Views On News 07 September 2015

Governance Section
FTII
SCRIPT GOING AWRY
MUMBAI
COAST ROAD:
ROAD TO DISASTER
VIEWS ON NEWS
By Abhay Vaidya
46
By Darryl DMonte
50
www.viewsonnewsonline.com
SEPTEMBER 07, 2015
`50
Nepal or Vietnam??
Fooling the World

How Social Media Disinformation Is Going Viral 12
AGENCIES:
A house for
Mr UNI
ADVERTISING:
Kolaveri Di in
Turkey
BOOKS:
Farewell
Kabul
By Shantanu Guha Ray
By Shobha John
By Rajendra Bajpai
16
32
24
TMM
EXCLUSIVE:
Coverage of
Radhe Maa
40
EDITORS NOTE
FTII: MISSING THE

FOREST FOR THE TREES
VIEWS ON NEWS (VON) has always been a champion of the freedom of press as well as the liberty
of institutions committed to academic and professional excellence. This is because democracy flourishes and thrives only within an environment free of
restrictions on thought and expression within the
boundaries of the constitution and social decency.
I reacted with great sadness, therefore, to the
news that the police had made a late-night raid on
the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and
arrested students who were on strike over the
appointment of the new chairman of FTII Society.
The police, of course, has every right to act in a manner consistent with the exigencies of the situation
to uphold law and order. If
it does not, it is certainly
dereliction of duty.
But when the action involves entering institutions
of learning, apprehending
students and hauling them
off to the lock-up, it demands extraordinary justification, the main ones
being violence or exhortation to violence, criminal
conspiracies, destruction
of public property or illegally bringing to a halt essential public services.
These are well spelled out
in the Indian Penal Code.
The debate over the
4 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015
appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, TV actor and BJP

member, as chairman is a legitimate one. The point
of this editorial is not to argue either for Information
& Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitleys view that students cannot decide on appointments of teachers
and administrators, or for the student protestors and
critics whose agitation is based on their perception
that this move is part and parcel of the Narendra
Modis governments agenda to nominate candidates on the basis of their proven sympathy for the
BJP-RSS points of viewwhatever they may be.
here is little doubt that in the pastand this
is before the BJP came to powerinstitutions
have been politicized and learning has often
been the victim of student politics. In the South, the
DMK has produced powerful student-politician orators. In the North, even the adroit Arun Jaitley is a
product of Delhi Universitys student politics that
remains polarized between the Congress-backed
NSUI and the BJP-sponsored ABVP. Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been a hotbed of
Marxist ideology and the colleges of Delhi University
have, in the past, recruited professors and teachers
known publicly for their ideological and political
leanings. The principal of St Stephens College, the
jewel in Delhi Universitys academic crown, is chosen on the basis of religionChristianity.
Similarly, FTII has been known for its Leftist leanings and its graduates have often produced left-ofcenter, anti-establishment films. A strike here is
nothing new: In the last few decades, there have
been 40 strikes and agitations over restructuring of
syllabus, privatization fears and upgradation.

The world over, at Columbia University in New
York, at the Sorbonne in France, there have been student agitations on similar issues, including systems
of grading and marking and admission requirements. Liberal nations make it a policy not to allow
police forces to enter campuses barring the rarest
of rare occasions, based on the belief that it is often
healthy for students to debate and let off steam and
challenge hide-bound beliefs and value systems.
Societal and political change often comes from student movements; witness the stellar role played by
ABVP in opposing Mrs Indira Gandhis Emergency.
It would be unfair to say that any Emergency-like
situation exists on the campuses of this nation. What
needs examination is whether the students at FTII
are defending the status quo or agitating for changes
that would make it a better and more creative institution. Has the status quo produced an institution
bursting with creativity and productive energies
which characterize the IITs and IIMs, or has it nurtured a white elephant?
he debate should focus not on Chauhans
party affiliations but whether he is qualified
and willing to be a leader and participant
along with the studentsand is contributing to excellence, originality and innovation in a world
exploding with the new media. Administrative leadership on a campus consists of being able to spell
out a concrete agenda for change and inspiring students and teachers to believe in it and executing it.
There is no real audit on whether institutes like
What needs examination is whether

the FTII students are defending the
status quo or agitating for changes
that would lead to excellence.
FTII or mass communications schools across the
country are producing great journalists or technicians. Some of the greatest reporters and editors in
the country have never attended journalism or mass
com classes. But this does not obviate the need for
technical or communications institutes. Media technologies, visual concepts, broadcasting and reporting techniques are changing rapidly. Film-making,
cinematography, editing techniques and processes
have altered within the last five years beyond our
wildest imagination.
As these innovations proliferate rapidly, there is
a definite need for more FTIIs, whether backed by
the government or privately funded. But the watchword must be excellence. This is what I find missing
in the FTII controversy which, having become politicized, may be missing the very strong and persuasive arguments for augmenting and creating an
environment for quality education.
VIEWS ON NEWS
September 7, 2015 5
VOLUME. VIII
ISSUE. 23
Editor
Rajshri Rai
Managing Editor
Ramesh Menon
Deputy Managing Editor
Shobha John
Executive Editor
Ajith Pillai
Business Editor
Shantanu Guha Ray
Political Editor
Bhavdeep Kang
Associate Editor
Meha Mathur
Deputy Editor
Prabir Biswas
Art Director
Anthony Lawrence
Deputy Art Editor
Amitava Sen
Graphic Designer
Lalit Khitoliya
Photographer
Anil Shakya
News Coordinator/Photo Researcher
Kh Manglembi Devi
Production
Pawan Kumar
C O N
LEDE
Getting fooled
Endless oceans of information circulating on the net makes it difficult for traditional media to judge the credibility of accounts, pictures and videos. But
search engines are helping out, reports SUNIL SAXENA
Chief Editorial Advisor

Inderjit Badhwar
CFO
Anand Raj Singh
VP (HR & General Administration)
Lokesh C Sharma
Circulation Manager
RS Tiwari
Vice-President (Ad-Sales)
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12
SPOTLIGHT
Makeover
for UNI
This news agency is in for
better times with the
clinching of a land deal,
reports SHANTANU
GUHA RAY
16
T E N T S
MEDIA MONITORING
Media watchdog
Governance
21
CONTROVERSY
A parliamentary panel has

recommended the creation of a
statutory body as a media watchdog
rather than self-regulation. Will this be
the end of the road for the Press
Council? RAKESH BHATNAGAR probes
Stalemate persists
46
The present crisis in FTII has shown

that the govt is pushing ahead with
its plans for the campus, reports
ABHAY VAIDYA
ADVERTISING
BOOK REVIEW
Courting danger
in Afghanistan
24
RAJENDRA
BAJPAI reviews
Farewell
Kabul From
Afghanistan to a
More Dangerous
World, which
gives an
in-depth view of
the games
being played
between
Pakistan, the US
and the
warlords in
Afghanistan
GLOBAL TRENDS
Japanese invasion
30
A sharp fall in ad revenues has led to

the offloading of FT and The Economist.
While Nikkei takes over FT, the owner
has brought down the stake in The
Economist, reports MR DUA
Kolaveri Di in Turkey 32
A vibrant Coca-Cola ad for

Turkey has gone viral, thanks to
its famous Indian tune. Its a
perfect rhapsody of Indian and
Turkish culture, writes
SHOBHA JOHN
SURVEY
Talk of the town
40
Controversial and colorful

godwoman, Radhe Maa, garnered
viewer interest as news channels had
debates, talk shows and programs on
her. A report by VON Team
R E G U L A R S
ENVIRONMENT
Controversial road
50
DARRYL DMONTE writes on the

storm raised over a proposed road on
Mumbais western sea front. Despite
ecological concerns, the government
has given clearances
Edit..................................................04
Grapevine........................................08
Quotes........................................10
Vonderful English..............................11
Media-Go-Round..............................20
As The World Turns...........................27
Web-Crawler.....................................28
Anchor Review...................................36
Design Review..................................38
Breaking News.................................42
Cover design: Anthony Lawrence
Cover photo: Na Son Nguyen
VIEWS ON NEWS
September 7, 2015 7
Grapevine
Who is the Cleanest One?
ALL GOVERNMENT departments are supposedly
in the swachhata mode
again. In an initiative that
is yet another brainchild of
the PM, secretaries of various ministries have been
asked to initiate competition between different
wings of an organization in
order to increase participation in the cleanliness drive
and reward the better performing ones. So, do expect

competitions between hospitals, police stations and
railway stations. The idea is
to not let swachhata be a
one-time effort, as it is
gradually becoming. Sustainability of the cleanliness
operation is really becoming a mountain of a problem. Fresh ideas anyone?
Aam Aadmis Entertainment

DELHI CM Arvind Kejriwal is indeed a
movie buff. Not only has he taken to
watching movies, he ensures that his
comrades-in-arm also do not miss out.
And he makes sure that he tweets after
watching a movie, even complimenting
the actors. But all things backfireespecially in politics. A picture of the CM and
his colleagues enjoying an exclusive
screening of Drishyam at the PVR in Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, went viral. The
only occupants of the theaterthe photograph makes it clearwere the CM and
his colleagues, who were being served the
choicest of movie time snacks! Way to go!
Precise CV
THE CORRIDORS of Shastri Bhawan
are abuzz with sniggers about Gajendra
Chauhans CV, which led to his selection
as FTII chairman. Its a single-para CV,
highlighting his most significant act. An
RTI reply quotes the file noting of I&B
ministry: Gajendra Chauhan is an actor
who is best known for his portrayal of the
eldest Pandava Yudishtira in the
Mahabharatha (TV series). He has
worked in around 150 movies and over
600 TV serials. What we can also add to
it is that he is also a devout follower of
the incredible Radhe Maa and has been
photographed with her as one of her
high-profile bhakts!
Meri Awaaz Suno
Gender Divide
THE 137-YEAR-OLD Secunderabad Club clings to an archaic rule of not giving
permanent membership to
women, even as males from the
same family can get membership. Women can qualify only
for associate membership without the right to vote or to contest election. Why are the male
members hell-bent on being at
their chauvinistic best?
Costly Postures
AN RTI by an Amdavadi has
revealed that the government
spent `15.87 crore for SMSs in
the run-up to the International
Yoga Day on May 21. This author
received one too, from the prime
minister himself!
A vendor, M/s Arch Concepts
THE BJP is making full use of

the radio medium to reach out to
the masses in Kerala. It plans to
link up with the local NGO network to bypass the rule of I&B
ministry that political parties
cannot run radio services. Already, Kerala-based NGOs are
doing the rounds of the ministry.
Whose brainchild is this? None
other than the party presidents.
What an idea sirji!
A Piku Query
A ARUNMOZHITHEVAN posed a
pertinent question to health and
family welfare minister in the Lok
Sabha in July. He asked whether a
large number of people, specifically
in urban areas, suffered from chronic
constipation, as a study claimed. He
sought various details of the same as
well as the steps taken by the government to create awareness about constipation and its seriousness. In its
reply, the government, while denying
any study in this regard, reiterated its
resolve to provide comprehensive
healthcare to the public. In parliament corridors, it was being called
the Piku effect!
Our Money, Their

