Tehelka Tapes: Modernising Media Morality

Concerned:

I agree. Computers do not lie; neither do I. Regarding the `volley`, please look up the posts, if you are at all inclined to do so. They were not pleasant, to say the least, and the `abuse` went on for quite a while.

You said you were trying to say something...what is it? If you care to share, and not get into unnecessary battle...your post was completely unwarranted; I was answering a simple query by Urstruly about my silence regarding corruption in India with the response that I had done so. Why is such simplicity considered unique? Incidentally, did you notice that I also asked him in the earlier post whether he thought there were no crooks in Pak. Or did you `select` to ignore that as well?

As for my conscience, it is doing well, as always. Thanks for enquiring, anyway. I am touched. Really.

[reposted]

Krashid # 37

This board`s focus on Tehelka.com is completely misplaced. It`s like we see a big black spot on our face and immediately start talking about the mirror. Tehelka is just a mirror and Farzana et. al. are writing profusely about some mirror makers. That`s simply pseudo-intellectual blabbering and nothing more.

Our focus must be on the fu$king generals. They are looting all of us right and left. Our focus should be on the drama of so-called national security. This drama beats the heck out of Maha Bharta. Our hard earned $$ are being stolen from right under our noses and we are singing some Tejpal songs. That`s a pity my dear. A pity on our intellect, our foresight (or lack thereof), our very reason to be out of our homeland working for those elusive dreams.

Think about two modern nuclear powers and see the length of beggars (oops visa-applicants) at the gates of Western embassies and then ask yourself, what on earth has gone wrong with us.

You talk about some ``vibrant`` democracy on our side of the border. You are better off calling it ``Demo-Crazy``. Every one of us is an English speaking ``INDIAN`` and not a single soul is a Bharati. The bureaucrats and generals are raping us the so-called educated elite and we all are enjoying every bit of it. In fact we go back for more and come out even happier.

So Farzana! keep talking about some old Tejpals and some new Tejpals. I know we all pseudo-intellectuals enjoy being subjected to these day-light robberies and rapes.

Gurv say kaho hum Bharati hain.

We all need to take pride in true Bharati culture and not in some westernized, corrupt INDIAN culture.

farzana,

you certainly have a curiously unique way of answering a simple question with a simple answer.

selective memory/research? computers don`t lie.
your post to urstruly implied that you asked a `casual` question and you got `volleyed`. only your conscience can attest to that truthfully.

[...Is there something really important that you are trying to say?...]

yes. how about yourself?

CLINTON-ISM & HINDUS

It is not in a distant past that Clinton’s perversion with cigars and Monica Lewinski was brought out in front of the whole world. It will be a matter of deep interest for any sociologist or even a common man around the globe to observe the changing behavior of American nation and its reaction towards the whole situation. Just imagine that if the same thing would had happened in 60’s or 70’s or even 80’s any US President would have to leave the office. But people’s behavior towards such perversions have changed dramatically. Various polls on TV and print media have suggested that it doesn’t matter to people anymore. People were openly found claiming that “So what! He is just like us. Don’t we do the same in our lives?”. So Clinton got off the hook in the public court of opinion easily. Repulicans –aaaaaaakh thoooo.

Now compare this to the Hindu politicians and Generals’ perversion and corruption when they used their cigars on hungry half-naked millions of Hindustanis who die everyday dreaming of two loaves of bread in one meal. The catchy phrase in this case is “Sab chalta hay”. People have no confidence whatsoever in a system and polity. No one even bothers to ask to bring the crooks to justice or at least the Government should resign. No one cares no more.

See that is the problem with a secular democracy. The collective morality of people derives the morality of democracy. Human beings are prone to corruption and hence the existence of religions and reformers. I don’t blame Hindus for preferring Secularism over their religion. It is quite understandble, what could have their religion delivered. It is also interesting to note that the people who are in power in Hindustan right now are the flag bearers of the Hindu morality. They are the “thaykaydars” of this religion. I understand their perversion. But all Hindus must ask themselves a question-if their religion has failed them and they do not consider it worthy of running their lives and if they rightfully feel queasy about it then is it necessary that other peoples of other religions should feel the same about their religions?

