this blatant censorship the comrade was rung by the shows producer apologising for the 'mistake' in cutting him off and no, she did not know who had cut him o ff and it must have been due to lack of time!
The comrade was promised that his letter protesting against BBC censorship would be put on their website.
It will be interesting to see if this does happen. If so, comrades can certainly intervene.
The programme is still available to hear on the BBC website for the next few days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/lebrechtlive/pip/2oay0/
Comrade Sanderson's Letter to the BBC
IS THE BBC BAD FOR DEBATE
It is ironic that the BBC Radio 3 programme, Lebrecht Live, on the effects of censorship on art should itself censor a member of the public who had called in to air his views on the subject.
For the benefit of those who did not hear "Is Communism Bad for Art?", R3, Sunday, 26th. November, the preface to the programme in Radio Times stated that "The 20th. Century’s dominant ideology was inherently suppressive. It silenced, imprisoned and murdered millions of people and in a few countries where it still prevails freedom of speech is under severe restraint. But was Communism bad for Art? Much of the work has been appalling propaganda, but some of it could not have come into being under any other conditions...".
But why was this programme being broadcast now? My first thought was that it may have been prompted by the failure of the now capitalist Russia to produce the promised land of Liberal democracy. Perhaps the BBC was worried that those artists and intellectuals who had been so keen to see the end of the Soviet Union were beginning to have second thoughts. As such, the time may have seemed ripe for The Beeb and Norman Lebrecht to engage in a bit of old-style Commie-bashing, with an intellectual veneer, of course. It was obvious from the start that rubbishing Communism was the real point of the programme. The longer it went on, the more it seemed that Lebrecht’s views were not going to be challenged.
I ra ng the programme requesting to put some points to Mr. Lebrecht and his guests and, somewhat to my surprise, was contacted by the BBC to go on air. Given the short space of time, my primary consideration was to counter the assertions against Communism by presenting a few facts about capitalism’s record on suppression, imprisonment and murder which, as far as I can ascertain, has been responsible for far more deaths than Communism . Unfortunately, Mr. Lebrecht (or some higher authority at the BBC) would have none of it. I was quite pointedly faded out, with Mr. Lebrecht retorting "You are historically incorrect". Quite apart from the real content of the programme, essentially a diatribe against Communism, he also put forward some spurious notion about the "purifying fire of Marxism-Leninism" having a beneficial effect upon Art. It is a pity that he did not let me finish my point, because he could have applied his "theory", arguably with more success, to the experience of Afro-Americans.
In the annals of capitalism’s bloody colonial and imperialist history, the slave trade must surely rank as one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. It has been suggested that as many as 25 to 30 million Africans died at the hand of the British slave trade alone. It is reasonable to suggest that no group in modern history has ever been so oppressed or had their culture and identity so rigorously suppressed. Never mind, their particular ordeal in the "purifying fire" of slavery, so central to capitalist development in Europe, gave Blues, Gospel and Jazz to the world. As a Jazz musician myself, I don’t think the creation of Jazz can compensate for the life of even one slave.
Quite apart from this particular, what of the deaths in both the First and Second World Wars, which were, ultimately, about the continuing division of the world into capitalist spheres of influence?
The First World War accounted for about 8.5 million military deaths, over 21 million wounded, over 7 million prisoners and missing. Still, at least we got the War Poets. As to the Second World War, estimates suggest that up to 60 million died. And what of the millions suppressed, worked to death, starved and neglected in the development and ascendancy of capitalism : the nameless and numberless workers in the sweat-shops, mines and mills of Britain in the 18th. and 19th. centuries? Post-1945 alone, Imperialist adventures in Aden, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ireland, India, Kenya, Malaya, Korea, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam - the list could go on - account for many millions of deaths. Added to this are the miserable and stunted lives of those still being economically exploited as cheap labour in the Imperialised countries of the world. Moreover, in the states of the former Soviet Union, most notably Russia, drug dependancy is rife and the vulnerable are simply dying on the streets. Life expectancy for the Russian male population fell from 64 years (in the last years of the Soviet state) to 58 years in 2003 (source : Wall Street Journal, February 4th. 2004); this is even below the level of Bangladesh and well below that of Cuba : 74 years in 2002.
It is estimated that this reduction in life expectancy has led to over 15 million premature deaths and that, should this trend not be reversed, Russia’s population will decline by 30% over the next few decades.
As far as anyone with any understanding of history is concerned, it is not I and my fellow Communists, but Mr. Lebrecht who is "historically incorrect". Moreover, whilst the Russian Revolution may have been a defining moment ,it is a sad fact that it was not Communism that was the dominant ideology of the 20th. Century, but Capitalism. But equally,it must be remembered that the first attempt to create a Communist society may have failed, but the existence of the Soviet Union led, directly or indirectly, to the end of Colonial rule in Africa and Asia , and the defeat of Fascism and Nazism.
I rest my case.
J. Sanderson, Derbyshire.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर (1-10दिसम्बर)
सूचक
soochak@gmail.com
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006
हफ्ता गुज़रा टीवी पर ( 21-30 नवम्बर)
सूचक
soochak@gmail.com
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Monday, December 04, 2006
Regional Cinema, Attention Economy & Blogging India!
