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Greetings!
This Newsletter from the GujaratGlobal brings to you the latest happening in the media particularly in Gujarat, whats hot and whats not , who's in and who's out , you want it and you get it here !This newsletter is about people who craft voice and image of others. It is about the real newsmakers.
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Editor.....media
activism and ethics
TOI issue is hot.
Protests against police complaint against Times of India, Ahmedabad are
being organised in other cities and towns. It is a rare event when journalism
is the common cause of many. How many of these participants are directly
related with the media is a debatable issue. No doubt they use media to run
their anti establishment campaigns.
If we talk about the media, unions are almost non existent. Most of
the big newspapers have staff on contract. It is a sure way to kill unions. In
such a situation the word press unity does not make any sense to
anyone.
It is probably the most appropriate time for the media for the
introspection. Lets us think about the media activism. It has become very
important as journalism has taken a new identity. It is media. On the
information superhighway we have much faster and more versatile players. Visual
journalism is coming of the age and so the citizen journalism.
Now we have more tools at our disposal like online surveys and blogs.
They make journalism interactive. Letters to the editors are really snail
mails. People use e mail even for the stories of the print media. Even though,
in India
websites of most of newspapers are still newspapers on the web. It is till not 24
x 7 journalism in India.
Newsroom integration is still in infancy in our country.
Earlier, newspapers had no way to evoke and multiply
reactions. But now, discussion forums, reactions and blogs not only give an
opportunity to react, but these facilities also make people know views of
others and respond. We have to think about the mature and judicious use of the
modern tools. This is also important because of the growing problem
of counter knowledge, the information which is not reliable and accurate, but
affects reader's views drastically...the TOI issue is the best example of counter knowledge.
The issue of media activism and ethics is also necessary because of
the exponential growth of the media. People have to be made aware about the
sensitive issues.
Press Council of India has a legal mandate to maintain standards of
journalism. It should take up the issue and launch a nationwide consensus
programme on the vital issue of media activism and ethics.
And don't forget to have a look at India's unique state centric website www.gujaratglobal.com and my blog www.zerocolumn.blogspot.com
Have A Happy Reading.
With love Yogesh Sharma
Gujarat Global | |
Archive...
Did u miss out on any of the action which has taken place or want to sneak a peek again?? Here is our Archive.
Now you can find all our earlier issues here.
Archive Gallery..
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Media fraternity
New team of GMC in fast lane
The new team of the Gujarat Media Club seems to in the top gear from
the beginning. In the last ten days it organised two more programmes. One was
media interaction with the head of the Weather Bureau here, M S Tomar. It
was on May 31. This was followed by half day seminar for journalists on
tracking MPs and MLAs on June 6.
Now, office bearers are busy mobilising renewal of the annual
membership fee of the 100 plus member club.
Media protests in Mumbai
Our friends Om Prakash Tiwari , Mrityunjay Bose and Ajay buwa have
informed about journalists' protests on June 10 and June 12 . The issue
was police action against TOI staff in Ahmedabad and attack on the residence of
Kumar Ketkar, editor of Loksatta Marathi.
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Now Dainik Jagran coming
to Ahmedabad
Gujarat is known for business acumen.
But, the media is quite late in recognising this aspect of the personality of
people of Gujarat. Better late than never.
After a very mute and subdued entry of Gujarati edition of Business Standard,
now it is Dainik Jagran which is making entry into Gujarati Business
journalism. The newspaper has started recruiting staff.
This is proving bonanza for journalists of Gujarat.
It is just because it is very difficult to get experienced journalists in a
normal recruitment. The Jagran team knows it well. Consequently, hefty pay
packets to journalists who have already got great boost in the last one year.
Business Standard and TOI's midloid Mirror came out with innovative idea. They
recruited journalists without any condition of experience in language
of publication.
For instance, Mirror has about a dozen reporters from Gujarati
newspapers and Business Standard Gujarati has reporters with English journalism
background.