Promotion
Pvt Ltd, was paid a total of `3.67
crore for the main event at
Rajpath in New Delhi, including
`1.02 crore for the supply of
36,000 yoga mats.
The RTI reply of the Ministry
of Ayush also reveals a payment
of `1.32 crore to Ernst and Young
for its services. T-shirts by
National Textile Corporation cost
`49 lakh, and `12.05 lakh was
paid to the Guinness Record Ltd
for their commercial services,
along with an extra 450 for
fast track service. The NSS regional centre in Delhi, which provided 1,000 volunteers for the
event, charged `22.5 lakh for it.
Besides this, publicity by the
Directorate of Advertising and
Visual Publicity and on
Doordarshan, and All India
Radio cost the ministry
`828.43 lakh.
THE KEJRIWAL government in

Delhi has finally admitted that they
spent `22.33 crore on TV, radio and
print ads that they bludgeoned us
within just three months! First,
they said that the expenses were being
borne by the AAP, but now they have
conceded that it was your and my
money being spent. Whatever happened to probity?
Some Premonition
THIS IS how the second para of page

50 of APJ Abdul Kalams latest book
reads: Now, finally, Pramukh
Swamiji has put me in a God synchronous orbit. No maneuvers are
required any more, as I am placed in
my final position in eternity. Isnt it
eerie? The book, Transcendence: My
Spiritual experience with Parmukh
Swamiji, was launched on June 29
this year.
Compiled by Roshni Seth
Illustrations: UdayShankar
VIEWS ON NEWS
September 7, 2015 9
U O T E S
Shekhar Gupta,
senior journalist
One commits rape and then

four more are named. Kabhi
aisa ho sakta hai kya? Aisa
practical hi nahin hai. (Can
such a thing happen? It is
impractical.)
Samjwadi Party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Now that Bihar polls are

approaching, everyone
should watch the (Manjhi)
film to know what the DNA
of Bihar is made of.
I have no views on @sanjivbhatt.

But really, is marital fidelity 1of our
svc conditions? Is Victoria
still our queen?
Rajdeep Sardesai,
senior journalist
Aisi Taisi democracy: great lines:
Wahan Mulleh youtube ban kare,
yahan pandit kissing se
ghabraye!
Nikhil Wagle,
journalist
The main problem of our society is
most of d people don't read, watch
n think. They draw conclusions
from Half baked TV debates n fight!
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind

Kejriwal, reacting to Modis
statement about the problem with
Nitish Kumars DNA
Shobhaa De,
columnist
Will Rahul Gandhi be

the naada which
will hold the pyjama
party together?
BJP national secretary
Siddharthnath Singh
To use a cricket analogy, in

last years Independence
Day speech, he played on the
front foot. On Saturday, he
was defensive and on the
back foot.
Journalist and Modi biographer
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, on the
Prime Ministers I-Day speech
8 p.m. deadline for female Jamia

students. To 'protect' them! Will
authorities guarantee their safety
before 8 p.m.?
Sanjay Jha, Congress

spokesman
Someone asks me: Why do you
guys suffer such a haranguing,
hollering, hideous TV anchor? I tell:
Because you guys watch the farce.
#Choose
Nitish Kumar, Bihar

Chief Minister
Promises, big bang announcements & packaging. Little actions
& no delivery on ground. No
wonder increasingly people say
#BolneMeinKyaJataHai
English is one of modern Indias twenty-two official languages, and is widely learned as the second language in
most countries. Enjoy it and avoid falling into some common error traps. BY MAHESH TRIVEDI
DID YOU KNOW?
SMARTEN YOUR TALK
You may be successful and laughing your way to the

bank but a wrong usage in English speaking/writing
can turn you into a laughing stock!
Party on!..Thats right!
Bated breath, NOT baited

Grievous, NOT -ious
Gramophone, NOT grama
Dos and donts, NOT dos
Spit it out!........Say it!

Bonus!........Thats great!
That tears it!...........That is too much!
Sharps the word!..........Be quick!
(Well) What do you know!..........(exclamation of surprise)
Whats yours?............What would you like to drink?
De luxe, NOT deluxe

Gymnasiums, NOT gymnasia
Gauge, NOT guage
Not on your Nellie!................Definitely not!

Use your noodle!................Use your head!
Get the picture?...............Do you understand?
Chivvy, NOT chivy/chevy
I dont mean maybe!...........I am serious! (not kidding!)
All right, NOT alright

Wunderkind, NOT wonderkind
RED-LETTER DAYS
You remember your bosss silver wedding anniversary
and you also attended your banks golden anniversary
celebrations. But what would you call the special day
when you complete, say, 13 years in your company?
Paper anniversary completion of one year
Cotton 2 years
Crystal 15 years
Leather 3 years
Silver 25 years
Wood 5 years
Pearl 30 years
China 9 years
Ruby 40 years
Tin 10 years
Golden 50 years
Steel 11 years
Diamond 75 years
Lace
Centenary 100 years
13 years
Pardon my French!..Forgive my bad language!
TYPES OF MEN & WOMEN

It takes all sorts to make the world. Take your pick:
MEN
Wastrel.idler/loafer
Philandererwomaniser/fickle suitor
Adonis.handsome man
Don Juanseducer
Debonair..urbane/stylish
WOMEN
Virago..bad-tempered
Coquette..flirt
Hoydentomboy
Prima donnatemperamental/inflated view of self worth
Winsome.shyly pleasing/pretty
THANK YOU, SIR!
HIT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS?
Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, though a gentleman does not expect this. So why not say Thank you in style
and make your communication memorable for the benefactor?
Owe you one
Thanks a skillion Tack

Merci
I owe you big
Thanks a bunch

You
have
my
gratitude
I owe you big-time
A zillion thanks

Thanks
heaps
Gracias
Surprise, meaning to take

off-guard/unawares, is a
mild verb, but astonish is
stronger, and a still
stronger word is astound.
However, amaze is the
strongest.
VIEWS ON NEWS
September 7, 2015 11
Lede
Content Credibility
O
World
Na Son Nguyen
Fooling the
The vast amount of information

circulating on the net makes it
difficult for traditional media to judge
the credibility of accounts, pictures
and videos posted there. But search
engines are helping out
BY SUNIL SAXENA
This
photograph
of two
Vietnamese
children
went viral as
part of Nepal
earthquake
footage.
NE of the most iconic pictures of the Nepal earthquake

was of a young boy comforting his sister. The photograph was telecast repeatedly
by Indian news channels; it
also went viral on the net. It was only much later
that the BBC found that the picture was a hoax. It
had nothing to do with Nepal. In fact, the picture
that touched so many hearts was taken by a Vietnamese photographer in 2007.
The photographer, Na Son Nguyen, told
the BBC (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia32579598) that he was driving through Ha Giang
province of Vietnam when he saw two children
playing in a remote village called Can Ty. The little
girl, around two years old, started crying on seeing
Getty Images
a stranger, and her brother hugged her protectively.

Na Son captured the moment and later published
the picture on his personal blog.
VARIOUS HOAXES
So far so good. But three years later, Na Son found
the picture circulating on Facebook as that of abandoned orphans in Vietnam. Whats more interesting, Na Son told the BBC: Some people even
weaved intricate tales about the kids, like their
mother had died and their father left them.
The pictures journey did not end here. Later, it
started circulating on social media as that of two
Burmese orphans and when violence broke out in
Syria, social media painted the children as victims
of the Syrian civil war.
The picture resurfaced in Indian media during
the Nepal earthquake and Indian anchors waxed

eloquent on the tragedy that befell the two Nepalese kids.
This is not the only picture that has fooled world
media. The BBC itself was the victim of one
such hoax. In May 2012, BBC website
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2012/05/houl
a_massacre_picture_mistake.html) published a photograph of a child jumping over body bags that had
been placed in neat rows. The bodies were said to
be of children who had died in Houla in Syria) massacre and were awaiting burial. The picture was
found by BBC editors on Twitter. It had evidently
been posted by Syrian activists as evidence of the
Houla massacre in which 100 people were said to
have been killed. Imagine the surprise of Getty Images photographer Marco di Lauro, who saw the
A child shown
by the BBC as
jumping over
bodies of
children in
Syria in 2012
was actually
captured on
camera in
Baghdad nine
years ago.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Lede
Content Credibility
Reliability Check
Here are 10 questions that you need to ask to decide the

credibility of anything on the web
Does the article have a logical structure?

Good writers take great care to structure their articles. The most important points come first, the less
important points follow. There is no repetition or
jumping from point to point. Such articles reflect the
pains the author has taken in obtaining and presenting information, and can, therefore, be trusted more.
Who is the author?