There was a time when we saw regional flicks on out tv sets, every sunday in the afternoon. Somehow it captures the attention. And show the power of cinemisation and unity in diversity. Now we have so many regional channels and lots of stuff to render, but the miracle was in the limit. We tagged it 'regional media' and in this flow the essence of regional films dooms. The article of - thehindu- cleary state it.
http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/03/stories/2006120301271100.htm
Somehow the entertainment channels are quarelling like saas bahu in reality tv mode. Every tv channels has a saga to drop tears. In between, we victimized by a syndrome of attention, What is attention grabing? read and analyse yourself!
http://www.agencyfaqs.com/news/stories/2006/11/24/16461.html
Blogging, a phenomena, a wave that simmers. India is on the tip of mouse and internet. This report says so....
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/blog/technologywalla/0,39059341,61971547,00.htm
mediayug@gmail.com
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
कटघरे में मीडिया ट्राएल
एक सच। भारती यादव। डीपी यादव की बेटी। नीतिश कटारा हत्याकांड मामले की गवाह। दिल्ली की पटियाला कोर्ट में बंद कमरे में गवाही देती है। अंदर अदालत में केवल गिने चुने आवश्यक लोग। पर रात में हर टीवी समाचार चैनल पर आप अदालत के अंदर का नाट्य रूपांतरण देखते है। कैसे। ये सवाल न्यायिक व्यवस्था से है। पत्रकारों से है। और हर दर्शक से भी।
सूचक
soochak@gmail.com
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Wednesday, November 22, 2006
टीवी के बारे में अनकही...
टीवी ने इस खबर को एक बाप के रहम पर उतार दिया।मतलब कि उस तरह नहीं धुना जैसा प्रिंस या राखी सावंत को। बात अनंत की हो रही है। अनंत का अगवा होना एक आम खबर थी, पर उनसे जुड़ा परिवार खास था। वो एक अंतर्राष्ट्रीय कंपनी के बड़े अधिकारी का तीन साल का लड़का था। और ये एक तरह की आपराधिक राजनैतिक खबर थी। जिसके आयाम कई थे।टीवी से इसे पहले कानून व्यवस्था, फिर पिता की रहम और फिर जान की कीमत पर छोड़ने का मन बनाया। कहा कि पिता के आग्रह पर हम अनंत से जुड़ी खबरे नहीं दिखाएंगे। क्या कदम रहा। टीवी की नैतिकता के बारे में सोचना हम आप छोड़ ही चुके है। सेक्स, भ्रमण, अपराध और छींटाकशी के अलावा कम ही ठोस दिखता है। दिखता है तो असर नहीं छोड़ता। क्या आपको पत्थर बनाकर मोम की कामना की जा सकती है। यही हुआ है। पहले असंवेदनशीलता के प्रहार और फिर मानवीय होना की गुहार। खैर हम चोला बदलते रहते है। टीवी ने नैतिकता के नाम पर खबर नहीं चलाई। नतीजा या कहे कि वो सिहरन जो सत्ता को बेध रही थी, ने मजबूर किया ये दबाव बनाने में कि वो वापस ले आए एक तीन साल के अबोध को। पर टीवी ने ये नहीं बताया कि किस तरह एक बाप ने अपनी तकनीकी समझ से बच्चे को वापस लाने में खास भूमिका निभाई। चलिए। जरूरी था। अनंत के वापस आने के बाद। एक बार फिर टीवी ने धज्जियां उड़ाई। पुलिस की अनंत गाथी की। क्या क्या फर्जी गढ़ा गया था। उसे पर्दाफाश करने में टीवी ने हर तरह की कहानी के पेंच खोले। खैर सबक पर गौर करिए। जब भी किसी मानवीय खबर पर टीवी पिल पड़ता है, तो नतीजे किसी न किसी तरह सार्थक हो जाते है। टीआरपी की चिंता में हर रोज नया करने और बांधने की कोशिश मे इस जनसमचार माध्यम ने कुछ गरिमा जरूर खोई है, पर जो बचा रहा है वो कही न कही किसी मूल्य को स्थापित करते है। एक बार जो कही नहीं गया वो गौर करने लायक है। अनंत ने घर पहुंच कर जो खुशी दिखाई, जो आपने हमने टीवी पर देखा। वो खुशी टीवी की बदैलत है। टीवी की बदैलत है आपको ये अहसास कि आप भले ही ज्यादातर शिकार होने पर पर्दे पर नजर आते है।पर न्याय आपके पास आने को तभी तैयार होता है जब आपके साथ जनभावनाएं होती है। जो टीवी बनाता है।
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com
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Monday, November 20, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर (11-20 नवम्बर)
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com
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In The Premises Of The National Broadcaster!!!
