News
Media should self-introspect: Vinod Mehta
Media Hive News Network
Mumbai, May 15, 2012
Outlook group editorial advisor Vinod Mehta has asked the media to do self-introspection and if necessary, self-correction in the coverage of sensitive news.
At a panel discussion hosted by television journalist Arnab Goswami on the occasion of the annual Mumbai Press Club awards on Saturday night, Mehta said, "The race for news is in the right direction but the media should do self-introspection and self-correction whenever needed."
The Press Club honoured Mehta with the lifetime achievement award. “I started my career in journalism in Bombay. My best years were spent in this city, while running the Sunday Observer in the 1980s,” said Mehta, who received the award from Union HR minister Kapil Sibal.
Several journalists covering various beats were awarded cash prizes for best stories. The winners included, Ketaki Ghoge and Snehal Rebello from Hindustan Times, Anusha Subramaniam from Business Today, Nagaraj Gollapudi from ESPN Cric Info, Gaurav Jain and Ashish Khetan from Tehelka, Rafique Bagdadi from Business India and Rishi Shah and John Samuel Raja from Economic Times
Around 500 entries from across India were short-listed and judged by distinguished juries in categories such as crime, politics and sports.
Murdoch not fit to run a big firm: UK Parliament
New Delhi, May 2, 2012
A UK parliamentary committee report on Tuesday accused two senior executives and an editor at Rupert Murdoch’s media empire of misleading MPs over Britain’s phone hacking scandal.The committee on culture, media and sports also declared that 81-year-old Australian-born media tycoon is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company.
“In failing to investigate properly, and by ignoring evidence of widespread wrongdoing, News International and its parent News Corporation exhibited wilful blindness, for which the companies’ directors — including Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch — should ultimately be prepared to take responsibility,” said the report.
According to agencies reports, the alleged contempt of Parliament by Murdoch’s right-hand man Les Hinton, former News of the World editor Colin Myler and former legal manager Tom Crone will now be put to vote in parliament.
The criticism could have major implications for Murdoch’s empire as it could lead the media regulator Ofcom to conclude that the satellite TV company BSkyB is not ‘fit and proper’ to hold a broadcasting licence as long as Murdoch’s News Corporation owns 39% of it, said agencies reports.
Some regulation of content in the press is needed: Katju
Media Hive News Network
Pune,
April 27, 2012
Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice Markandey Katju said on Thursday that some regulation of content in the press is needed as the media seems to have lost its sense of proportion between information and entertainment.
Delivering a lecture on ‘Media and Social Responsibility’ at Symbiosis Law School in Pune, Katju questioned the logic of sidelining of problems like poverty and farmers committing suicide, adding that a few years back there were 512 accredited journalists covering Lakme Fashion Week, while the same year the few rural reporters who covered suicide of farmers had struggled to get their stories printed.
“Indian society is going through a turbulent phase of transition. The media today needs to play the role of leader and lead the nation to positive transition. One needs to remember the role played by the likes of Rousseau, Voltaire and Thomas Paine who steered the French society from religious bigotry towards scientific thought,” said Katju.
Katju assails contract job system for journalists
Media Hive News Network
Pune,
April 26, 2012
Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Wednesday criticised the contract employment system for journalists, saying it amounted to exploitation by the media houses.
Speaking at a function in Pune, Katju said, "Contract employment system exploits journalists in the absence of job security. It is not acceptable because it does not permit journalists to perform their duty with a free mind."
Contract employment system is like the Damocles's sword hanging over the heads of journalists, he added.
Kuldip Nayar to oppose SC guidelines on media
Media Hive News Network
Bangalore,
April 26, 2012
Senior journalist Kuldip Nayar on Wednesday said he would lead a movement against the proposed Supreme Court guidelines to the media on court reporting.
Speaking at the VK Narasimhan Centenary Homage ceremony here, he said, "I will oppose the guidelines if the apex court tries to impose restrictions on freedom of the press. The issue of guidelines for media is tantamount to another kind of emergency.