Does the author have sufficient experience and expertise? What are his affiliations? Does he work for a
credible institution? What are his past writings?
In case of blogs or individual home pages, check
this information on About Us page. Good bloggers
provide detailed information about themselves.
Professional websites provide this information at
the end of the article, including even email IDs.
untouched as they may not be based on facts. Question the credibility of articles that promote self or
own products.
Does the article quote sources?
The most trustworthy articles quote from established sources. They hyperlink information to authoritative sources on the net. Theyre well-researched
and well-referenced.
How good is the quality of writing?

Meticulous writers are very painstaking. They fuss
over syntax, writing style, spellings, etc. They want
to make sure that there are no typographical or any
other errors that may invite ridicule. You can trust
such writers.
What is the purpose of the write-up?

Has the article been written to inform or educate? Is
it to advocate a cause or sell a product? Articles that
use inflammatory language or promote activist
views should be shunned.
Similarly, those that reek of bias should be left
Is the article balanced?

The best writers give all points of view. They use data
and evidence to support their arguments. Similarly,
their conclusions are drawn from accepted information. Most important, they dont force their opinion
on you, but help you try and understand issues.
Is the information dated?

All data gets dated. Do not use information that has
been posted four or five years ago. Check for latest
information. It is a good test to establish the relevance of data, and the effort made by the writer to
provide useful and valuable information.
LEST YOU FALL FOR

FALSE FOOTAGE
Websites like Storyful
help you ascertain the
authenticity of
photographs and videos
picture when he logged onto the BBC site. He had

taken the picture nine years earlier in 2003 and it was
of skeletons that had been found outside Baghdad.
On hearing from Lauro, the BBC removed the
picture instantly. Fortunately, BBC editors had been
careful. Their caption mentioned that the photograph was provided by an activist and could not be
independently verified, but it is believed to show
the bodies of children in Houla awaiting burial.

These two cases establish the challenge that traditional media faces when sourcing content from
social media. The dilemma is to use the first-hand
accounts, photographs and videos posted by eyewitnesses or to ignore them.
IMAGE SEARCH
Fortunately, the task of editors has been made
slightly easier by Google. Its image search helps you
track the source of pictures posted on the net.
Whats more, you can even find out if the image has
been modified or edited, and by which website.
All that you need to do is to enter the url of the
photograph or upload the photograph from your
computer in the Google search field (https://images.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl). The Google search
engine will do the rest.
You have one more tool that performs an
equally powerful image search. It is the reverse
image search engine TinEye (www.tineye.com)
which has indexed 12.3 billion images; this number
Who is the publisher?

This is the best yardstick to establish credibility.
Websites of established newspapers, magazines,
institutions, government departments, research
institutes, etc, greatly value credibility. They check
and cross-check information before posting it online.
Such information is more trustworthy. However, the
same cannot be said of blogs where it is essential to
check the background of the author.
Do others link to the site?
Another useful indicator is external links. People will
only hyperlink those sites that are trustworthy and
credible. You can find the back-links from Alexa.com.
The site tells you how many external links are coming
to a website.
Is there useful information on About Us Page?
The most trustworthy sources are those that provide
contact information about themselves, as well as of
authors writing for them.
continues to grow. This search is not limited to the

net alone. TinEye has expanded to include pictures
posted through mobile devices too.
The challenge becomes greater when it comes
to verifying web videos, especially those posted
from war zones or by terrorists who use the web to
plant vicious and malicious propaganda. These
user-generated videos are a nightmare for the
media. Which ones should it use and which ones
should it reject? And why?
STORYFUL SOURCE
One organization that is trying to make sense of
this vast ocean of user-generated content is Storyful
(www.storyful.com). It has set up a team of journalists, technologists and social media evangelists
to track and verify all sensitive social media
content. It says that it has combined proprietary
technology and expert journalism to create a
human algorithm.
This game-changing combination, gives Storyful the ability to discover, verify, acquire and de-
The net is a huge web and needs a

strong mechanism to monitor. The task
is even more difficult for individuals.
How do you decide which article or
website to trust?
liver the most valuable real-time content the social

web has to offer. Already, some of the leading
media organizations are turning to Storyful to
source their social media content.
Interestingly, social media giant Facebook, on
which many fake videos surface, has tied up with
Storyful to create FB Newswire. It publishes usergenerated images and videos at Facebook.com/FBNewswire and on Twitter at @FBNewswire.
To make it easier for journalists and newsrooms, Facebook even allows them to find, share
and embed newsworthy content in the media they
produce. All that they need to do is to credit
the video creator in their broadcasts or on
their websites.
Facebook has also introduced a Trust Badge.
This badge, which is a blue check mark, is placed
on accounts that have been verified by Facebook.
The credit of initiating Trust Badge, however, goes
to Twitter.
The badge is literally a lifeline for the media,
which can blindly quote tweets from Twitter accounts of celebrities that have a Trust Badge.
These are a few institutional efforts which help
the world find truth on the net. But they are minuscule. The net is a huge web and needs a much
stronger mechanism to monitor. The task is even
more difficult for individuals. How do you decide
which article or website to trust? (See Box)
In times to come, perhaps this could
become easier.
The writer is Dean, School of Communication, GD Goenka University, Gurgaon
VIEWS ON NEWS
Spotlight
United News of India
UNI Gets a
The news agencys heydays may be back again with a new construction
T was in the late 1970safter the

Emergency was liftedthat the management of United News of India
(UNI), then headed by editors of various newspapers, planned a building of
its own. Probably the UNI management was
envious of a building already constructed by the
Press Trust of India (PTI), its immediate and
next-door rival, and the way PTI was earning
cash through high-value rentals, its tenants
ranging from state-owned banks to foreign
news agencies and newspapers.
TEETHING PROBLEMS
The land was there, at a prime location right behind Niti Ayog, then the Planning Commission, and sandwiched between Sanchar Bhawan and Vithalbhai Patel House, home to MPs,
maverick writers, free thinkers and theatre personalities. But somehow, the building could
never come up because of teething problems
between UNI and the government, which was
its biggest subscriber but often jettisoned the
agencys much-sought-after building project.
When Zee Telefilms made an abortive bid
to acquire UNI and wanted to usher a new information wave through the news agency, the
buzz in Delhi revolved around how the Mumbai-based media conglomerate was eyeing the
land, considered a cash cow with assured deliverables. But the deal did not happen, and was
spiked by a defiant union. An enraged
Makeover
deal. Will this sort out its cash flow problems? BY SHANTANU GUHA RAY
Anil Shakya
VIEWS ON NEWS
Spotlight
United News of India
Highly-placed sources in Delhi claim the

land deal was possible because of a push
from the center that wants to encourage
competition in a rather monopolistic news
agency market dominated by PTI.
ABORTIVE ATTEMPT
(Right) Subhash
Chandras bid to
acquire UNI did not
materialise
Subhash Chandra, chairman of Zee, walked out

and demanded an instant refund of the `35 crore
that he had given at the time of the proposed
takeover. The agency, which paid `25 lakh per
month to Zee, has now cleared its dues.
DEAL SEALED
But now, nearly four decades later, the final stamp
of clearance has been given for the UNI land and
its two owners, the news agency and Press Council
of India (PCI) that presently operates from a different building in Delhi. The land has been allocated to the two owners, a senior official from the
Ministry of Urban Development said on condition of anonymity. He added that subsequent
clearances would be required by UNI and PCI because the building falls in Delhis highest security
zone that is home to the various ministries, the
RBI, AIR, Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The official further said the initial cash to smoothen the construction process has already been
paid by the two parties a few months ago and the
deal has been sealed. The building, it is reliably
learnt, will be constructed by the state-owned National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC), a blue chip company with a consolidated revenue of over `5,000 crore.
UNI and PCI will have 2,600 sqm each of the
land. There is an additional 620 sqm in the same
venue, which was offered once to UNI at commercial rates by the Land and Development Office,
which falls under the Ministry of Urban Development. UNI had refused it then. But now, it is reliably learnt, the news agency is keen to acquire the
same and has approached the Land and Development Office with an application.
Though it was not immediately known how

many floors UNI and PCI would keep, as per current estimates, both would occupy a floor each.
Some more space could be allotted to state-owned
media outlets like DAVP and some wings of the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting . Some
newspapers, magazines and channels could also
be accommodated there.
BUILDING AGENDA
The agencys management, currently headed by
Vishwas Tripathi, a seasoned chartered accountant with deep knowledge of the real estate market,
is pushing the building agenda because its the first
answer to the agencys fledgling cash flow problem. Once the building is completed and floors
rented to interested parties, much of the news
agencys insurmountable cash flow problems
would be sorted out, the official said.
Highly-placed sources in Delhi claim the move
was primarily possible because of a push from the
government that wants to encourage competition
in a rather monopolistic news agency market
CLEAR FOCUS
(Left) Chairman, UNI,
Viswas Tripathi with
Union Minister of
Transport Nitin
Gadkari
dominated by PTI. The news, for obvious reasons,

has not been made public, but the UNI management and its editor have expressed relief at what
they claimed was a major breakthrough.
The agency has been making several efforts to
reach out to a number of high-value clients (read
top newspapers like The Times of India) and bolster its service, which also includes regional language services and a photo service. The pricing
has been deliberately kept low to pull in subscribers, who had often expressed dissatisfaction
at the slow pace of the agency in todays cutting
edge news environment.
RESURGENT UNI
The agency, it is reliably learnt, could benefit if the
government lifts restrictions on private radio
channels for news reporting, especially in the light
of the auction of new FM channels across India.
With the government admitting that more than
200-plus news channels and 150-plus newspapers
and magazines are waiting to get clearances to
start operations, UNIs rates would be affordable
for them. Various members of the BJP, it is reliably