Monday, November 13, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर (2-10 नवम्बर)
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर (24 अक्टूबर -1नवंबर )
'सूचक'
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
विग्यापन के बीच पिसती खबर
चैनल खबर(%) प्रचार(%)
आजतक - 47 53
स्टार न्यूज - 65 35
जी न्यूज - 69 31
एनडीटीवी - 70 30
ये तो कुछ खास चैनलों के खास आकड़े है जो कहानी को बड़े कैनवास में दिखाते है। पर ज्यादा बड़ा हकीकत ये है कि ये सारे खबरिया चैनल जिस भी मात्रा में खबरें चलाते इसमें भी क्या चलता है। सारे न्यूज चैनलों पर चलने वाली खबरों में साठ फीसदी ऐसा होता जो ट्राइवियल या पेरिफेरल माना जा सकता है। यानि ऐसी खबरें जो किसी के काम न आएं। यानि ऐसी सूचना जो इस्तेमाल न की जा सके। यानि खबरिया चैनलों पर फिजूल की खबरें। लगता है कुछ। सच यही है। न यकीन हो तो टीवी खोल लीजिए और एक घण्टा देखने के बाद याद कीजिए कि क्या क्या देखा और जाना। वैसे विग्यापन जरूर याद रह जाता है। क्यों। क्योकि वो आपकी जरूरत के अनुसार बुना और पेश किया जाता है। शायद टीवी को ये समझना बाकी है।
'सूचक'
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Sunday, October 29, 2006
Why won't the media cover this outrageous October Surprise?
Joshua Holland
Earlier in the week I wrote about the likely death sentence to be handed down in Saddam Hussein's show trial just two days before the mid-term elections. If you missed it, read it here.
When I wrote that, I didn't know for a fact that most observers expected the trial to take far longer. But, according to Scott Horton, an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Law School who has visited Baghdad several times, that does appear to be the case.
According to the Institute for Public Accuracy, Horton said yesterday:
Most observers expected the date would be much later, but it seems to have been moved up. It will be front page news in the papers on Monday -- the day before the election. This is designed to show some progress in Iraq. The American public will see Saddam condemned to death and see it as a positive thing.
When you look at polling figures, there have been three significant spike points. One was the date on which Saddam was captured. The second was the purple fingers election. The third was Zarqawi being killed. Based on those three, it's easy to project that they will get a mild bump out of this.
I'd add that these have been short-lived spikes. Longer than two days, but short-lived.
In my experience, everything that comes out of Baghdad is very carefully prepared for U.S. domestic consumption. … There is a team of American lawyers working as special legal advisers out of the U.S. embassy, who drive the tribunal. They have been involved in preparing the case and overseeing it from the beginning. The trial, which is shown on TV, has mild entertainment value for Iraqis, but they refer to it regularly as an American puppet theater.
Tom Englehardt pointed out in The Nation that the media haven't even taken note of the timing in their coverage. This kind of transparent manipulation of something as important as seeing justice served for the tens of thousands of Iraqis tortured and killed by Hussein for the sake of the GOP's prospects in the mid-term elections is simply outrageous. Reporters should be asking hard questions about it in Washington and in Baghdad -- this should be a major story.
It's a perfect opportunity to dig into the revelations contained in Michael Gordon's Cobra II about how everything done in the "Battle for Baghdad" was carefully scripted for U.S. domestic consumption, and in Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Emerald City about how the Green Zone is awash in Republican political appointees, many of whom have no visible qualifications for their posts beyond party loyalty. If the media were doing their jobs this craven act might back-fire on the Republicans as it should.
Can you take a minute and give me a hand? Beneath the fold are some selected media contacts. A brief, polite note asking them why they're not covering this issue -- why they're not asking the appropriate questions -- would be really helpful. Contact your local media as well. Reference Scott Horton's statement above.
And any members of the press can e-mail me for Horton's contact info.
NBC, MSNBC, Newsweek: Contact form.
ABC News: Contact form.
CNN: Contact form.
New York Times: Contact form.
Washington Post:
LA Times:
Chicago Tribune:
George de Lama. Deputy Managing Editor, News.
Kenneth H. Bredemeier, Washington Bureau News Editor.
McClatchy's Washington Bureau.
Here are 570 more press contacts collected by timroff at DailyKos.
Tagged as: international law, iraq, saddam hussein, election06
Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर (17-23 october)
'सूचक'
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Monday, October 16, 2006
An Urgent Appeal!!!
Sunita , owner of Danish Books has been summoned by the Chandrapur Police for interrogation today, 16 October 2006 along with Sh. Vijay Vairagade, a local social activist and his 16 year old son who is a minor. The police claim that they have clinching evidence against Sunita which proves beyond doubt that she has Maoist affiliations and is indulged in activities which are subversive in nature. However, the local thana and the police is not ready to part with any information regarding these charges to the lawyers who are there to represent Sunita.
It has been claimed by the police that Sunita belongs to Jehanabad of Bihar and her first husband was killed in police encounter. They also claim that 15% of the literature seized from the stall of the Daanish Book is of offensive nature and supports the politics of the Maoists.
