Swallowing NIA version

IN Media Watch Briefs | 22/05/2015

On May 21, all Mumbai newspapers reported on page 1 the NIA charge sheet against Areeb Majeed, the Kalyan boy who went off to join ISIS last year. But when the Indian Express asked Areeb's family his mother contradicted the NIA claim that Areeb had "sneaked into'' India and was caught at Mumbai airport. He had returned on his own, she said, in fact, she and her husband had notified the NIA when he told them he wanted to return. This isn't the first time that intelligence agencies are taking credit for "nabbing" fugitives who return on their own. March 12, 1993 bomb blasts accused Yakub Memon, who faces the death penalty, is the prime example of this. Despite knowing this, our newspapers faithfully report only the agency version.

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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.