Resisting I and B pressure

IN Media Watch Briefs | 15/09/2015

The powerful Gujarat Samachar group in Gujarat is refusing to be cowed by the ministry of Information and Broadcasting's notices to its TV channel, GSTV. The tussle began in February and is continuing. The two points of provocation are references to an unnamed leader who initiated the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan but does not actually believe in Gandhian ideology, and a programme aired on January 30 called Gandhi Hatya Koni Jawabdari. The latter criticised fringe Hindu groups for wanting to build a temple for Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse. (Economic Times)

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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.