To put the record straight Sunita has no connection with Jehanabad. Her parental family hails from Naugachiya District of Bihar. Actually by establishing a relationship between her and Jehanabad which is known for Naxal politics the MH police want to prove that she is also a naxalite. The police claim about her first husband being killed in police action is also a issue of imagination. Her first husband is a known leftist political activist and is based at Patna and very much alive. She is now married to Shri Dhruva Narayan, a reputed publisher, who has to his credit titles by Noam Chomsky, Samir Amin, Tariq Ali and other nationally and internationally reputed authors. Sunita has been active in student and women's movements and has worked with the National Commission for Women, a statutory body constituted by the Government of India for two years. She has also worked with Books For Change, a subsidiary of the ActionAid India, an international agency .
Sunita is a known publisher and distributor and she visits all major book exhibitions and fairs and put up her stall everywhere. As publisher and distributor gets calls from all kinds of people and they also visit her stalls. Chandrapur being on centre of police action against naxal activities in the region, police use their extraordinary powers to harass anybody. For last few months they have been raiding the houses of social activists and journalists and seizing books and implicating them in false criminal cases. According to reliable sources, the Chandrapur police intends to book Sunita under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
One needs to recall that yesterday on 15 october,2006 in a shocking and bizarre incident the Maharashtra Police, Chandrapur had seized 41 books from the stall of Daanish Books, which were displayed in the book exhibition which is held every year on 15-16 October, on the occasion of the Deeksha Day celebrations to mark the day when Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism 50 years ago . The books seized by the police for containing dangerous , anti state material include books like Marathi translation of the Thoughts of Bhagat Singh, Ramdeen Ka Sapna by B.D. Sharma, Jati Vyavastha- Bhartiya Kranti Ki Khasiyat by Vaskar Nandy, Monarchy Vs Democracy by Baburam Bhattarai, Nepali Samargaatha: Maowadi Janyuddha ka Aankhon Dekha Vivaran (The Hindi edition of eminent American Journalist Li Onesto's celebrated book Dispatches from the People's War in Nepal, Translated by Anand Swarup Varma), Daliton par Badhati Jyadatiya aur Unka Krantikari Jawab, Chhapamar Yudhha by Che Guevara and books on Marxism and Leninism and people's struggles. Non of the books seized by the police is banned or declared offensive by any state agencies.
A contingent of nearly 70 armed policemen surrounded the stall of Daanish Books this afternoon and remained there for more than three hours, making a list of books they wanted to seize. Earlier they made a list of more than 200 books. After a long argument Sunita had on telephone with the Chandrapur S.P., they removed many books and left with 41 books some of which have been mentioned above. They left the place after threatening Sunita that she would be arrested as they had information that she had Maoist links. When contacted, the S.P. assured Sunita that nothing would happen to her and he would personally come to see her next morning. But press circle is abuzz with rumours that Sunita might be arrested tomorrow as police suspect her to be a member of some Maoist outfit.
Friends, Sunita and Daanish Books are a familiar feature of many pro-people programmes or events where they put up their stalls unfailingly. They are publishers of repute with strong pro-people leanings. They publish and display books which are at many times critical of the state policies. Is it a crime to publish and display such books in a democracy like India? That such an action can be taken by the police without any hesitation shows that India is fast turning into a police-state and police feels free to indulge in such unlawful activities in the name of containing terrorism. They can seize books, arrest people and even kill them without any fear of public outrage.
We express our solidarity with Sunita and her colleagues at Daanish Books and condemn this highhandedness of the Chandrapur Police. We demand a statement from the Home Minister, Maharashtra on this incident.
This is an appeal to all of you to condemn this highhandedness of Chandrapur police and a request to all of you write to the S.P., Chandrapur condemning this incident and asking for their apology.
Telephone and Fax numbers of SP and DM of Chandrapur:
SP--Mr. Kadam 07172-255202 Fax: 07172-255800, Mobile: 09822943358
DM--Mr. Sanjay Jaisawal 07172-255300
Apoorvanand, Unv. Of Delhi
Shabnam Hashmi, ANHAD
Harsh Mander, AMAN BIRADARI
Ram Puniyani, AISF, Mumbai
Anand swaroop verma, Freelance journalist and writer
Aditya nigam, Fellow, CSDS
Khurshid anwar, ISD
Nivedita Menon, Unv of Delhi
Purushottam Agrawal, JNU
Dilip Simeon, Fellow, Nehru museum amd Teen Murti Library,
Jamal Kidwai, Aman Trust
Charu Gupta, Fellow, Nehru Memorial Library
Mukul Sharma, Amnesty International, India
Vijay Pratap, Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam
Imtiaz Ahmad, JNU
Poorva Bhardwaj, Nirantar
Jaya Mehta, Sandarbh Kendra, Indore, IPTA
Vineet Tiwari, Gen. Secretary, MP Progressive Writers' Association, Sandarbh Kendra, IPTA
Nasirruddin haider Khan, Journalist, Lucknow
Arshad Ajamal, Social Activist, Patna
Rupesh, , Social Activist, Patna
Kavita Srivastava, PUCL, Jaipur
Premkrishna Sharma, PUCL, New Delhi
Piya Chatterji
Anil Chaudhary, INSAF
Prabhakar Sinha, PUCL
Vijay Singh, Delhi University
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Rajni Tilak, NACDOR
Harjinder Singh, Hyderabad
Gautam Navlakha
Anil Sadgopal
Hari Lamba
Hari Sharma, SANSAD
D Narasimha Reddy, Hyderabad
Ganesh N Devy, Baroda
Kamla Prashad, National Progressive Writer's Association
Tanvir Akhtar, IPTA
Bhanu Bharati, Playwright and threatre director
Alok Rai, Professor, Deptt of English, DU
Arun Kumar, JNU
Subodh Malakar, JNU
Kamal Nayan Kabra, IIPA
Ashok Vajpeyi, Poet
Vishnu Nagar, Poet and Journalist
Abhishek Srivastava, Freelance Journalist, New Delhi
हफ्ता गुज़रा टीवी पर( 9 -16 अक्टूबर)
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Death of a courageous journalist
By Katrina Vanden Heuvel
http://www.countercurrents.org/rus-heuvel111006.htm
Russia and the world have lost a great and courageous journalist. The killing of Anna Politkovskaya on October 7 is horrifying and shocking, but not unexpected.