Krashid # 37

This board`s focus on Tehelka.com is completely misplaced. It`s like we see a big black spot on our face and immediately start talking about the mirror. Tehelka is just a mirror and Farzana et. al. are writing profusely about some mirror makers. That`s simply pseudo-intellectual blabbering and nothing more.

Our focus must be on the fu%$

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Concerned (#38):

It is my hallucination/poor memory versus your selective memory/research. Kindly check out the `volleys` between and after the posts, before coming on the board just to make a pointless point. I was responding to a simple question with a simple answer, but, no, you have to come in and start your bang-bang percussion, without any rhyme or reason.

Is there something really important that you are trying to say?

farzana,

[...For the record, on the Patwardhan board I casually asked the interactors about Tehelka (it had just been announced that night) and what the Indians had to say about the corruption, and there was a volley against me...]

here is your `casual` post about tehelka to the indians -

http://www.chowk.com/bin/showr.cgi?f=apatwardhan_mar0401&n=130#reply382

``...BTW: There is palpable silence by the Indians here regarding the arms deal bribery scam in the BJP exposed by Tehelka.
Will some of you please come forward and say something? Aren`t you people worried? Or are you still shedding tears about the poor in Afghanistan versus the Taliban discussion? Come on, time to look in our own backyard...``

and as far as the `volley against you` is concerned, here is what you wrote in response to the replies about tehelka posted by indians -

http://www.chowk.com/bin/showr.cgi?f=apatwardhan_mar0401&n=80#reply428

``...i thank those of you have come forward to comment, and taken my plea as just that and not seen any ulterior motives in it...``

farzana, do you just have poor memory or are you always hallucinating?

Taikonaut#

Your post always interest me.

India has the advantage of democracy (in name only may be) for its press to be vibrant (though I may be mistaken). Pakistani press has also been vibrant in much worse circumstances. Particularly since the time of Bhutto and Zia-ul-Haq and is probably the only blessing we have so far in recent history.

If India can listen to its people rather than filling the coffers of Generals, Beureucrats and politicians its people will be in much better position. (Same thing as in Pakistan with musical chair game).

I can pray for your position for Bharti people. You can pray for us Mohajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Baluch, Brawhi and Pakhtun, majority of whom have similar problems.

Do you think man should be taught a lesson of humanity before giving him any degree.

Urstruly (34):

I am well aware of the murderers etc that you talk about. For the record, on the Patwardhan board I casually asked the interactors about Tehelka (it had just been announced that night) and what the Indians had to say about the corruption, and there was a volley against me. So, I have questioned GOI. I do not wish to get into an argument here with you over this.

I read your post on Sameer`s board, and I am convinced -- as I always was -- that your heart is in the right place.

Ref Urstruly #: 34

[May Allah Save us All. Including some decent Hindus, if there are any.]

Allah hasn`t done diddly squat for the Chechens, the Palestinians, the Bosnians, the Kosovars, the Uighurs, the Iraqis or -- before 1971 -- for the Bangladeshis.

This proves that Allah is not omnipotent. It further proves that Muhammed is the most complete fraud on earth.

Get your nose out of the camel dung and smell the real coffee that is brewing all around you.

Ms. Versey

Sitaution is even worst in Hindustan than I thought. Check the last 30 posts and some of them on the other board-everyone is asking for more TDC and more power to press etc. and not a single soul (including you) has even remotely demanded GOI to make its transactions transparent and to punish the culprits. I dont expect much from a country where Prime Minister is a known murderer. He and his chamchay karchay have redned their hands with the blood of minorities of all sorts; a country whose PM defends such attrocities; what do you expect he will condemn petty theft? I dont expect much from a country where Bosnia and Rawanda level of attrocities are committed against Kashmiri people in which over 100000 Kashmiris have lost their lives, property, and dignity. Instead of saying one single sentence against such attrocities the citizens of that godforsaken place spend day and night justifying them. What do you think this petty theft will mean to them.

The cause for concern definitely is that this amoral society has the power to press the red button and send everyone in the region to a nuclear oblivion. The latest saga has unvield that their politicians are not only corrupt they are stupid too.

May Allah Save us All. Including some decent Hindus, if there are any.

Harish:

[“Without prejudice to the elders...as you pointed out...they were from a generation when hitting out was not the favoured form of journalism. They suffered from excessive passivity.”]

