I am not a professional journalist but I do hold a Diploma in Journalism that can give me some courage to write something on the current moral/ethical journalism debate going on here and there in India after the Radia tapes Controversy or/revelations.
I used to watch NDTV very often than other English news channels to get the Indian view of looking at realities around the world. I am also fond of watching the news analysis often done by Dr Prannoy Roy.
Now coming to the Padma award winning journalist Barkha Dutt issue - she is cornered by many journalists as well as ordinary people in the Indian sub-continent for being not professional in her dealings with a PR Representative and political lobby Nira Radia. Since Radia is closely associated with the corrupt ex-minister A. Raja of Karunanidhi owned DMK party, things are taking a wrong turn against Burkha Dutt who had long conversations with Radia regarding many political appointments.
I spend (wasted) some of my valuable time googling and surfing the net to know more about the issue related to NDTV, Barkha Dutt etc.. and to my surprise, came to know that there are already thousands of netizens raging a war against Barkha for her adamant and authoritarian style of conducting talk-shows (Her 'We the People' is a simple example in which many people complain that she never allows people to talk, if someone contradicts her view she would even abruptly stop that person), her arrogance and punitive style when some independent bloggers write about her style of journalism, reports of warfront and terror-fronts etc.. etc.. (http://www.writingcave.com/barkha-dutt-forces-a-blogger-to-take-down-blog-post-and-apologize) make me think, does she really deserve a Padma award or was it a gift given to her lobbying journalism or lobbying itself, for slanting and partial journalism.
I am also afraid whether Barkha would reprimand me for not writing positively about her... ha.. a..ha.. ha...
The point I want to insist here is the time and energy NDTV takes these days to project her clean and safeguard her tarnished image... it is amazing.
When you have a BIG media behind you, your justifications heard everywhere but may not be accepted by all, may be some gullible may think you are correct.
On 30th November NDTV had one hour program on ‘Barkha Dutt and other editors on Radia tapes controversy’ in which Barkha Dutt (discussed the allegations against her!!!) sat with a panel of newspaper and magazine editors trying to defend her. I wasted one full hour watching that stuff in which Barkha Dutt was bluffing. http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/barkha-dutt-other-editors-on-radia-tapes-controversy/178964 I was not able to see a Padma Shri Barkha defending, rather it sounded like a college girl defending her crimes in front of a teacher. However, I would strongly feel that the current pain and agony Barkha undergoes these days is a wonderful gift for her arrogant journalism. And also I strongly feel that this is today’s journalism and no Channel is unbiased. No channels give honest news to the public; it is always a partially covered, selfish reporting of events collected by various just or unethical means.
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