Nayar expressed disappointment over the present day journalism, which has become "conformist, obedient and does not report something which is uncomfortable for the government".
Assam government to start own TV channel
Media Hive News Network
Guwahati,
April 24, 2012
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi is following his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee's footstep. Two days after Mamata's decision to launch a government-run television channel and a newspaper, Gogoi also announced plans to start a TV channel by his government that will present the "official" side of stories.
Speaking to reporters in Guwahat on Monday, Gogoi accused the electronic media of going hyper and not being impartial in its reporting. He said a government-owned channel will help to bring the balance. He said the channel will cater to social issues, besides political news, and also give space to opposition groups.
Gogoi criticised local TV channels on their reportage during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's one-day trip to Guwahati on April 20. The banned ULFA had called for a state-wide bandh in protest against Singh's visit.
"The channels created an impression as if Assam runs on the writ of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah. What are the channels trying to prove by sending this kind of message?" the chief minister said.
Set up team to check social media's misuse: PCI to govt
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 23, 2012
Press Council Chairman Justice Markandey Katju has urged the Centre to set up a team of experts to find out ways to check misuse of social media.
Terming social media as "irresponsible" in its acts, Katju said on Sunday, "The social media often acts irresponsibly, which can irreparably damage a person’s reputation. He cited how a sleaze video featuring Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi had been uploaded on YouTube despite a court injunction.
In a letter to information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni, Katju said that a new practice has developed in the social media of its misuse for defaming people/groups/religions/communities. The recent example is of dissemination of a CD which even the author admitted had been distorted for defaming a reputed senior lawyer of the Supreme Court and Member of Parliament, and the threat to defame a Union minister."
Recently Union minister Kapil Sibal and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also demanded curbs on social networking websites for publishing allegedly defamatory and inflammatory content. But Union law minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday said the social media is now “a fact of life” and one has to take it in one’s stride.
Bengal govt to launch own daily, TV channel
Media Hive News Network
Kolkata,
April 22, 2012
A day after issuing an advisory to the people of Bengal to avoid watching certain news channels and switch to entertainment channels instead, the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she will launch a government-run television channel and a newspaper, named Paschim Banga and Dainik Paschim Banga, respectively.
“We all want to work. But we also want recognition…Hence the thought of a government-run channel and newspaper,” she announced on Saturday.
Mamata said the proposed channel and newspaper will disseminate correct information and “publicise the activities and achievements of the government”.
Mamata had complained that a section of the media were trying to malign her government and highlight minor happenings negatively.
“There are two-three TV channels of the CPM that you should not watch. Instead, listen to songs on other channels. I do not care about fingers pointed at me. I only care for Ma, Mati, Manush,” she said on Friday.
In March, the state government had banned most mainstream English and vernacular dailies from state-funded libraries in the name of promoting "free thinking".
Wage Board: PTI employees end 30-hour strike
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 21, 2012
Employees of the Press Trust of India (PTI), the largest news agency in the country, ended their 30-hour countrywide strike on Saturday. They were demanding implementation of the wage board notified by the government over three months ago. "All employees of the PTI across the country were on strike -- from 2am on Friday till 8am on Saturday," said Federation of PTI Employees’ Unions.
I only favoured regulating media, not controlling it: Katju
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 19, 2012
Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju said on Wednesday that he only favoured regulating the media, not controlling it, but the regulation should be by an independent body and not the government.
Speaking at a press meet in New Delhi, Katju said, “Self-regulation is not always enough and that is why we have laws. Normally, negotiating with the media should be the way, but we do need laws under some extreme situations… I believe 90 per cent of the people who are doing wrong can be persuaded to do the right thing, but some people are incorrigible for whom we need laws.”
He justified the idea of bringing the electronic media under the purview of the Press Council. Katju said when every professional in the country was accountable, he saw no reason why the electronic media should not be.
On the recent cartoon controversy, Katju said the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee must learn to function in a democratic and more mature manner as she is no more a street fighter.
“I think Mamata Banerjee should have behaved in a more mature manner. She is no more a street fighter, she is the Chief Minister...the manner in which she has behaved is totally unacceptable,” he said.
