Minus the comma

IN Media Watch Briefs | 12/02/2014

The Times of India's carried an editorial on how the comma is, or can be, redundant, and you guessed it, without a single comma. It cited Columbia University's John McWhorters' view that the comma is way past its expiry date. However, it wasn't an easy task for the editorialist who had to resort to as many as seven dashes (—) in a 274 word edit, which indicates one punctuation has to replace another? But its absence helped write tighter sentences, so rare in editorials in most newspapers.

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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.