The scoop that was a sting

IN Media Watch Briefs | 30/03/2017

Ethical violations by the media are really piling up. This story published on the Hoot earlier this week turns out to be even more unethical than media professionals in Kerala criticised it for being. A new channel, Mangalam TV, launched with a lewd phone call featuring the state transport minister, who promptly resigned, even as he protested his innocence. Now it turns out that the channel carried out a sting using one of its own journalists, and the woman he was supposed to be talking to does not exist. The CEO of the channel went on air today to deliver an apology.

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Mangalam TV sting operation

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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.