[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]M[/dropcap]onday dawned with a rude shock to Dainik Jagran journalist Arvind Kumar Dwivedi’s journalism career. The previous day he had reported that some women were engaged in fisticuffs for collecting water in Mahipalpur in Delhi with photos and videos: https://twitter.com/55429Raju/status/741907007909699584
Within hours of publication, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made a Tweet to his Water Minister Kapil Mishra to probe the incident: https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/741843885962498048
Mishra then started questioning the reporter Dwivedi. The main contention of the Minister was that the reporter had not visited the site where the women tussled and not contacted him or any officials concerned with water supply. But the fact about the tussle was true and women were engaged in heavy fights for collecting water and placing their buckets in queue. Ample photos on the fight the entire fight were videographed. The video is viral in social media now : https://twitter.com/HotcoCookware/status/742082503066976256
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]W[/dropcap]hy is Kejriwal ignoring the video of the tussle? He is the person who urged people to take video as proof during his swearing ceremony as Chief Minister. But when the video is unflattering, Kejriwal seems to have lost his cool. He tweeted “Is this Journalism?, ” with his Minister Kapil Mishra’s questionnaire to the reporter: https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/742024286538452992
On Monday afternoon Dainik Jagran was forced to accept the resignation of reporter Arvind Dwivedi. Was the media house doing a face-saving gesture by offering him an option to work outside Delhi? This was in response to tweets by tweeters like @mediacrooks and others. What was Dwivedi’s fault? Of reporting news? Is that not his job?
This appears to be not an isolated incident. A few months back Dainik Jagran’s Delhi Bureau Chief Rajkishor Tewari also lost his job after a Twitter spat with Kejriwal for criticising the Odd-Even traffic restriction. Kejriwal lost his temper when Rajkishor described the Odd-Even scheme as Tuglak model. Again, if Kejriwal felt that the criticism was unwarranted, he should have rebutted with facts.
Dainik Jagran is India’s largest circulated newspaper. The paper has more than five million circulation and shockingly chose to capitulate when one of the biggest advertisers – Delhi Government – put pressure. Which media have courage to stand against Delhi government which pumps 100s of crores for advertisements?
The worst is the silence of the journalists and their organisations like Press Clubs, Editors Guild etc. Who will come to their support when it is their turn to face the music? Several journalists who blamed and hounded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for decades and coined the word – Intolerance are now looking the other way when their new favourite Kejriwal indulges in a manner that raises eyebrows. Media needs to play fair and report factual news.
After this story released, Arvind Dwivedi tweeted as follows at around 8:30PM:
We do not know if this is the real Arvind Dwivedi or not as there are very infrequent tweets. Wait for a month or two and perhaps this can be re-visited. If this is true, we are glad that Arvind still has a job at Dainik Jagran. But is he being transferred out of Delhi? We hope not. But we are pleased that Social Media has prevailed.
Today (Jun 15th), we hear that Arvind is going to be staying in Delhi. After the outrage in Social Media, Dainik Jagran changed its stance and decided to give his old job back. All is well that ends well!
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In present political sceenario the media houses lacking their ethical value which weakens the democratic structure as the fourth pillar of democracy is getting errossion.
Mafia in the name of AAP is ruling Delhi.
AK certainly asked for Video to be sent but the silent word was it should be of his political adversaries and not him or his Party. What happened to all the journos who shout from roof tops on Press freedom. Oh may be they are silent as that’s the instruction to them from AK/his party/or sponsors?