learnt, are favorably disposed towards seeing a
resurgent UNI. Some have even had meetings
with current board members, explaining what the
news agency must do to get into a combative,
competitive mode.
The agency has started a slow hiring process,
mainly pulling in junior editors to bolster its copy
desk, once valued for its crisp articles. The idea is
to beef up news operations that are currently operating at one-third the capacity as compared to
PTIs specialized news gatherers.
UNI copies were earlier jokingly referred to as
crispy like dosas. This snack is sold in its famous
canteen, a favourite haunt of journalists, bureaucrats, MPs and corporate captains. And with the
new deal, its canteen too could get a second lease
of life.
As of now, all eyes are on pending clearances
from the government. After all, the land deal is the
best opportunity for UNI to get back into the national news platform.
The countdown has started in right earnest.
The building
will be
constructed by
NBCC. UNI
and PCI would
keep, as per
current
estimates, a
floor each.
Some space
could be
allotted to
media outlets
and the I&B
ministry.
VIEWS ON NEWS
EDIA-GO-ROUND
Journalists Protest
TO PROTEST against states failure to bring to book perpetrators
of violence against journalists, the
Press Council of India (PCI)
wants the media to protest
symbolically by blacking out
news for two minutes on November 2 every year. The PCI may
Trouble
Media Giving
for Outlook
Wrong Picture
THERES MORE trouble in store

for Outlook magazine, which published an objectionable snippet in
its July 6 issue about Telangana
IAS officer Smita Sabharwal. Outlook alleged that she served as
eye candy at official meetings
because of her good looks.
Now, the Telangana government, through a government order
(RT.No.2296 of August 20), has
sanctioned `15 lakh towards legal
expenses that she would incur
while filing a civil defamation case
in which she has asked for `10
crore as damages. Of the money
allocated, `9.75 lakh will be
deposited as court fee while filing
for defamation.
The government order states
that the money will be repaid to
the treasury by Sabharwal once
she is awarded compensation by
the court.
JUST FOUR of the 26 persons executed in

India since 1991 belonged to the Muslim community, and yet a perception has been created
by some media channels in the aftermath of
the hanging of Yakub Memon that members of
the minority community are being targeted,
government sources told The Times of India.
An internal report by the I&B ministry has
taken exception to the tenor of discussion in
YouTubes
Production Facility
four channelsAaj Tak, ABP News, NDTV India

and NDTV 24X7and argued it was a serious
threat to national security'' and had sown
seeds of distrust between communities.
YOUTUBE HAS announced the opening of its

collaboration and production facility for YouTube
video creators, called YouTube Space Mumbai, at
Whistling Woods International (WWI). Slated to
open late 2015, the space will allow video creators
and students at WWI to learn about video production, collaborate with other creators, and break
down resource barriers that inhibit innovation and
creativity. Located in the heart of Mumbai's film and
television production hub, Filmcity, the unit is the
latest to open after the ones in Tokyo, Los Angeles,
London, New York, Brazil and Berlin.
Terror Coverage
CONCERNED BY violations during coverage of terror
operations, the I&B ministry is likely to issue another
advisory to TV channels asking them not to divulge
operational details.While monitoring of coverage
related to Gurdaspur terror operations we found that
many TV channels were reporting details like
reinforcements sent, where the paramilitary men or
police were positioned or what arms were being
brought in. This is against national interest, a source
told The Times of India.
proclaim November 2 as the National

Day to End Impunity for Crimes
Against Journalists and ask all newsrooms across the country to observe
two-minute silence, it said in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court
in the case of UP journalist Jagendra
Singh's murder.
Media Monitoring
Anurag Thakur Panel Report
Big Brother
as Regulator
A parliamentary panel has recommended creation of a statutory
body as a media watchdog rather than self-regulation for the Fourth
Estate. Will this be the end of the road for the Press Council?
BY RAKESH BHATNAGAR
LAYING STANDARDS
Sir Brian Henry
Leveson, whose
recommendations
led to the creation
of the Independent
Press Standards
Organization
in the UK
HEN Lord Justice, Sir

Brian Henry Leveson of
the UK chaired a public
inquiry into the culture,
practices and ethics of the
British press, prompted by the News of the World
phone hacking affair in 2011, he was perhaps unaware of the ramifications that his recommendations would have on the media elsewhere, including
India. In November 2012, Sir Leveson submitted a
three-volume report that led to establishing the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO) in
2014. Prime Minister Camerons government abandoned the Press Complaints Commission (PCC),
which had been the main industry regulator of the
press in the UK since 1990.
Leveson report assumes significance in the Indian context in view of a spate of complaints about
paid news and degeneration in news dissemination.
There are allegations of deals between media managements and private parties who pay for either
concealing or highlighting stories in accordance
with the terms of an agreement.
Following the Leveson Report in the UK and in
view of the ills, especially paid news, afflicting
VIEWS ON NEWS
Media Monitoring
Anurag Thakur Panel Report
GIVING A NEW DIRECTION?

Parliamentarian Anurag
Singh Thakur suggests
evolving a statutory
mechanism rather than
continuing with the
Press Council
The Anurag Thakur panel expresses

concern over private treaties between
media and corporates entities, the
loss of independence of journalists
and the menace of paid news.
the Indian media, a Standing Committee on Information Technology chaired by BJP MP from
Himachal Pradesh, Anurag Singh Thakur, also examined the menace of paid news. This committee
in turn had been constituted in the light of a report
submitted by another committee headed by Ashwani Kumar two years ago which had left it to the
government to evolve a mechanism for rooting out
paid news in India.
ADOPTING UK MODEL
The report submitted by Thakur to the Lok Sabha
on July 13, 2015, takes note of the Levesons recommendations. However, while examining the regulatory model set up in the UK, the Anurag Thakur
panel agrees with the consultative report finding
that the regulatory models in other democratic

countries are also required to be studied before
adopting the Levesons model.
A slew of recommendations by Leveson are:
Appointment of a new watchdog independent of
MPs and newspapers, with statutory underpinning.
This independent self-regulatory body should be
protected by a statute. It should be free of any influence from industry and government.
It should also be governed by an independent
board. The chairperson and the members of the
board must be appointed in a genuinely open, transparent and independent way.
The Leveson report also says legislation should
allow for an independent regulator to be
organized by the industry, but it should also place
an explicit duty on the government to uphold and
protect the freedom of the press.
Leveson recommends certain remedies and
sanctions. It recommends fines of one percent of
turnover of a media company, with a maximum of
1m. The watchdog should have sufficient powers
to carry out investigations both into suspected serious or systemic breaches of the code. The new
watchdog should have an arbitration mechanism for
resolution of civil legal claims against subscribers.
The process should be fair, quick and inexpensive.
Frivolous or vexatious claims could be struck out
at an early stage.
SENSATIONAL STORIES
Sir Leveson also points out to reckless and sensational stories being pursued by the media. As he
observes: There has been recklessness in prioritizing sensational stories, almost irrespective of the
harm the stories may cause and the rights of those
who would be affected. Several famous people have
had their family lives destroyed by the relentless
pursuit of the press, Leveson says, as it refers to
ample evidence concerning it. Their families, including their children, are pursued and important
personal moments are destroyed, Leveson says.
He finds there is a cultural tendency within
EXTREME MEASURES
(Above) The infamous phone hacking
affair of the News of the World led to its
closing down; (Right) The Leveson
report was critical of hounding of
celebrities and reckless stories on them
parts of the press vigorously to resist or dismiss

complainants almost as a matter of course. He says
some newspapers are defensive, and even when an
apology is agreed, they get their own back by resorting to high-volume, extremely personal attacks on
those who challenge them.
In the backdrop of Leveson findings, the
Anurag Thakur panel also takes cognizance of adverse impact of private treaties between media and
corporates entities on the independence of journalists, editors, media professionals and it giving rise
to the menace of paid news.
The committee strongly recommends that the
I&B ministry or regulatory bodies strictly enforce
all the existing guidelines and codes for bringing
transparency in private treaties, thereby curbing
paid news to a great extent.
The I&B ministry has stated that in view of the
Press Council of Indias (PCI) advice to Securities
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that regulates the
stock market operations, voluntary disclosure of any
interest in any listed company has been made
mandatory. The Thakur panel expresses concern
that neither the I&B ministry nor any self-regula-
Leveson suggested appointment of a

new watchdog independent of MPs
and newspapers, which should be free
of any influence from industry and
government.
tory body such as PCI and the National Broadcasting Authority have conducted any study to evaluate
the mechanism adopted by other countries to tackle
the menace of paid news. These institutions couldnt
provide any input regarding the existing mechanism
to regulate media.
The parliamentary committee, therefore, feels
that it is important that various news and informative programs delivered by the print and electronic
media are factual, neutral, fair and objective. The
response of the government and observations made
by the committees each led by Ashwani Kumar and
Thakur make it amply clear that the government
may do away with PCI and evolve a statutory mechanism much to the chagrin of the media which
believes in self-regulation than by any diktat of the
government.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Book Review
Farewell Kabul From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World
Courting
Danger in
Afghanistan
This book gives an in-depth view of the
games being played between Pakistan, the
US and warlords in Afghanistan, one of the
most dangerous places on earth
BY RAJENDRA BAJPAI
OURNALIST Christina Lambs latest offering, Farewell Kabul From