Anti-Putin Journalist Murdered In Moscow
By Patrick Martin
http://www.countercurrents.org/rus-martin111006.htm
The assassination of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is an ominous warning to working people and intellectuals in Russia and throughout the world of the lengths to which the regime headed by the former KGB agent Vladimir Putin will go to suppress criticism and political opposition
Sunday, October 08, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर( 1 - 8 अक्टूबर)
'सूचक'
soochak@gmail.com'
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Musharraf hot favourite of Indian News Channels
perhaps as much as he makes in his own country. In the last week of September, between 21
and 28th, Pakistan President Prevez Musharraf got three times more time on primetime evening news bulletins of Delhi based Hindi news channels than the India Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh got during the period, according to a CMS Media Lab analysis.
It was the release of General Pervez Musharraf’s book on September 25th which prompted such an extensive coverage in the news media. What is more, most of this television coverage is not only from USA but include extensive discussion in India and interviews on Musharraf and his book.
Between September 21 and 28, six Hindi news channels of Delhi devoted 378 minutes of their
evening primetime news bulletins for General Musharraf against 114 minutes they devoted for
covering Dr. Manmohan Singh. No Indian Prime Minister for sure would have ever got such a
coverage in Pakistan news media as Musharraf often gets in India.
The news channels covered are DD News, NDTV India, Zee News, Sahara Samay, Star News
and Aaj Tak.
More specifically, Musharraf’s book release on 25th September and discussion on it occupied
277 minutes of the bulletins of these six Hindi News channels. Even before the book release, on
September 21, 22, 23 and 24 Musharraf got a coverage of 102 minutes in the evening primetime bulletins of these six Hindi news channels. This included General Musharraf’s meeting with Dr.
Manmohan Signh in Havana, Musharraf’s meet with US President Bush.
Between 21 and 28 September NDTV devoted 164 minutes for President Musharraf in its
evening primetime bulletins against four minutes it devoted for Dr. Manmohan Singh in the
same bulletins.
Doordarshan news channels, on the other, devoted 94 minutes for Dr. Manmohan Singh against
35 minutes it devoted for Pakistan President Musharraf during the same days and same time
bulletins.
On an average Pakistan’s President got ten minutes per channel of primetime coverage a day
during this week in the news bulletins on these news channels - against hardly three minutes a
day per channel Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh got. That General Musharraf is a favourite of India news media is evident from the coverage he gets from the mainline English newspapers too. On the other, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh gets low key coverage in news bulletins is perhaps not a surprise.
On September 26 Dr. Manmohan Singh had his birthday. So also the veteran film actor Dev
Anand. On 26th September Dev Anand got a coverage of 34 minutes in all in the primetime
evening bulletins of six Hindi news channels against two minutes and 30 seconds coverage Dr.
Manmohan Singh got on the same channels in the same bulletins.
NDTV devoted 24 minutes on 26 September in its evening primetime news bulletins on Dev
Anand’s birthday. It had no coverage what so ever on Dr. Manmohan Singh’s birthday in the
primetime news bulletins of the evening.
Doordarshan News devoted one minute and 50 second for covering Dr.Manmohan Singh
birthday against 30 seconds it devoted for Dev Anand’s birthday on September 26th in its
primetime evening news bulletins. Zee News had 30 seconds for Dr. Manmohan Singh’s
birthday against 7 minutes for Dev Anand’s birthday on 26 September.
Interestingly, both Aaj Tak and Star News did not cover either of these birthdays in their evening primetime news bulletins.
CMS Media Lab monitors and analysis news bulletins of prime national channels and some
regional channels every day.
Media Lab
Centre for Media Studies
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media on "mediayug@gmail.com"
Saturday, September 30, 2006
हफ्ता गुजरा टीवी पर ( 23-30 सितम्बर )
सूचक
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Friday, September 22, 2006
Letter To Rajdeep Sardesai...
Shri Rajdeep Sardesai,
IBN-7 Channel,
New Delhi.