AFP, Huffington Post win Pulitzer Awards
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 17, 2012
AFP's Massoud Hossaini on Monday won Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for his heartbreaking image of a girl crying in fear after a suicide bomber's attack at a crowded shrine in Kabul.
His AFP photograph published December 7 shows young Tarana Akbari screaming after a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a crowd at the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul on December 6.
News websites Huffington Post and Politico also won their first Pulitzer Prizes as the prestigious journalism awards highlighted global issues and online reporting.
Paid news affecting roots of democratic system: Soni
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 16, 2012
The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni has called upon journalists and newspaper managements to ensure that the chair of the editor is more important than that of the commercial manager.
Describing paid news is affecting the very roots of the democratic system, she said on Sunday that the society would feel stifled and dissatisfied if it is prevented from free flow of information.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the 125th anniversary of a Malayalam Daily Deepika.
Bofors was a game-changer for Indian politics & journalism
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 14, 2012
N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu in an interview published in the paper recently discussed the challenges and excitement of covering Bofors story. He described Bofors as a game-changer for both Indian politics and journalism.
Following is the abstract of his interview:
"The investigation went on for more than two years and we published our Bofors stories in several instalments. The ruling party, the Congress, smelt a conspiracy, a plot, and many of its senior functionaries often reacted in a jumpy and highly insecure, if not paranoid, fashion. For us, it was decidedly a team effort, with many people, notably Chitra Subramaniam, Manoj Joshi, Malini Parthasarathy, and V.K. Ramachandran, making good, solid contributions that helped put various pieces of the puzzle together. Swedish Public Radio fired the opening shot in April 1987, alleging kickbacks and hinting at names before switching off; other newspapers, notably The Indian Express, were competing actively to get at the truth. Arun Shourie, a formidable journalist, and Ram Jethmalani, the ace criminal lawyer with his many interrogative questions hurled at Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, were in hot pursuit.
"I think what worked for us at The Hindu was a methodical approach, an investigative discipline, a way of journalism that was factual, persistent, patient — and fair and just. We relied almost exclusively on documents, more documents, hundreds of documents, in fact, all of them laid out across pages and published in facsimile form in The Hindu (in the pre-digital age). We played the devil's advocate on key story angles, verifying every detail.
"There was also the challenge of reconciling, or rather bridging the gap between, standards of evidence in journalism and under the Indian Evidence Act. But Bofors became a byword for top-level, political corruption, even entering the vocabulary of some Indian languages as a synonym for sleaze and skulduggery. Bofors, I believe, was a game-changer, politically and for Indian journalism. I won't say more, except that it was eminently worth it.
To read the full interview click here
Unregulated media institutes: Sr journalists in HRD panel
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 14, 2012
Senior journalists like Shekhar Gupta (Editor-in-Chief, The Indian Express), Siddharth Varadharajan (Editor, The Hindu), Sanjay Baru, Alok Mehta and Sonia Singh (Managing Editor, NDTV) have been made part of HRD ministry's task force to check the growth of unregulated media studies institutes that provide substandard education despite high fees.
Troop Movements: Katju terms HC order as 'not correct'
Media Hive News Network
New Delhi,
April 12, 2012
Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Thursday termed
the Allahabad High Court order which prohibited all media reports related to troop movements as "not correct".
He said that the council would soon challenge it in the Supreme Court. "The Press Council of India will be challenging the order of the Allahabad High Court in the Supreme Court of India very shortly," Katju said in a statement.
"I am of the opinion that without going into the question whether the news reporting was factually correct or not, there could not have been a valid prohibition of such reporting, because the troop movement was not at the Indian border or during war time," he said.
The HC had directed secretaries in the Home Affairs and I & B ministries along with principal secretary (Home) of the UP government to ensure that there is no reporting or release of any news item related to movement of troops.
Katju said the media has done an excellent job in exposing the Adarsh and Sukna scams in which senior army officers were involved and they were well within their fundamental right of freedom of the media under Article 19(1)(A) of the Constitution to do so.