Afghanistan to a More Dangerous
World, is not just about the dangers
of reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan, but
also about the double-game Islamabad has played
for nearly 30 years with its neighbor in the West
as well as its benefactor, the US. She finds overwhelming evidence of Pakistan interfering in
Afghanistan, training the Taliban and fighting
alongside them in the hope that it can seize power
in Kabul. It can then turn Afghanistan into an
Islamic state to gain the strategic depth it is seeking on its western frontier.
Lamb knows both the countries well because
she lived there for years and went back on numerous occasions. In fact, she began her career as a
young journalist in Afghanistan, which she
thought was an ideal place to launch a career as a

freelance journalist.
RISKY JOB
Lamb was lucky. And she was willing to risk her
life. She went to Tora Bora mountains in eastern
Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden lived in
caves along with his followers before fleeing to
Pakistan as US and Afghan troops chased him and
came within a couple of miles of his hideout.
Lamb was ambushed in southern Afghanistan
when the Taliban attacked her and the US troops
she was accompanying. She jumped from trench
to trench to avoid the fire.
Frequently, Lamb found that the Afghan Taliban was accompanied by Urdu-speaking Pakistani troops. She interviewed nearly all the key
players in the AfPak dramafrom Pakistani
Christina Lamb finds Pakistan and ISIs

hand behind Afghan affairs and believes
that Osama bin Laden could not have
entered Pakistani territory without help
from the Pakistan establishment.
EVIL DESIGNS
Pakistan feigned support
to the US in Afghanistan
but stoked anti-US
feelings behind its back
lars during the height of the Soviet intervention

in Afghanistan and then, stopping all aid, leaving
Pakistan and the Taliban to fend for themselves.
Lamb is also unsparing in her criticism of
Afghanistan, where every warlord and politician
appears to be on the take. She says Afghan troops
accompanying US soldiers appear to have taken
money from bin Laden in 2001 when they came
within two miles of his hideout. That helped bin
Laden escape from Tora Bora to Pakistan.
She also hits out at Hamid Karzai, who she
got to know well because he often protected
TRUSTED ALLIES?
(Clockwise from below
left) Afghan warlords
Abdul Rashid Dostum,
Ata Mohammad Noor,
Mohammad Mohaqiq
and Ismail Khan
generals to former Pakistan president Pervez

Musharraf, from Afghan warlords to former
Afghan president Hamid Karzai. She has a whole
chapter devoted to Colonel Imamhis real name
was Brigadier General Amir Sultan Tararwho
admitted to training thousands of Afghan Taliban.
She finds the hand of Pakistan and its intelligence agency, ISI, behind Afghan affairs everywhere and believes that bin Laden could not have
entered Pakistani territory, as he did at will, without help from the Pakistan establishment. She
dwells at length on Islamabads double-game with
the UStaking money from that country and
then stoking anti-US sentiments.
SHORT-SIGHTED AMERICANS
Lamb also highlights US silly and short-sighted
ventures in Pakistan, pumping in billions of dolVIEWS ON NEWS
Book Review
Farewell Kabul From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World
DANGEROUS GAME
(Right) Taliban
insurgents killed after
they attacked Afghan
parliament in June
this year
corrupt warlords and governors. In Afghanistan,

you could be in jail on corruption charges one day
and become the governor of a province the next
day. In some ways, corruption was a full-time job
in Afghanistan. There were warlords taking money from Pakistan and the US, and during Afghanistans invasion, from the Soviet Union as well.
To understand Afghans and Afghanistan, one
has to be familiar with the tribal politics of the
country. Tribal rivalries are handed down from
one generation to the next and often go on for
centuries. Americans were not too familiar with
that and learnt eventually from their mistakes, but
it was too late. Lamb spent enough time in that
country to understand tribal politics and her book
is a must-read for those having any interest in that
country. And if you are an Indian diplomat living
in Afghanistan, you must carry her book with you.
FAREWELL KABUL FROM
AFGHANISTAN TO A MORE
DANGEROUS WORLD
By Christina Lamb
Publisher: William Collins
Price: `599; Pages: 640
26 VIEWS ON NEWS
DANGEROUS PLACE
Afghanistan is a dangerous place; there is no
doubt about that. To go there without knowing its
history, geography and politics only multiplies
September 7, 2015
dangers. As a Reuters correspondent, I went there

just after the Soviet troops arrived in Kabul. There
was firing in the capital every day and locals were
training their guns on Soviet troops.
During a visit to Jalalabad in March 1980, we
came face-to-face with the dangers of working in
that country. I was part of a convoy returning to
Kabul when local gunmen opened fire at us almost at the same spot where British troops were
massacred more than a century earlier. One could
not see the gunmen hiding behind rocks and taking aim at buses, cars and taxis on the highway.
The Indian counsel-general in Jalalabad was in
his black Soviet-made Volga car and he hastily
turned to go back, and asked me to tell the Indian
ambassador in Kabul that he could not make it for
a scheduled meeting. His first mistake was to ride
a black Volga, which otherwise is used by Afghan
officials, who are all targets of rebels.
Christina Lamb sets out the dangers clearly.
She is a journalists journalistlucky, plucky and
willing to court danger armed only with a notebook and a pen.
S THE WORLD TURNS
Indians bag dance trophy

DESI HOPPERS, a group of Indian dancers, emerged victorious at the World of Dance
competition in Los Angeles,
beating 34 competitors from 14
countries. On August 16, at the
Los Angeles Convention Center,
the group was crowned winner
with a trophy and $5,000. Desi
Hoppers were the first-ever In-
Malaysia
wants social
media curbed
THE MALAYSIAN government
wants Facebook, Twitter, and
Google to curb content for
public safety. The controversial
demand was announced after
Prime Minister Najib Razak
was accused of transferring
$700m from a state fund into
his personal account. Najib
has denied the allegations. According to The New York
Times, Malaysias communications minister Salleh Said
Keruak wrote on his blog that
the government will meet with
representatives of Facebook,
Google and Twitter to enlist
their help in combating the increasing tide of false information and rumors. Najib sacked
his deputy last month after he
questioned him about the
alleged embezzlement.
dian troupe to represent the

country at the championship.
The dancers staged an energetic performance by starting
with the formation of Lord
Ganesha, and then providing a
glimpse of Indian classical
dance. The team will be seen in
TV dance reality show Bindass
Naach, starting this month.
BAN the Phantom

JAMAAT UD Dawahs leader and the mastermind behind the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, Hafiz
Saeed, wants upcoming movie Phantom banned
in Pakistan. Starring Saif Ali Kan and Katrina Kaif,
Phantom shows Saeeds assassination in the
movie. Lawyer for Saeed, AK Dogar, wants to
stop the film from being shown, arguing it is Indian propaganda meant to hurt the image of Pakistan abroad. Phantom is based on the novel
Mumbai Avengers by S Hussain Zaidi.
Long messages
on Twitter
Tinder CEO
steps down
DATING APP Tinders CEO Chris Payne is
stepping down, with co-founder and president, Sean Rad, taking over again, according to a report from Re/Code. Tinder was
in the news recently for tweets against a
Vanity Fair author, for a report in the fashion magazine about how bad dating apps
NOW TWITTER users will be able to send

long messages through direct chat, though
the 140-characters limit will continue for
tweets. For perhaps the first time in its history, the social media company urged its
users to go long when messaging other
users. Direct Messages now go beyond
140 characters. Go long, express yourself,
wax poetic, tweeted @twitter.
The company has been expanding Direct
Message features to compete with
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and
Google Hangouts.
like Tinder are for young
people. Last year cofounder Whitney Wolfe
sued the company for
sexual harassment and
stripping her of title.
Another co-founder
Justin Mateen, accused
of sexual harassment, left the
company.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Web Crawler What Went Viral
Amazon Faces Heat

JEFF BEZOS, founder and CEO of e-commerce giant Amazon, is
in the news since the publication of an article in The New York Times
on August 15, that crticized the work culture and practices followed in
the company. The article, written by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld,
uses accounts of former and current Amazon employees to
describe a cut-throat organization which has no place for those who
cant keep up with the pressure, due to personal or health reasons.
Titled Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace,
the article has elicited strong reactions from employees and the management alike. Bezos released an internal memo soon after the NYT
article, stating Amazon would not tolerate such callous management
practices. He commented on the article, saying it doesnt describe
the Amazon I know. This internal memo was obtained by CNBC on
August 17.
Modi In UAE
WHILE NARENDRA Modi was busy strengthening ties with
the UAE, social media was gung-ho over every move he
made. Now that the PM is back on Indian soil, internet trolls
have taken over with a slew of memes doing the rounds on
Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. An image of Modi embracing
the crown prince of UAE, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, has taken the virtual world by storm, with puns
ranging from the obviousLets bridge this gulf to the
absurd expression: Ladies, there is no such thing
as a thigh gap.
Mission Food
THIS INDEPENDENCE Day, a group of youngsters
came together with the mission to feed 1,00,000
people across India and Pakistan. The group called
Robin Hood Army (robinhoodarmy.com/
mission100k) took the initiative with the help of
student volunteers across the two countries. Many
restaurants pitched in with logistical support as the
mission gained momentum in Lahore, Karachi,
Islamabad, Kolkata, Noida, Mumbai, Bangalore and
Delhi. With the aim to stamp out hunger, Robin Hood
Army hopes this will be part of a sustained effort
towards curbing food wastage and eradicating
hunger. The initiative, mission100k, trended on
social media and gained massive support on
online platforms on both sides of the border.
Sporting Honor
DELHI GIRL Aditi Chauhan
became the first female Indian
football player to be signed by
a top English club. With a
country that watches football
almost as eagerly as it does
cricket these days, the
accomplishment has been
celebrated across social
media platforms. Chauhan
has been signed by West
Ham Ladies, which is
currently in the Football Asso-
Pak Perspective
BRANDON STANTON, the man behind the photo
blog, Humans Of New York, travelled to Pakistan this
summer and painted a picture of Pakistan that was
almost unknown to the rest of the world. Messages
thanking him flooded the HONY Facebook page as he
showed the human aspect of a nation, known in the
international media only for its terror and violence.
His photographs ranged from beautiful landscapes to
portraits of people from across Pakistan.
The photographs are accompanied by human
interest stories that include experiences and thoughts of
those photographed. Stanton is making headlines for
having raised $2 million to support the Bonded Labour
ciations (FA) Womens Premier League Southern Division. This is in the third level
in the womens football structure in England. She earlier
represented the under-19
Indian national womens team
at AFC Qualifiers in Malaysia.
Social media also criticized
the dismal condition of
womens football in India
where no top-tier leagues
exist for female players.
Liberation Front, a Pakistani organization led by

Syeda Ghulam Fatima, that works towards
eradicating bonded labor.
Deadly Data Leak

ASHLEY MADISON, a US-based web portal,which is
described as the online personal & dating destination
for casual encounters, married dating, discreet
encounters and extra-marital affairs was recently
hacked by a group called Impact Team.
The hackers threatened to reveal members details and
data unless the Toronto-based parent company, Avid
Life Media, took down Ashley Madison and
EstablishedMen.com. On August 19, the hackers
followed through their threats and posted 9.7 gigabytes
of user details, including credit card information. Avid
Life has criticized this move and asked the FBI to
investigate the matter.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Global Trends Takeovers