Subject: IBN-7 Channel’s 10 p.m. news on September 5, 2006 regarding Nepal Maoist’s plans to attack India.
Sir,
Your channel carried in its news at 10 p.m. on September 5, 2006 a news item which purported to show how Nepal’s Maoists were preparing to attack India. In this connection the reporter accused the Indian government for their careless attitude. The report carried two maps which were used to suggest that these maps issued by the Maoists show Almora, Haridwar, Pilibhit etc. towns as part of Nepal and Maoists are shown as saying that “if India does not return our land then there will be war.” All this, according to your reporter, points towards the “Greater Nepal” plan of the Nepal Maoists.
Our objections are following:
1. Both the maps show the situation existing before 1815-16 i.e. prior to Sugauli Treaty signed between the Rana rulers of Nepal and the then British colonialists. As a result, a large part of Nepal became part of British India. It was the Gorkhaland movement led by Subhash Ghising that the GNLF gave a call for “Greater Nepal” and their map showed Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangtok, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pilibhit, Nainital to Darjeeling as belonging to Nepal. The same map was shown by IBN-7 as being that of Nepal Maoists thus deliberately misreporting and feeding false information to the public which watches your programme.
2. Just two months back CPN(Maoist) chairperson Prachanda in his statement as well as interviews has proposed reduction in Nepal’s army from nearly a lakh to 20,000. He has argued that while Nepal can only be attacked by India or China. However, Nepal’s military strength is not such that it can defend Nepal. Therefore, there is no need to maintain such a huge army for a small country. And that, 20,000 troops are sufficient to meet any emergency. Therefore, for your channel to show the parade of PLA and present it as a preparation for war is ridiculous.
3. In the last more than a decade since Maoists began their “peoples war”, no document of the Maoists even hint at any plan for “Greater Nepal”. Thus it’s still a mystery why your channel contends that Maoists in Nepal are preparing for war as pasrt of its “Greater Nepal” plan.
We request you to inquire into this matter because telecasting news without basis or on make beleive evidence not only effects credibility of your news channel but also has the potential of sowing seeds of suspicion about neighbouring country and/or embitter public perceptions.
Anand Swaroop Verma
Gautam Navlakha
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
COBRAPOST STINGED!!!
Just to cite the incident...very fresh in Cobrapost. This was a forgery in the name of sting operation which got caught internally and the story was dropped...the reporter was sacked. Let's imagine of the situation if the forgery had not been caught...then we would have seen a famous Chambal dacoit interviewed live by the reporter in the BENAKAB only. Then, we would have relied upon a forged and planted story of which the group's Editor-in-Chief also was not responsible and aware of...as he has great confidence upon his reporters.
The reporter went to Chambal and interviewed a dacoit. Some famous one...the name is not known as yet...reporter managed to make a local man look as that dacoit by covering him with a blanket and doing all the make-ups required to look like a seasoned bandit. Coming back to his office in Noida, when he showed the tape to the senior, he got caught...whatever the reason...I don't know. Every criminal leaves some mark of his crime...the same was the case with him.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
RAPE OF THE MONTH
It was 1st of September and coincidently, two news items appeared prominently on the front page of Jansatta...one regarding the Indian Institute Of Mass Communication and the other about Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya. This man had some ideal and he was talking of Jansatta as something very revolutionary which everyone has to go through for doing good journalism. I just asked him to read those two news items. Then told him the plantation process of the news. After some hours of brain wash, he thought that I am misleading him. So, I guided him to the newspaper's office and he very simply got internship...not a big deal.
After one week of internship there, he was being asked to leave. He called me and informed of the same. Raised the question that why these people are not ready to teach him? He is ready to learn free of cost...his commitment stems from he fact that he comes from Baghpat daily to Noida...just for learning. When I asked him what he had learnt in a week's time, he got dumb.
Now, the ideal is getting washed out. Some questions... Who creates these ideals? These icons? Why it takes only a week's time to get the long term nutritioned ideals washed out? What is the use of internship for being a journalist? And, last but not the least, will this aspiring journalist ever work in his place with the same commitment and ideal he was carrying two weeks before? These are the questions which must be addressed right now to save these committed aspiring journalists from getting part of the mainstream slaughterhouses...sorry, media houses, where the commitment, the spirit and the dreams are slaughtered like anything...
Now, his voice is completely transformed. He is talking of starting a magazine in Delhi only...using his contacts to get some ads...although, he is not ready to admit he is been slaughtered...his dreams have been raped...the new dream is heavier than the previous one...and I am stucked in my chair spellbound contemplating over this rape of the month...
Abhishek Srivastava
Thursday, September 14, 2006
छिछलेपन में उलझा मीडिया!