You do realise that, more than them, it was the owners who were to blame – newspapers were identified with political parties, if they were not in some part owned by them. Yet, we did have people like Khushwant Singh, who in fact legitimized brashness and energy, whatever be the merits of his version of it. Besides, it is not only the elders who are pooh-poohing Tehelka; many, including Kuldip Nayyar, have come out in favour of it. And why do you think the Young Turks are taking up for snoopy journalism? Not to justify such a high-level of expose, but so that in future they can enter bedrooms and closets for their low-level scoops.

The older generation may have been “pathetic newsgatherers”, but today it is the Response departments of publications that decide what ground-level news has to be furnished. I do not mean to run down the efforts of an industrial house (the Ambanis) in earthquake relief, but who do you think was deciding how much coverage the daughter-in-law of that family ought to get as opposed to the social workers in Kutch? Or for that matter, how important was it to mention what Bill Clinton wore on his tour of the area? The darned reporters cannot even tell the difference between parrot and olive green!

[“And, unfortunately the heaviness with which they wore their scholarship...or linguistic skills...made reporters...newshounds...or newsgatherers...seem second class citizens of the press.”]

Do you think the reporters are any better off today? They may not have pedants spouting philosophy sitting on their heads – instead they have upstarts, ready to sell their souls for a paltry consideration. I know of bright young people who have gone out to investigate stories and found to their chagrin that a 900-word article has been reduced to 250 words to accommodate an advertisement. Do you think such editors have any spine?

[“In an earlier post i had mentioned some extrordinary reporters...can you recollect how many of them went on to become news driven publications` editors?”]

I can mention names like Asrun Shourie, Nikhil Wagle, Pritish Nandy, M.J.Akbar….but I do not believe that an editor has to be a former reporter. He/she ought to have impeccable news sense and conviction, and even an opinion, though it must not colour what the others have to say. But most of them become puppets. They are unskilled labourers carrying the burden of creating someone else’s edifice. It is disgusting to see that they are so happy to have a titular title that they are willing to ignore ideals, if they have any left.

Your other points are apt, but…

1. The naming of names, instead of the good old “allegedly” does not reveal the courage of the news media – people are themselves flaunting their ‘failures’! Jaya Jaitley has no qualms about occupying a part of George Fernanndes’ house and heart.

2. I cannot complain about audacity :-) But how many of your brash ground-level reporters would take on the real scourge? Will they be allowed to?

3. Again, I have no problems with Ricky Martin as opposed to Aung San, but these kids want to even make the latter into a pop icon!

4. The “march of progress” does not necessarily come with the “inevitable”. It evolves by making things happen, or giving the ‘happening’ an all-new perspective.

…“professional, not romantic”. I root for the latter, for ideals make you truly professional.

Clarifying…mystifying…I guess today those distinctions are blurred.

Regards,

Farzana

Faruk (#30):

I am afraid in India, and maybe the subcontinent, news is not disseminated as it perhaps is in the West. Your examples regarding the Washington Post and NY Times would just not find a parallel in our society; at best a paper is a habit with us, not something that mirrors our views. (Except for niche publications or politically-motivated pamphlets.)

[“Do people really want to know ? If they did there would be someone catering to that need…Journalism has always been about telling people what they want to hear. Its that one odd writer / journalist who beats the system and makes a difference. When they do they make history and believe me you cant do that every morning.”]

While it is true that rebels cannot sustain themselves with a new cause every morning, I think it is facile to believe that the market decides who calls the shots. It isn’t the reader’s market, but the movers and shakers; one has to accept this as part of the business, but the public is a victim of ‘manufacturing consent’ and auto-suggestion. My grouse is that in this instance perpetrators of crime, so to speak, get to sit on the jury. I want to know of one example where the newspapers have exposed the misdemeanours of their own kind.

[“If there is a market for bullshit, what’s wrong with selling it.”]

Firstly, I don’t agree there is such a market; bullshit is being sold as holy cow dung. And if it is indeed bullshit, then we are reading toilet paper, not newspapers.

Farzana

Urstruly (#28):

[“I agree with Ms. Versey and Hindus that there should be more TDC in India. That will help filter out the moronic crooks and only the best will reach to the top. A smart crook will be good for Pak in two ways. He will think before pressing the red button and he

will do his ``job`` with more efficacy.”]

