Letters to the Hoot: sins of commission

BY ninan| IN Opinion | 11/09/2003

Headlines should not be flip about death, columnists should not be flip about people’s names.

Express Headline

I found this heading on the front page of the Indian Express (7 Sept. 03) net edition: Terrorism Comes Shopping To Srinagar Market. It is only in the second paragraph the reporter tells us that six persons have died in a blast. The first para is devoted to melodrama. This is now `routine` reporting in the Express. But I am baffled by the heading. Whoever gave that heading must be on the last leg of sanity.

Dasu Krishnamoorty

7.9.2003

Insulting Names

The Hindustan Times’ television critic refers in her column to Senthil Chengalvarayan as Senthil unpronounceable. Last week she referred to a Kolkata writer whom NDTV seems to have interviewed as Jayabrato whatshisname from Kolkata. This isn`t flippancy. it is just bad taste.

Seetha Parthasarathy

7.9.2003

TAGS

letter

Subscribe To The Newsletter

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.