किस्सा ए कोताह, ये मामला कुछ जालसाजी के प्रतीत होता था, जिसमें दोनों लड़कियां बुरी तरह इस्तेमाल की हुई प्रतीत हुई। मगर इसका प्रस्तुतिकरण किसी प्रेम त्रिकोण की तरह था, या किसी एक कन्या की वकालत की तरह कि दूसरी उसका पीछा छोड़ दे या फिर वो उस शख्स को सजा दिलाना चाहती है।मैं अचंभित हूं कि मीडिया किस चीज की पड़ताल कर रहा है औऱ उसे हिंदुस्तानी औरतों की सामाजिक और वैयक्तिक स्थिति के बारे में कितनी जानकारी है, और इस खबर की चीरफाड़ से ये भी स्पष्ट नहीं होता कि वो किसके ओर है? वो उस लड़के की वकालत करते भी नजर आते है। एक लड़की को पीड़ित औऱ एक को आरोपी बनाते भी नजर आते है। समझ में ये नहीं आता कि आखिर वो कहना क्या चाहते है।
प्रो. मटुकनाथ की प्रेमकहानी के ऐसा रंग चढा कि अब हर चैनल को नया मसाला मिल गया है। दिक्कत तो तब आती है जब ये भी स्पष्ट नहीं होता कि मीडिया आखिर क्या कहना चाहता है। मीडिया इस प्रेम त्रिकोण को क्या स्त्री शोषण के नजरिए से देख रहा है या फिर क्राइम की तरह....ये उसकी रिपोर्टिंग से कही भी स्पष्ट नहीं हुआ।
सवाल ये भी है कि क्या इन प्रेम कहानियों के अतिरिक्त समाज में कहीं भी कुछ और नहीं घट रहा है, जिस पर बात करना मीडिया की जिम्मेदारी होती है। और जिसे मीडिया बिल्कुल अनदेखी कर रहा है।
आखिर ये मीडिया है या खाला बी और बुलाका बुआ की दोपहर को होने वाली गपशप, जिसमें वो सारे मोहल्ले की खबर रखती और बताती है, जिनका बदला हुआ स्वरूप है आज की किटी पार्टीज।
मीडिया का स्वरूप कुछ ऐसा बदल रहा है कि अब समझदार और संवेदनशील लोग न्यूज चैनल को देखना ही छोड़ देंगे। गंभीर सवालों और लोकत्रांतिक व्यवस्था के पहरेदारों को उनकी जिम्मेदारियों का अहसास दिलाना या उसको खींचने की जगह अब सब घर चौबारों की खबर पाटने बैठ गए है। तो हम इन न्यूज चैनलों को की जगह घर चौबारा क्यों नहीं कहते?
स्वधा
morningpole@gmail.com
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Saturday, September 09, 2006
ये बदलाव की बयार है...
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Friday, September 08, 2006
Ye ajeeb sa samay hai!
Chandigarh ki HIV workshop main surendra singla ne udayan sharma foundation ko ek lakh ki madad dene ki baat kahi hi thi. Par uska asar itani jaldi dikhai dega ……! Aur us per mazedar baat ye hai ki isi programme main is patrakarita ki natkiyata per bahas bhi hoti hai. Log electronic media ke girte naitikta per charcha bhi karte hain. Iska bhi zikra uthata hai ki samay ke badalne ke sath hi ye saari cheezen badal gayi hain kyonki ab waise log patrkarita main nahin aate…jo aate hain unko thaharne nahin diyajata hai. Lekin jab Alok Tomar us tarah ki baat karte hain to unka thikana jail hota hai. Kya baat hai ki is patrakar samaj ko AlokTomar ko jail se bahar nikalne ka dhyan nahin aata na hi koi unke saath khada hota hai seedhe seedhe. Satta ke aatank ne logon ko itana atankit kar rakha hi ki ab log sach bolne se darne lage hai aur hame expression ke liye blogs ka sahara lena padata hai. Koi hamare swar ko isthan dene ko taiyar nahin hai. Darasal kami waise logon ki nahin hai jo himmat se sach kah saken….kami un logo ne ki hai jinme sach ko sunane ki himmat nahi hai.
Sarkar loktantra ke chauthe paaye par pahara lagane ki taiyari kar rahi hai aur hum sach kahne ke liye inam baanth rahe hain. Is bandarbaant main kiska faida hone wala hai? Ye kis prakar ke lekhan ke liye puraskar diye jaa rahe hain? Kya ye hamari nazar kahin chook rahi hai, kahin seemit ho rahi hai ya hum kisi ek kone se dekh rahe hain ki hame sara kuch dikhai nahin de raha hai. Yahan is charcha ke beech kuch baatein jo kuch alag si hain magar kahani zaroori lagti hain.
Ek to ye ki is prakar ki charchayen hamesha hi bina kisi sarthak parinaam per pahunche khatma ho jati hain. Inke aant me bas karyakrim ke sampann hone ki ghoshana ki jaati hai aur atithiyon ka aabhar prakat kiya jata hai. Halanki bahut se sarthak sawal samne aaye maslan akhir kitane audience ki pasand par TRP rating ki jati hai? Ek arab se upar ki janata ke beech 10 hazar channels hain aurTRP rating ke meetar 5000, to kis aadhar per ye kaha jata hai ki audience Mika aur Rakhi sawant ya kareena aur shahid ke love scene, sting operations ki ashaleelata ko dekhana pasand karti hai ya proffesor matuknath ki prem gatha ko. Ya who kisano ki suside ki charcha ko pasand nahi karti.