My dear, if I am not mistaken this article and my post were about the media. Where do Hindus come in? And, are you trying to say there are no crooks in Pak? What red button? Come on now, looks like you are sharpening your knives already. Do you mind a friendly whack? :-)

F

Farzana,

There is little to disagree with the content of your post. Its intent, especially.

But, yes I do recognize the problem with trying to make up our minds on an issue by fighting on ``both sides of the question`` as our friend Stephen Leecock would say.

When I say that eminence grises of the press in India were constantly harping on the lack of ethical standards in the tehelka team`s expose...I was not contrasting them to the MTV guys in a manner that you have mentioned.

Without prejudice to the elders...as you pointed out...they were from a generation when hitting out was not the favoured form of journalism. They suffered from excessive passivity.

The youngsters today are actualy fulfilling a need that the current times demand. In the light of the net...and the lightening speed at which information becomes so much garbage...our press is still not too concerned with information gathering. And, editorialising once did do its fair bit to help create certain opinions.

Having worked with a few nespapers...i do know...that those considered writers...senior editors...etc were pathetic newsgatherers.

And, unfortunately the heaviness with which they wore their scholarship...or linguistic skills...made reporters...newshounds...or newsgatherers...seem second class citizens of the press.

That worked well, as long as the credo of the establishment was opinion or view driven.

But, some of our ``seniors`` still spout archival material to pad up stories which have no information. And, newsstories that matter...has to have new/significant information. That meant a lot of legwork...and as usual the infantrymen of the press was neglected.

In an earlier post i had mentioned some extrordinary reporters...can you recollect how many of them went on to become news driven publications` editors?

In effect these are some of the points that exercised me

1) Give information its due, especially in the information age. The names, amounts, ambience of the site of ``crime``...made the impact that tehelka did. The same story in an older mould would be full of insinuations, allegedly-ies, a lady president of one of the 23-member ruling coalition ...etc.

2) The brashness with which the brat pack overtook journalism...has its problems. But, if i present them...by contrasting them with the elder lot...then I`ll again have to reduce the latter to a negative. But, the brash ones have ``the audacity of youth...and an almost impossibly high stamina.`` Neither much valued earlier.

3)The fallout of the gap in idealism...for want of a less unfashionable word...has had the youngsters believeing talking to Ricky Martin is the unforgettable journalistic experience over Aung Sang Sue Kyui. But, that need not be a loss...unless perceived as such. And if one does do so, then obvioulsy one is already allying with the older generation.

4)I think...whatever is happening is good only in the sense that what is inevitable is good..as the march of progress. The new sensibility will, and therefore, I presume should take over. What can be donme...is slipping the values one cherished in journalism. Here I mean professional, not romantic.

The last couple of points is enhanced by Faruk`s earlier post.The exigencies of time.

I do not know...how much of this contributes to clarifying...and how much to mystyfying the interracts here.

Farzana # 27

Any electronic or print media, is essentially a business. It caters to a captive audience first. That is how they survive. They are preaching to the converted.

The Washington Post is a conservative newspaper, its readers like the news presented from their perspective. The same is true for the New York Times, the readers in this case are looking for a liberal view of the world around them. The articles in this newspaper cater to the interests of its readers.

Now to you question :

“Who is calling the shots?”

I think their market.

“Journalism today is full of the evils it accuses society of. Where do the people who really matter figure? Isn’t a cavalier attitude also an infringement of the readers’ right to know?”

Do people really want to know ? If they did there would be someone catering to that need.

“And what about the writers? They have no voice; often their words are culled to suit the ‘policy’ of the paper…no one wants to rub people the wrong way. I say, since when has journalism been about telling people what they want to hear? “

Journalism has always been about telling people what they want to hear. Its that one odd writer / journalist who beats the system and makes a difference. When they do they make history and believe me you cant do that every morning.



” So, isn’t there anything like freedom of expression? There is, but not for the angst of the idealist, only for the barf of the bimbos. Have you not wondered how so many celebrity-penned columns have sprouted? Infotainment is not only an issue about our appetite for mindless gossip. It is an issue about misplaced priorities and lost opportunities of making meaning. It amounts to the subversion of truth. Press releases passing off as ‘reports’ are old hat. “

If there is a market for bullshit, what’s wrong with selling it.

Faruk