The Financial Times, The Economist
Japanese Invasion N
of Fleet Street
A sharp fall in ad revenue and a dip in
sales have led to the offloading of these
twin publications. While Nikkei takes
over FT, the owner has brought down
the stake in The Economist
BY MR DUA
OT long ago, when Bloomberg Businessweek, a noted American financial journal,

put out a story that Britains influential and
prestigious weekly, The Economist, and its
sister daily newspaper, The Financial
Times, were up on sale, the news was stoutly and derisively
denied, ridiculed as a mere rumor, and dismissed as speculative nonsense. However, the fact was that The Economist
and The Financial Times owners were reportedly ill at ease in
bringing out these publications due to heavy decline in their
ad revenues and downturn in print edition sales.
These factors alone are said to have prompted the company to search for an alternative to off-load them somehow,
although these stories were instantly scotched. Also, that is
why some years ago, The Financial Times senior executive,
Dame Marjorie Scardino, officially, and rather contemptuously, remarked that the title would be sold over my dead
body. But, paradoxically and ironically, the current chief executive of the public owner-company, Pearson Inc, John Fallon, is said to have presented the papers sale largely as an act
of beneficence in the cause of journalism.
Therefore, when the owner of the twin publications, Pearson Inc, a British media and education global giant, announced in July that The Financial Times had actually been
sold, nobody was enthralled, and much less, taken aback. Remember, the company had in the past offloaded some of its
valuable media assets, such as its financial news service, Mergermarket. In any case, The Financial Times constituted a
minor segment of the companys total holdings.
In the past, several whistleblowers had reported secret
talks about the publications sale among numerous buyers,
such as the British wire service Reuters Thomson, German
Axel Springer and American billionaire and former New York
mayor, Michael Bloomberg, but these were invariably branded as mere hearsay at the highest levels.
NEW OWNERS
However, when the 127-year-old The Financial Times was
purchased by the Japanese media giant, Nikkei, for $1.3 billion, it made sizzling international news. And The Economist
in its August 15 edition, had a Letter from the Editor, called A
New Chapter, where it said: This weeks issue is an exception,
because it is an exceptional moment in The Economists
history. On August 12th, we announced the most

important change to our shareholding structure
in almost 90 years. Pearson, the owner of The
Financial Times, which has had a non-controlling
50 per cent stake in us since 1928, is selling. Threefifths of those shares will go to an existing shareholderExor, the holding company of the Agnelli
family. The rest will be bought back by our parent
company, The Economist Group. The Economist,
founded in 1843 to support the cause of free
trade, always preferred to call itself a newspaper;
the group also includes the Economist Intelligence
Unit research company, and the US legislative information provider CQ Roll Call.
Meanwhile, the new owners of the publications plan to shift to digital and mobile news. In
fact, Pearson CEO, John Fallon, is reported to have
said that he offloaded one of his last remaining
media assets to give it the best chance of its success as readers switch from newspapers to smartphones and the market for business news becomes
more global. He said that Pearson will exclusively
concentrate on its education business that has not
been in good health of late.
BETTER GLOBAL REACH
John Fallon noted that Nikkei being the owner of
the biggest financial title in the Japanese language,
The Nikkei, and dozen other media outlets, will be
able to better focus on increasing the global reach
of The Financial Times and invest in its digital future to compete with the financial firepower of
Bloomberg and top US business daily, The Wall

Street Journal. The new owners are believed to
have been assured of complete editorial independence, as its implicit in the culture and fabric
of Nikkei. Also, Nikkei owner Tsuneo Kita is believed to have stated that the company would
maintain the papers independence while investing in the brand. He added: Lets be clear that the
editorial independence will be maintained. The
FT is going to be the FTit remains unchanged.
FTs editor, Lionel Barber was also said to have
been told hell retain his independence. Pearson
Inc, however, will not part with its present classic
mansion situated on the south bank of Thames
river. The new owners will function from the same
building and will pay for it.
According to Pearson, The Financial Times
had sales of 334 million last year, with 24 million being its annual income. The groups profits
on March 31 last amounted to $93 million, as per
a report in The New York Times. Patronized by
rich and elite readership, the publications will be
missed by the British readership, among many
others in the US and Asia. FTs change of owners
was deemed to be a desperately sad event by
many London mediapersons. The pink newsprint
signature, The Financial Times, is said to be the
classic symbol of Londons pinstriped suitthe
only daily printed in pink paper. The same pink
newsprint style is also a signature mark of three
business dailies, The Economic Times, The Financial Express and Business Standard, in India.
OWNERSHIP CHANGE
(From above left) John Fallon,
the chief executive of Pearson
Inc; Nikkei owner Tsuneo Kita
(Below) FTs office at One
Southwark Bridge, London
VIEWS ON NEWS
Advertising Coca-Cola
Kolaveri Di
Hits Turkish
Shores
A vibrant Coca-Cola ad
for Turkey has gone
viral, thanks to its famous
Indian tune. A perfect
rhapsody of Indian and
Turkish culture
BY SHOBHA JOHN
UNNY and sensuous. Sultry and

sandy. As these two images merge on
a hot, happening beach, you suddenly
start feeling thirsty despite being ensconced in evergreen Delhi lashed by
monsoon showers. Such is the power of advertising; it makes you desirous of things you dont
need. And thats what Coca-Colas 2015 video for
the Turkish marketA Bir Coca-Coladoes.
The song, sung by Turkish singers zcan
Deniz and Sla, is vibrant. And as you watch the
swaying crowd of good-looking men and women,
the rhythms of West Asian music sweep over you
even though you dont understand the Turkish

lyrics. The beat of the tambourine is matched by
the steps of men in casual clothesopen shirts
with waxed chests, capris, T-shirts, hats.
FAMILIAR TUNE
As the song swirls around your head, sung by a
George Clooney lookalike, you say, wait, havent I
heard this rhythm before? And yet it is clearly a
Turkish ad for Coca-Cola. And then it hits you:
the tune is from Kolaveri Di, the song sung by
Dhanush in 2011 and which went viral, making
him an instant star.
As the catchy tune continues, you realize that

the language of dating and romance is clearly the
same everywhere. It shows testosterone-induced
men, including the grey-haired lead singer who
looks incongruous in this setting, asking young,
sultry women something like Why this murderous rage, girl? (the English interpretation of
Tamil Kolaveri Di.) As girls in hammocks look up,
others are seen strutting around in mini skirts,
halters and shorts and hand fans, with their
blondish curls flying in the breeze. This is clearly
a Bohemian Rhapsody as the girls are seen leading
this motley group of men.
The lead female singer is a woman in a

provocative red shirt and shorts with a comehither look in her eyes. As the women sway and
dance in front of the thirsty men (thirsty in more
ways than one!), they suddenly take out CocaCola bottles and show it to the men, who make a
grab for them. But they are clearly not going to
oblige, even as the men pretend to swoon.
As the women pirouette and preen, bend and
roll on the sand, the temperature is clearly shooting up, evident from the various sighs that can be
heard in the background. Dhanush has sure
missed something.
FLUID BOUNDARIES
(Above) The Coca-Cola
ad for Turkey borrows
heavily from the
Bollywood template
VIEWS ON NEWS
Advertising Coca-Cola
old Indian pride coming into play and our inherent greed for acceptance. Suthan explains that the
Turkish ad industry usually looks at the West for
influences and it is far more cued to that part of
the world than ours. This film is, therefore, part
affirmation and embrace of Bollywood and beyond in a global sense. This probably is a growing
phenomenon and underlines Indias influence in
the world, both as a strong economic power and
a cultural reservoir, he said.
Attempts to get Coca-Cola Turkeys version
proved futile.
THE MAVERICK
(Above) Dhanushs
Kolaveri Di became an
instant hit in 2011
Though
Coca-Colas
ads are
powerful, this
one with an
Indian theme
is the perfect
example of
how a
nonsensical
song set in
exotic locales
and with a
change in
language can
still garner
huge response.
The dance moves are interesting and Bollywood-esque as the men and women pair off, a
friend wiggles his well-shaped eyebrows to the
beat of the song. Very interesting, indeed. Even as
the women run the bottles all over their bodies,
the men cool off with water. The cold vapor
streaming out of a Coca-Cola bottle juxtaposed
against the beach in all its sunlit glory makes one
sit up and notice this ad. As bronze bodies gyrate
to the catchy song, the parched throat is slaked.
All of this is good, clean fun and the display of
bodies is shown with finesse and panache.
INDIAN INFLUENCE
Though Coca-Colas ads are powerful, this one
with an Indian theme is a perfect example of how
a nonsensical song set in exotic locales and with a
change in language can still garner huge response.
In fact, Kolaveri Dis official video had garnered
more than 96 million views on YouTube since
2011, whereas the Turkish song has got more than
three lakh views within two days of its release on
YouTube.
Prathap Suthan, chief creative officer, Bang In
The Middle, a Delhi-based advertising agency,
says that advertising often borrows cultural signatures from across the world. I was more than
thrilled to see that they were inspired to dig into
our Indian palette to find inspiration. This is good
HAPPINESS QUOTIENT
Lets compare this Turkish ad with Coca-Colas
Indian campaigns. The Indian campaigns are not
so much about fun as happiness. They are earthy,
the language is colloquial and the situations,
everyday. As Anurag Kashyap, director, of these
Indian videos says in a promotional film: We
went into the interiors. And though he says these
are funny, cheeky campaigns, they have a different
flavor from the Turkish one, which grabs eyeballs
for its Arabic-Indian tone.
Coca-Colas Indian campaigns last year had
three videosCoca-Cola Open Happiness, CocaCola Injection and Coca-Cola Rickshaw. All of
them featured the ethereal Deepika Padukone and
her famous dimples, which is half the battle won
anyway. And there is cute Farhan Akhtar too.
What Coca-Cola always manages to do is touch
the heart, says Padukone in the promotional film.
Pretty much like the Turkey video, which
makes us forget that this country presently has terror literally at its doorsteps as it joins hands with
American forces against the Islamic State. But
then, that is the power of advertising. As Leo Burnett, founder of Leo Burnett Worldwide, said:
Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it
inviting to look at. And Coca-Colas Turkey ad
does all this. Who knows, it may even have a cascading effect on Turkeys tourism.
So say, why this Kolaveri Di?
EVERY FORTNIGHT VIEWS ON NEWS WILL BRING YOU TELL-ALL