Rahul Dev ne ek sarthak sawal yeh bhi uthaya ki is tarah ki charchaoin mein sirf journalists aur editorial department hi shamil hota hai. Use chalane wale mukhya tatva channel ke malik ya marketing ke log nahi. Vo is tarah ki baudhik bahson main shamil nahin hote, unke pass waqt nahin hota. Aur ye sara kuch bazar ka chakkar hai. Khabar bhi bazar hi nirdharit karta hai. So wahi dhak ke teen paat. Darsaal ab sari vyastha bazar se hi nirdharit hoti hai. To usase khabren achooti kaise rah sakti hain, lekin yahan ek sawal phir uthata hai; udayan sharma faoundation jaisi sansthayen jo vikas ki khabron ke liye puraskar deti hai aur jo unka chunav karte hain vo log , vo mahan gyani log 'google world' jaisi khabron per puraskar kaise de detehain jo sahaz hi internet per uplabdh ho jati hain. Akhir vikas ki khabron ke kya mayne hain?
Kya vastav main ye puraskar unhi ko mil rahe hain jo iske asali haqdar hain ya hamari nazar kahin chook rahi hai, kahin seemit ho rahi hai ya hum kisi ek kone se dekh rahe hain ki hame sara kuch dikhai nahin de raha hai.Yahan is charcha ke beech kuch baatein jo kuch alag si hain magar kahani zaroori lagti hain. Kyon adivasi, dalit aur aurat ki asali kahani ki baat karne walon ki qalam ka pakshdhar nahin dikhai deta hai? Akhir ye majara kya hai ? kya voh sare log bhi bazar ke age ghutane tak chuke hain jinke kandhon per wyavastha se ladane ka zimma hai?
Swadha
anujaashukla@gmail.com
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Bihar on television: Same visual - same voiceover.
http://www.petitiononline.com/biharis/petition.html
To: The Heads of Media Organisations
We are shocked, appalled and dismayed! Bihar and Biharis are offended by the unethical treatment of the mediastories on many national television channels. Media should refrain from stereotyping of Bihar and give up itslaziness which prompts it to cover sensational stories instead ofresearch based stories which improves the quality of life of thepeople. Media has always been biased towards, rich, powerful, urban,upper caste/class and males. Bihar is a poor state and hence the mostgullible target to be used in anyway the media wants to. It is notunusual to find storiesfrom Bihar that are often in extreme bad tasteand most of the time unethical.Please click on the link below to sign in and to register ur protest.
biharisinmedia@yahoogroups.com
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Media Murders Manoj: A Reality Check Of The Reality Shows
The basic story we are aquainted with through today's newspapers and channel coverage is just a tip of the iceberg. The inside story is more horrible and speaks itself the cruelty of the reality shows which have now become a staunch reality of the immatured Indian TV Media. Manoj had given a threat to commit suicide on 15th of August in front of a dairy of which he was a transport contractor.He never thought that this melodrama just for the sake of getting paid Rs. 2 Lakhs from the dairy which was due on it would result in his unwanted untimely death.
The first attempt of suicide went in vain...Manoj failed as he was shivering from fear of death...a reporter and a cameraman commented on this...Diesel Nakli baa kaa...(Is the diesel adulterated?)...(This is the the part of the unedited visual which was sent to the Channel's office in Noida.) After that, Manoj was sure that no one will be coming to his rescue, but on the contrary media wanted that he commits suicide to make a great contradictory news on the eve of Independence Day. Then the reporter asked cameraman to take the shots...Shot le... as manoj tried for the second time. And the story was now complete.
Although the name of the channel has not been made public...the name of the reporter and cameraman is being kept confidential by the police inspite of having lodged an FIR against them...it is in the the interest of the public domain to make this information available. It was Sahara TV and the reporter was some Mrityunjay...
Star News criticised this action of the reporter and cameraman. A Question must be asked at this point to the media groups which are criticising this whole episode...Are you not the partners in crime? Who is responsible for making the love story of Matuknath and Julie a hype in the public? And to tell you more, this most popular reality show coverage in the last few months resulted in the suspension of the Sahara TV's Patna reporter just because he was late in giving the news and Star breaked this news. This was the same pressure which compelled the reporter and cameraman of Gaya to provoke Manoj to put himself on pire.
So who is responsible for this death? A channel? Media's recruitment policy? Breaking News Mania? Reality Show pressure? sellability of visuals? And who has the moral ground for criticising this whole event when we are also consciously or unconsciously a part of the breaking news syndrome?
We know better that people's memory is short lived and they forget a crime as soon as another crime is commited. At this point, it reminds me of the sentence which Ifthikhar Gilani of Kashmir Times spoke at the release of his book "My days in prison" a few days back in the India Habitat Centre..."We write so casually without thinking, but people rely on the written word as if it is the God's verdict...".
Both the things are true...people believe in the media's words, visuals...but they forget also. Do we think that just due to this forgetfulness, we can do anything we want in the name of showing truth? This is not a new question, but must be again addressed in the wake of Manoj's death. Let's ponder for a while....
Abhishek Srivastava