Keeping Indian journos out

IN Media Watch Briefs | 21/09/2016

On Monday NDTV journalist Namrata Brar was asked to leave a press briefing by Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry in New York reports NDTV. When she requested to be let in, Brar said that she heard someone saying “Iss Indian ko nikalo (throw out this Indian).” In fact, not a single Indian journalist was allowed to attend the briefing, which took place a day after the Uri attack and on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York to attend the UNGA, too refused to speak to members of the Indian media.       

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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.                   

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.                 

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