[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]I[/dropcap]n her Facebook post, Barkha Dutt has poured venom over journalists with whom she has worked or interacted for several years. The provocation for her outburst apparently is the recent meeting at the Press Club of India to protest against the CBI raids on the premises of the head honchos of NDTV, Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika. There is obviously a split in the ranks of the leftish-liberal media lobby whose ego has been hurt and who feel marginalized by Narendra Modi by simply (and wisely) ignoring them. When Barkha got badly exposed by the Niira Radia tapes, many members of this self-serving lobby bitched about her no end. In fact, they had a ball. Whether this bitching was prompted by not-too-cleverly concealed jealousy over Barkha’s huge success as a media person or by a desire to uphold journalistic ethics is not clear. But, the fact remains that they did target her even though ideologically they had a lot in common with her.
I am glad that fissures are beginning to appear in this anti-Modi alliance in the media. Truly achhe din…
What, however, concerns me here is Barkha’s reference to the “axing of interviews and stories” and the failure of the journalists concerned to protest.
Is she referring to the “axing of interviews and stories” in NDTV with which she was closely associated for a long time? If yes, the nation would like to know which are the interviews and stories hacked and by whom and why? If Barkha has even a modicum of professionalism and, of course, guts then she should name and shame these bosses of the newsroom who strangled truth and the journos who sucked up to them. In a way, Barkha is only confirming an open secret which even a child knows. And that is that the freedom of the press died long ago in the newsrooms of almost all media houses. It was asked to take a long walk by media barons who were interested only in bottom lines. Truth and freedom of expression be damned.
The biggest threat to media freedom is not from Narendra Modi or the ruling BJP but from media owners who manipulate their newspapers and TV channels to promote their interest in other businesses and indulge in plain extortion and blackmail to knock out huge monies from the vulnerable. And of course, the threat is also from scribes who ass-lick these media owners and those who can be bought by the kilo by smart PR guys who pick their booze tabs in the Press Club.
I am glad that fissures are beginning to appear in this anti-Modi alliance in the media. Truly achhe din…
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
2. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
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My comments on my FB page when I posted your initial input – “I have often wanted to communicate at length on the angularities and compulsions of the desi goras who inherited the onerous task of running our post colonial ( read “barbaric” ) India. These were the chosen and entitled ones comprising of English educated, “modern’ people populating the bureaucracy, academia , culture-enclaves , journalism, top leadership of the Army , other opinion making bodies who scripted , lorded over a resurgent “nation in the making” narrative. The shrewd politician , who was essentially desi rustic needed this tribe to give the gloss of “social progressiveness, democracy, secularism, federalism “, to smoothen the practice of his trade – which was essentially to create , sustain pockets of influence and perpetuate organised plunder . This was a thugee system – unavoidable in many ways in a poor , developing country – in which certain sections of the media gained disproportionate influence, grew at a rapid pace post the 1990s – the phase of liberalization . They actually became proxy players in operative politics of the country and pretty much entered the political game . A select set of journalists became de-facto czars in their own right. Barkha is a prime example of this clan.. Like PIRANHAS who prey upon their own injured compatriots , these select chaps have started picking on each other as they see their pretty little nests creaking and as they rush to make peace with the new establishment which they emphatically branded as the “very anti-thesis of our nationhood and the idea of India ” . I was on the floor laughing watching Karan Thapar quoting C.N. Annadurai’s call for secession from the Indian Union in 1963. This North Indian aristocracy knew nothing of South India before the 1990s and the IT revolution. It was like the DEVIL himself quoting Jesus to sustain his “moral” arguments. We were all ” Madraasiis” for these supercilious , westernized north Indian elite. for as long as I can remember……. One of my old friends narrated how the Page 3 crowd of Bombay treats its disenfranchised members the moment that their fortunes dip. GOOD LUCK TO BARKHA AND THE OTHERS HIDING IN THE CLOSET. THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS A PLEBEIAN , UNSOPHISTICATED UNDERTAKING AND IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO SPARE THESE HEDONISTS HAVING A PERMANENT BALL AT THE EXPENSE OF A BILLION INDIANS. These worthies routinely looked the other way while the political and financial fixers, arms dealers, hawala guys rotating political money- were all practicing their trade in broad daylight and even perhaps partnered them. They are now running for cover . whether it is in the Agusta westland deal ( 20 media men on the payroll) or the 2G or coal scam or other assorted loots . The Radia tapes just vanished . Or have they ? We are in for really interesting times. … The ugly , non English speaking Indian is watching with glee.
