Letters to the editor—Express expose and news channels repeats
Letters to the editor—Express expose and news channels repeats
Taking a short cut?
Mannika Chopra has highlighted an important issue (Stinging Judeo, Express style). I agree with Tarun Tejpal`s distinction between a primary issue and a secondary issue but his advice about focussing on one is right only up to a point. Sure, the primary issue - a minister taking a bribe -should not be lost sight of. But that is also the duty of the public and civil society - to ensure that the issue is not ignored. For the media and all journalists, the secondary issue is an equally important one and should become a primary issue. Because if there is any questions about our ethics and integrity we are the ones who will lose credibility. And if we do that, equally stinging exposes will not carry any weight. Judeos will come and go but the credibility of the media cannot be compromised.
My discomfort soon after reading the Indian Express story arose from a sentence in the third or fourth paragraph of the article: "if a video CD tape made available to the Indian Express is to be believed". Can a newspaper splash a story on front page with this kind of a statement? There was no mention by the paper that it had taken trouble to get the tapes verified and that they were authentic; or that it had come from a trusted source. Such qualifications would not have been necessary if the express had itself launched a sting operation. But since it had received the tapes from someone, an explanation to its readers was necessary.
This case is different from Tehelka’s Operation West End. In that case, Tehelka itself conducted the sting operation; its journalists were part of the operation. There was ownership by the organisation. All this is missing in the Express story. Which is sad, considering it was the Express which pioneered this kind of bold journalism when Ashwini Sarin got himself arrested to spend a couple of nights in Tihar Jail and then posed as someone who wanted to purchase a girl to expose the trafficking in women in the Kamla story. In the case of the Judeo tapes, the paper seems to have taken a short cut.
Regards
Seetha
New Delhi
December 2, 2003
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Cheating by Channels?
Sir/Madam,
I regularly return at about 2 to 3 in the night in some weekdays, as a part of my job. As I surf various news channels, I find that repeated news telecasts are shown without even a single mention of the word "recorded".
I would like to mention here that certain prime time programmes anchored by reputed TV journalists are shown again, and this happens across the channels. Same anchor, using similar wordings, similar stories...It is unlikely that the programmes are being telecast live.
It is appreciated that the percentage of audience watching at these times is quite less but can`t these channels mention "recorded" or "repeat telecast" while the programmes are shown again.
Why this open case of cheating?? The same channels run down our politicians for slightest misappropriation.
regards
Aditya Agrawal Haldia, Midnapore November 30, 2003