Planted news?

IN Media Watch Briefs | 16/07/2015

The paper that has been running a campaign claiming it is for the ~Indian Intelligent~ should not insult the intelligence of those readers. One July 15 the Mumbai edition of the Indian Express had on its Talk page an entire column devoted to a young dancer and researcher who really didn’t seem to merit this kind of coverage. It smacked of planted news, to put it kindly. The item is attributed to the Express feature service. Does the paper have a feature service? Or was someone too embarrassed to take a byline for this one?

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Indian Intelligent Indian Express planted news

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Media Watch Briefs

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.