A nice article. Would be all the more graceful if words like ‘ass licking’, bitching are eschewed.
All these TV Chanells , before Modi coming to power , were fooling people , serving anti nationals and in the name of secularism supporting Muslims and Christians because most of them are from these religions having deceptive names. As rightly said Modi just ignored them and they lost their importance. God is some how kind to India and all these leftist rascals will soon vanish.
When will the Indian media men understand that there is a word which is known as….. BROADCASTING ETHICS….? ANY ONE AND EVERY ONE IN THE MEDIA HAS DEVELOPED HIS OWN THEORIES NOT TO PRESENT THE REALITY BUT PRESENTS THE SITUATION AS CONCEIVED BY HIM OR HER ALONE AS PER HIS OR HER MENTAL LEANINGS. AND THE SAME BECOMES DETRIMENTAL TO NATION AND NATIONAL INTEREST. BUT, IT GIVES UNDUE, UNWANTED AND UNWARRANTED FAME TO MEDIA PLAYER AMONGST THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ANTI NATION.
Of late Barkha Dutt is not seen on any TV channel. She appeared for a day on NewsX channel on the day of UP assembly election results, was very subdued, was not the main anchor. After that day she appears to have simply disappeared from visual media channels. She neither writes any column. Seems she has had a disgraceful exit from NDTV. Good for all right thinking media watching people.
Barkha’s post in Facebook is truly revealing.She has hit the pseudo_liberals so hard no one has ever done.Whether it it is out of personal pique or driven by high standards of journalism is a mystery.One can say,’better late than never’.But this one Facebook post of hers has decidedly reversed perceptions about her and put her on a high moral pedestal.By bashing these journos giving the analogy of Congress which bends or latches onto secularism as it suits,she has not only shown them their place but also knocked the bottom out of this party’s professsions to secularism. Kudos to Barkha Dutt.
Journalist have made themselves as roadside greedy vendor
Any one venomous can pour venom only. Many media people have made a mockery of media in India and they unfortunately feel that they can be admired. They are not only anti India, but also sympathizers of anti Indian for their personal gains
It is no more a secre which chnnel or media house is pro or anti.govt or sold out to antinational forces. I for one do agree that it is natural for any opposition party to oppose the govt of the day for its policies or actions which they do not like. But it should not be at the cost of country undermining it sovereignty security or image or in anyway giving tool to our enemies to be used in any way to be used directly or indirectly against our nation.
This looks like a classic case of pot calling the kettle black. Physician heal, thyself.
I totally agree. If the Bennett Coleman & Co was probed effectively, we might as well discover an Elizabethian pimp serving the Brits loyally since pre-independence days.
As long back as six decades ago, the jurist Anand Narayan Mulla described the police force in the country as the largest organised criminal gang. Today we can justfiably say that after the advent of newschannels 24/7, and their proliferation and genuine or staged sting operations, the journalists are the largest pressure group not scrupulous about professionalism, not above blackmail, not above concoction and distortion or suppression of news.
Wailing persons on media being a piller of democracy of a democracy have become fables. Salaries in crores and so detached of truth and trust. Any press residing in any country, what ever may be the carrot should never try to destroy the country. They have become people who only live in palatial houses, drink best of wine, eat corporate food, can never any thing of this country or understand the public. They try the good old brainwashing methods and public some how escape from that. The rave and rant of these may not be any true concern or responsibility for any values, except next rise in status or emoluments. Their acting may be better than the best filmstars. Let us congratulate this new breed of press stars
Sir, all the best in your new found mission to unearth commission in media!
They call themselves media houses I call HOUSES OF PRESSTITUTION! With the coming of PM Modi they have been exposed as liars manipulates and tools of those who wish to keep India in poverty and promote islam! THEY have now become producers of cheap fiction created to divert and defuse disinformation discord and divisive indoctrination!
Congress leftists liberals western educated coconuts Muslim league franchisees paki lovers and HOUSES OF PRESSTITUTION serve the enemies of india who want to see India remain in poverty to exploit and those who want to convert india into an Islamic State!
Bala Sir, they are not anti Modi, they are anti India, Nature Will expose them.
Fissures are beginning to appear in this anti Modi/India gang, yes I agree ” truly achhe din”