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Anchor Review
Arnab Goswami
Shouting Bouts
The Newshour on Times Now is increasingly
resembling a boxing ring with Arnab and the
panelists throwing punches at each other
BY AJITH PILLAI
OLD HABITS DIE HARD

(Above) Arnab, as
usual, badgered
participants in
a discussion on
Indo-Pak talks on
Times Nows
The Newshour
(Right) Vishnu Soms
program on the same
subject on NDTV was
informative and
sensitive
PORT, as George Orwell famously

put it, is war minus the shooting.
He could well have said much the
same thing about shrill and frenetic
debates on Indo-Pakistan issues on
Indian television. In fact, cross-border terrorism, talks and ceasefire violations trigger off
hyper-nationalism on the idiot box, sometimes bordering on the extreme. And nowhere is this jingoism
reflected in its worst form than in the programs moderated by our own Super Primetime patriot, Arnab
Goswami. The ingredients for any discussion on the
friction between the neighboring countries on The
Newshour that he anchors on weeknights, is a mix of
hysterical ex-generals, defense experts from either side
of the border and politicians. Typically, all of them try
outshouting each other almost as if to prove the basic
principle in sonic science rightthe loudest is the

one that makes the most noise.
So Arnab took everyone by surprise when, on
August 19, he held a relatively quieter discussion
on the Pakistan High Commissions decision to hold
consultations with Kashmiri separatist leaders over
dinner just before the first-ever Indo-Pak NSA-level
talks. Of course, as is his wont, Arnab went through
his standard rhetoric about traitors and anti-nationals (read the Hurriyat leaders) before diving into the
core of the subject under discussion: Should India
be talking to Pakistan when there were 15 instances
of cross-border firing in the last five days and several
acts of terrorism in recent months?
But the temperature of the debate could not be
raised beyond a point since the panelistsSiddharth Nath Singh, BJP; Maroof Raza, defense expert; Brijesh Kalappa, Congress; Prof Kamal Mitra
Chenoy and Shabnam Lone, advocatefailed to
bring the discussion even close to boiling point.
That, incidentally, is the minimum required for
Arnab to get truly worked up. However, that evening even Siddharth Nath Singhs protestationsI
will be heard. You cannot stop mewas not inspiring

enough. In sharp contrast, Vishnu Soms measured and
not-so-dramatic discussion on NDTV on the very
same subject was far more informative and sensible.
xactly 24 hours later, Arnab was back with a

double-whammy. All of two hours (minus ad
time) was devoted to the Indo-Pak talks. The
first 60 minutes was all about the BJP-PDP coalition
government in J&K first arresting Hurriyat leaders that
morning and springing a surprise by releasing them
within a few hours. Why was the drama enacted?
Arnab wanted to know and so ostensibly did the entire
nation. The Times Now anchor turned his gun first on
Dr Mehboob Beg, spokesperson of the PDP. Why
have you become the B Team of the Pakistan government? Why have you arrested these Hurriyat traitors
you cannot call them leaders? Arnab thundered. Dr
Beg was visibly hurt that his party was being referred
to as Pakistans B Team. Please introspect, he urged,
Who is helping Pakistan when you call the elected
government Pakistans B Team? Remember Arnab, you
are saying this on national supertime news (sic), he
added for good measure.
That set the tone for an hour-long shouting match
with thought-provoking interactions, including one
exchange which went something like this: You asked
me have I finished? Now I am asking you, have you finished? I will tell you one thing I am asking you a question. If you dont have the courage to answer, then look
into the camera and admit that you cant. When the
panelist said he was ready to respond, came this trump
card from Arnab: How can you say you can answer
my question when you havent heard my question!
That all important question, incidentally, was what
the discussion was all aboutwhy were the Hurriyat
leaders arrested and then released. For those tuning in
to The Newshour for the first time, this verbal intimidation might sound genuinely amusing. But havent we
heard this browbeating before?
However, there was more to follow. Another hour
with Pakistani guests linked via satellite. This time, the
preamble was only a shade different: Was Pakistan try-
ing to scuttle the talks by inviting the Hurriyat leaders to meet Pakistan NSA, Sartaj Aziz, ahead of his
talks with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval? Arnab
was loud and very vocal for a start as he poured vitriol on traitors and those peaceniks who back
them. But the Pak panelists soon took the wind out
of the sails of the discussion by stating that their
government was not shying away from the talks and
was, in fact, keen on it. Sartaj Aziz will be coming
to Delhi. We are ready, one of the panelists from
across the border emphasized. You dont seem too
keen on the talks, he added. That left the discussions headed nowhere as it meandered over familiar
territorycross-border infiltration, ceasefire violations, Dawood Ibrahim, terror attacks and the like.
Luckily, there was no war declared on TV and
hence no casualties. But there have been occasions
when the heated debates left a bitter taste and it almost seemed as if some of the panelists would come
to blows. Indeed, the day is not far when TV discussions will be staged in sets designed like boxing
ringsthe grand finale could then be a bout between rival panelists to decide the winner. Marketing would love that. Boxing, after all, is not just
about giving participants a black eye but also about
grabbing eyeballs...
MODERATING INFLUENCE?
(Clockwise from top left)
The panel on Times
Nows The Newshour on
August 19 included
Siddharth Nath Singh of
the BJP; defense expert
Maroof Raza; Prof Kamal
Mitra Chenoy; and
Brijesh Kalappa of
the Congress
VIEWS ON NEWS
Design
DESIGNS THAT MADE IMAGINATIVE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS,

FONTS, COLOR AND WHITE SPACES TO LEAVE AN IMPRESSION
By ANTHONY LAWRENCE
Does tomato red incite you to try out

exotic cuisine from across the world?
If yes, the cover page of
Passport magazine, a lifestyle
publication, has succeeded in its
mission. Simple and effective.
Scandalsthe gray area of public life. On the cover of Rolling Stones10th

Anniversary of Scandal, the use of gray for text, including the masthead, is
juxtaposed with clean cutouts of dashing models to enhance the effect.
Yet another creative lesson

by Tulip Books for kids. Its
team has placed banana
leaves in the shape of a
cow, photographed them
and sketched other
features to complete the
scene. But is the text
font large enough for the
target reader?
Theres a method to this madness in color. This installation,

posted on Pinterest website for artists, is a riot of glitter colors
stuck to a wall. But what is a human skull doing in the center of
the installation?
The Economic Times graphically traced the

history of swimsuits a few years ago, right
from the late 19th century. An imaginative
use of space here with a lot of information.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Survey TMM Exclusive

TV Coverage
Radhe Maa:
Talk of the Town
The controversial and colorful godwoman garnered viewer interest as news
channels had debates, talk shows and special programs on her
BY VON TEAM
IVEN the prominence given to godmen and godwomen in the media, it

did not come as a surprise when several TV channels lapped up the Radhe
Maa controversy. The story broke on August 2 when
the 50-year-old spiritual leader was accused in a
dowry harassment case.
Nikki Gupta, married into a Gupta family closely
linked to Radhe Maa, lodged a complaint at Borivali
police station in suburban Mumbai, alleging that her
husband Nakul Gupta, a chartered accountant, and
her in-laws were persuaded by Radhe Maa to make
dowry demands from her parents.
Gupta said in her complaint that her parents had
gifted substantial amount of jewelry at her wedding,
but Radhe Maa allegedly had asked her in-laws to put
pressure on her family for more dowry. She was also
made to work at her ashram in Mumbai. This was
when things went wrong for Radhe Maa.
NO OF BREAKING NEWS
25
20
15
15
10
10
0
1
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
18
16
14
12
16
Aaj Tak
ABP
Times Now
India Today
APN
Samachar Plus
14
10
8
6
4
2
0
1
1
COLORFUL GODWOMAN
After a case was registered against her under the
Dowry Prohibition Act, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara
Parishad, the apex body of Hindu ascetic organizations, banned her from participating in the Shahi Snan
at Kumbh Mela in Nashik on August 29. Soon photos
of Radhe Maa in a miniskirt went viral on the net.
Footage of her dancing to Bollywood hits wearing
brightly colored sarees also made news.
From August 2 to August 14, Aaj Tak had 24
Aaj Tak
ABP
Times Now
India Today
APN
Samachar Plus
24
NO OF DEBATE SHOWS
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Aaj Tak
ABP
Times Now
India Today
APN
Samachar Plus
2
1
breaking stories, ABP News, 15, and Times Now, 10. The
story attracted considerable notice because of the nature of
the subject. Here was a godwoman, born Sukhvinder Kaur,
from Dorangala village, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, who
at the age of 23 became a disciple of Mahant Ram Deen Das
of the 1008 Paramhans Bagh Dera in Hoshiarpur. He oversaw her deeksha (initiation ceremony) and named her
Radhe Maa. Her style of blessing her disciples is unique
singing and dancing with them. She became popular and
attracted thousands of disciples from across the country.
Hers was a success story.
Apparently, the quantum leap in her mass appeal came
after she came in touch with the family of Manmohan
Gupta, the chairman of MM Mithaiwala which runs a chain
of sweet shops in Mumbai. Sanjeev Gupta, a family member, is the managing trustee of the Mamatamai Shri Radhe
Guru Maa Charitable Trust. He also promotes her divadarshans in Mumbai through advertisements and hoardings.
VIEWER INTEREST
Radhe Maas colorful life lent itself to special programs on
many channels. Aaj Tak led with 16 of them during the August 2-14 period. ABP News had 14 and Times Now, one.
Debates were also featured on the channels. ABP News led
the pack with four such discussions, Aaj Tak had two, and
Times Now also saw the issue good enough to hold a debate.
The discussions ranged from Who made Radhe Maa a
Godwoman to a Pious vs Pretender debate.
Why was there so much focus on a discredited spiritual
leader? Perhaps one reason was that several channels saw
that as sensational news in a week when there were apparently no big stories. Others felt that since there was so much
viewer interest, there was a need to educate them. But there
were still other channels which sensationalized the story
with only TRPs in mind.
It must be pointed out that NDTV, India Today and
Times Now raised other issues as well. GST, OROP, terrorism, the derailed monsoon session of parliament and the
Naga Agreement were all given due importance and focus.
Regional channels like APN focused on parliamentary proceedings, bills and project cleared by the Cabinet and issues
of governance which were far more newsworthy than the
Radhe Maa controversy.
VIEWS ON NEWS
DATE
6/8/15
6/8/15
6/8/15
7/8/15
7/8/15
7/8/15
8/8/15
8/8/15
NEWS
BJP worker Avinash Kumar shot dead
by three unidentified men near Gandhi
Maidan in Patna.
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
8:55 AM
10:41 AM
10:42 AM
Parliament logjam continues for third