Anil Patel of Dainik Bhaskar has been appointed RE of the business
daily of Dainik Jagran. Gautam Purohit , Dinesh Desai and Alkesh Patel are some
of the persons who have already joined. Though the management is giving the
impression that the newspaper will be out in August, persons who matter say
that it be around Diwali when Gujarat
celebrates its New Years.
Certainly a good chance for those who were
reluctant to leave their jobs when Mirror, DNA and Business Standard made their
entry! And more troubled time for small and medium newspapers that have already
facing manpower resource crunch
Rajeev P I, RE of
Indian Express Ahmedabad
Ultimately, Indian Express is able to find RE for its Ahmedabad edition.
Chief of Bureau of Kochi, Rajeev P I will be soon joining Ahmedabad edition as
RE. The post is vacant since N K Singh left to join HT in Bhopal, his home state. The problem was that
no one was interested in joining Ahmedabad. Janalaya Srinivas who was COB at
Ahmedabad had also left and so Ahmedabad was literally topless.
Staff here is hopeful that soon the Edition will have more hands. For
several months, the Ahmedabad had only three reporters. Last month, one old
hand Parimal Dabhi joined the team.
In the absence of a strong team in Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad Newsline has
virtually turned into Baroda Newsline! Much of the stories are Baroda dateline.
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Gandhi
never said no to prosecution
-Yogesh Sharma
The issue of Ahmedabad
police Commissioner O P Mathur slapping seven cases against the Ahmedabad
edition of Times of India is snowballing into a major protest campaign by
the TOI and people supporting the "cause of the journalism". The
statements that have been published by the TOI quoting various
organisations ranging from the Editors Guild to the Press Council of India give
the impression of crucification of the TOI. Is it so? Is complaint against
Resident Editor of the local edition of the TOI and its staff their conviction?
Here is the report the TOI carried referring to the letter
which PCI chairman Justice G N Ray has written.
The Press Council of India (PCI) has written a strongly worded letter
to Chief Minister Narendra Modi asking him to stop newly appointed Ahmedabad
city police commissioner OP Mathur from filing cases against the Times of India.
PCI chairman Justice GN Ray has written to Modi in a letter dated June 4,
referring to various newspaper reports on the sedition cases filed against TOI,
Ahmedabad and said, "You may consider advising the appropriate authorities
to deny him (Mathur) permission to file the case."
Mathur has filed two more FIRs on June 6 booking TOI resident
editor and others for sedition, which is after this letter was sent to Modi.
Earlier, he had filed three FIRs on June 1 and June 2 on the same charges at
Navrangpura police station. Two non-cognizable offences of defamation have also
been filed. Justice Ray's letter annexes SC rulings that restrain public
officials from filing suits for defamation.
Mathur has filed five FIRs booking resident editor of TOI ,
Ahmedabad and others under sedition and conspiracy charges after a series of
reports on Mathur's capabilities of ensuring safety of citizens of Ahmedabad in
the light of his dubious links.
The letter says, "The reports have been examined with reference to the
norms drawn up by the Council prescribing the parameters of the right of the
press to comment on the acts and conduct of the public and the action appears
to be unadvisable".
This came after the widespread outrage among journalists across the country,
activists and citizens groups on the slapping of sedition cases on TOI .
The PCI is a quasi-judicial statutory authority that has been set up by an Act
of the Parliament, for preserving the freedom of the press. The Council took
note of the reports published in various newspapers in New Delhi on cases of "sedition and
treason" filed against the TOI .
The way TOI has reported the matter;
it appears that PCI chairman a retired judge of the Supreme Court has
given his judgement against the police commissioner. Now the question is about
the authority of the PCI in dealing with a case under the IPC. It is equally
surprising that a retired judge of the Supreme Court made
observations on the basis of the reports of the newspaper which were based
on the statement of an accused. Even a junior lawyer knows that the statement
of an accused is not reliable unless it is corroborated by the evidence. Can
someone be charged with serious offence on the basis of a statement which does
not have value in the eyes of the law? It's really surprising that a
retired judge of the Supreme Court who is heading a quasi judicial body dealing
with media could give the impression which amounts nothing less than
a judgement.
