Bail, not jail!

IN Media Watch Briefs | 19/11/2014

Tehelka Managing Editor Mathew Samuel is still on bail, contrary to several news reports that he was arrested and his bail was cancelled in a case charging him with violating the Official Secrets Act. Samuel had done a story on the Tehelka website in 2000 about Dutch NGOs funding insurgency groups in the North-East. Samuel said his bail was cancelled on Nov 10 as he failed to appear since he had a medical problem but he managed to get bail again by evening the same day. His case comes up on Nov 21.

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Amazon resisting voluntary censorship

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Let the games begin

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.