The Times of India carried a report about the statement of the Editors
Guild of India.
The Editors Guild of India has strongly criticized the surprise
action of the Gujarat police in foisting a
case of sedition on The Times of India, the editor of its Ahmedabad edition
and other staffers for scrutinizing the choice of O P Mathur as the police
commissioner of Ahmedabad.
"The action of the City Police Commissioner O P Mathur smacks of
vindictiveness as the newspaper had carried articles criticizing the choice of
O P Mathur as the police commissioner," the guild said in a statement.
"Sedition is a charge which was slapped on the Indian media by the
colonial rulers during the freedom struggle. Abuse of the sedition provision
against the media negates the freedom granted to the citizens by the
Constitution," it said.
The guild said it expected the Gujarat
government to ensure that the persecution of The Times of India and its journalists was stopped and
action taken against Mathur for misusing the provisions of the Indian Penal Code
Again an apex body Editors Guild
of India
issues statement from its ivory towers just on the basis of what TOI says about
the case. When Editors talk about the freedom of citizen they probably forgot
the restriction the Constitution has imposed on the freedom of the citizen. It
talks about action against Mathur. How can government take action against
Mathur? There should be a legal basis to decide that Mathur is wrong. Certainly
a statement by the Guild cannot decide the guilt of O P Mathur even if he is
guilty.
This week TOI has came out with two great cases of sedition. One
against Bal Gangadhar Tilak and another against Mahatma Gandhi. It has used the
quote of Gandhi to prove that the sedition provision in the Law was not right.
But there are scores of cases of sedition and treason charges during
the post independence period. Sikhs still feel hurt by these charges.
Interestingly, the moral of the
two stories TOI carried in its campaign against the police action is that let
the Court decide. If you feel that you are right, you can prove it in the Court
of Law. Gandhi never said no to the prosecution. As mentioned by the Judge
himself ""Millions look upon you as a saint. It is my duty to judge
you as a man subject to the law, who has by his own admission broken the law,"
judge Broomfield
said, in his reply, and later sentencing Gandhi to six years of simple
imprisonment.
So even if TOI is a holy cow as
its campaign seems to be portraying, it is subject to law of the land.
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Blogosphere
Nachiketa Desai's Harmonica blog
Nachiketa Desai, a versatile journalist with experience of print
and web is very active on the net. On the orkut, his community is a group of
active participants. He has his blog Indian Journalist speaks.
Today Nachiketa sent a mail about the blog of the harmonica club
of Gujarat. It is a club of Harmonica lovers.
Its introduction on the blog in About Me says
We are a group of amateur harmonica (mouth organ) players who have come
together to promote harmonica playing as a hobby. We are a not for profit
social organization. We perform at public places such as gardens, educatioinal
institutions and hospitals for charity.
hi friends
I am pleased to announce the launch of a blog of the harmonica club of
gujarat. please visit the blog at
http://harmonicaclubofgujarat.blogspot.com
your comments are welcome
this is just the beginning, we will be updating the blog every day. our goal
is to make the blog the prefered destination of hamonica lovers all over the
world. we are not into the race to find a place in any book of records. but
our goal is to spread the harmony of music. we are into music for its love
and not for any monetary benefits or personal fame.
we would welcome your contribution to the blog. we believe in democracy,
freedom of speech and creativity.
regards.
nachiketa desai
tapan bhatt
ahmedabad
For those who identify people with job titles, Nachiketa Desai is
presently Special Correspondent of Business India.
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The
job of a judge is to figure out what the law says, not what he wants it
to say. There is a difference between the role of a judge and that of a
policy maker... Judging requires a certain impartiality.
-
Clarence Thomas.
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With Love,
Yogesh Sharma
GujaratGobal.com
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