consecutive day; Sonia Gandhi attacks
Modi government, calls it arrogant.
10:37 AM
10.39 AM
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

condemns Udhampur terror attack in
parliament; blames Pakistan for attack
on BSF convoy.
11.17 AM
11.18 AM
11.18 AM
Tiger Memon called his family on July

30; told his mother he would avenge
Yakubs execution.
8.00 AM
8.19 AM
8.20 AM
8.35 AM
Justice Dipak Mishra receives death

threat; was member of the panel that
rejected Yakub Memons plea.
8.00 AM
8.47 AM
8.48 AM
9.00 AM
Delhi Police arrests journalist Zuber

Ahmed Khan on his way from Mumbai
to join terror outfit ISIS.
9.58 AM
10.05 AM
10.07 AM
10.10 AM
9.20 AM
9.21 AM
9.22 AM
9.25 AM
10.00 AM
10.25 AM
10.27 AM
10.28 AM
10:39 AM
10:40 AM
11.20 AM
FIR filed against Radhe Ma in a case of

dowry harassment.
Cloudburst in Mandi, Himachal

Pradesh; Dharampur bus station
submerged, four buses washed away.
Here are some of the major news items aired on television

channels, recorded by our unique 24x7 dedicated media
monitoring unit that scrutinizes more than 130 TV channels in
different Indian languages and looks at who breaks the news first.
DATE
10/8/15
10/8/15
10/8/15
11/8/15
11/8/15
12/8/15
12/8/15
12/8/15
NEWS
Stampede at Baidyanath Temple in
Deogarh in Jharkhand leaves at least
11 dead and 24 injured.
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
7.05 AM
7.05 AM
7.06 AM
7.06 AM
Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav to launch

Swabhiman rally against Modis DNA
remark; will take signatures of 50 lakh people and send their blood samples to Modi.
9.08 AM
9.10 AM
Earthquake measuring 6.2 on the

Richter Scale strikes Hindu-Kush area of
Afghanistan; tremors felt in Jammu
Kashmir, Delhi and Punjab.
3.49 PM
3.49 PM
3.53 PM
9:29 AM
9:30 AM
9:31 AM
10:53 AM
10:56 AM
10:57 AM
10:58 AM
Sushma Swaraj responds to Congress accusations in Lalitgate; blames Congress

for lack of investigation during its term
3:39 PM
3:39 PM
3:40 PM
3:40 PM
Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav declare

seat- sharing formula at press conference;
RJD, JDU will contest 100 seats each, Congress will contest 40 and NCP three seats.
2:10 PM
2:11 PM
2:12 PM
2:13 PM
5.46 PM
5.48 PM
Kejriwal criticizes Delhi Police for

Yogendra Yadavs arrest; tweets peaceful protest is his lawful right.
9:28 AM
9.39 AM
9.40 AM
3.53 PM
PM Modi praises Mulayam Sigh Yadavs

support to end parliament logjam.
Arun Jaitley takes a jibe at Rahul

Gandhi; calls him an expert without
knowledge.
5.45 PM
VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015 43
DATE
13/8/15
13/8/15
13/8/15
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NEWS
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
Blast in a masjid in Trenz village of Shopian

district, Jammu and Kashmir, injures 10.
Bombay High Court lifts ban on Maggi;

samples of all nine variants to be tested in
three different labs before Nestle can start
manufacturing the noodles.
Congress protests in Parliament; NCP,
TMC MPs support Sonia Gandhi in
boycott of parliament.
13 pilgrims, including 6 women, killed
as pick-up van collides with speeding
truck on NH-33 near Chowka , 40 km
away from Jamshedpur.
Dowry harassment case registered
against Radhe Ma; asked to appear in
Kandivali police station in Mumbai.
Prakash Javdekar lashes out at Congress
for washout of Monsoon session; calls
the party anti-poor, anti-progress and
anti-democracy.
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Arvind Kejriwals AAP government to wave

off electricity bills of defaulters; JJ colony
residents will be charged `250 per month
for unpaid dues .
11:08 AM
11:40 AM
PM Modi begins UAE tour today; first

Indian prime minister to do so in 34
years.
12:12 PM
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DATE
16/8/15
16/8/15
17/8/15
17/8/15
17/8/15
18/8/15
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18/8/15
NEWS
Eight killed in blast in Pakistans Punjab
home ministers office; home minister
Shuja Khanzada trapped in rubble.
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
12:52 PM
12:53 PM
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12:54 PM
Saina Nehwal becomes first Indian to

win silver at BWF World Badminton
Championships; loses to World No. 1
Carolina Marin
1:51 PM
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1:55 PM
Day 2 of Modis UAE visit; will engage in

talks on terrorism and energy cooperation; will also address Indian diaspora
later in the day.
7.01 AM
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Modi visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

in Abu Dhabi; Omar Abdullah dismisses it
as a tourist moment.
10.06 AM
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ED seals two of Lalit Modis bank

accounts in Singapore; requested
authorities to send money back to India.
10.58 AM
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Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President

Pranab Mukherjee, dies at the age of 74
after being hospitalized for 11 days.
11:12 AM
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PM Modi targets Nitish government in

Arrah; announces `1.25 lakh crore
package for Bihar.
12.35 PM
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12.40 PM
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Landslide hits Manikaran Sahib

Gurudwara, at least 10 dead, many
still feared trapped.
3.40 PM
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VIEWS ON NEWS
Governance
Controversy
FTII Stalemate
Whats the Agenda?

FTII has always been
about freedom of
expression and the
right to creativity. But
the present crisis has
shown that the govt is
pushing ahead with
saffronization of
the campus
BY ABHAY VAIDYA
UGUST 18, 2015, will go down as a black day

in the history of the Film and Television Institute
of India (FTII), Pune. On this day, the police was
called in by the institutes director to arrest agitating students.
This decision was clearly bull-headed and the
police compounded this blunder by coming in at midnight to carry
out arrests, obviously to avoid the full glare of media attention. By this
solitary act, the government bureaucrats exposed their flank at Indias
premier film and TV training institute. Rather than trying to resolve
the crisis, the government only exacerbated it with the police action.
I am stressed and appalled by the arrests. This is the first time that
The students opposed Chauhan because

of his weak credentials in comparison
to directors such as Adoor
Gopalakrishnan and Rajkumar Hirani
who would have brought prestige to FTII.
POLITICAL DIRECTION TO DISSENT

(Above) AISA activists demonstrating
against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan
(right) as FTII chairman, in New Delhi on June 16
the problem has gone outside the campus and cops

had to be called in. It is not a good sign and this
should never have happened, said director Shyam
Benegal, reacting immediately after the police action. Benegal felt that Chauhan should have taken
the initiative to visit the campus and meet the students, but he never did.
SNOWBALLING ISSUE
The police action followed a series of mis-steps, all
of which indicated that the crisis was growing bigger
by the day. From a students protest against the
appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, TV actor and
BJP member, as chairman of FTII Society, it snow-
balled into an issue that became a political opportunity for the Congress first and then the AAP.
More than that, the latest FTII strike by students,
which entered into its third month on August 12,
exposed the governments autocratic style of
functioning.
After the controversy over Pahlaj
Nihalanis appointment as the chairman
of the Central Board of Film Certification (he had made videos for Modis
election campaign), the government
invited fresh trouble by appointing
people on the FTII Society with open
RSS-BJP affiliations.
The students were quick to sense
what was happening and opposed the appointments of not just Chauhan but also of
Anagha Ghaisas, Narendra Pathak, Rahul
Solapurkar and Shailesh Gupta. These were
the names that replaced the original choice
listed by the then FTII director DJ Narain
Amitabh Bachchan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra
among others for president and Naseeruddin
Shah, Rajat Kapoor and others for members.
I&B minister Arun Jaitley responded by rejecting the student demand outright and pointed out
that in no institute do the students decide who their
director or chairperson should be. The students
were at once branded as being unreasonable, asked
to call off their agitation and go back to their studies.
This was the official line of the BJP.
DIFFERENT ETHOS
While the BJP bigwigs were treating the FTII as
VIEWS ON NEWS
Governance
Controversy
FTII Stalemate
HOLD OVER ARTS

(Right)
Pahlaj Nihalanis
appointment as the
chairman of Censor
Board had also worried
the film fraternity
The FTII has seen

about 40 agitations
in the past five
decades. Even when
Mohan Agashe was at
its helm as
director, there were
protests over
fears of the institutes
privatization.
Anil Shakya
any other institute, the fact is that the FTII, established in 1960, is not any other institution. Students
dont come here to quickly get their diplomas and
degrees, vie for placements and move on to jobs with
attractive salary packages.
The FTII by character is a liberal institution
which has always resisted authoritarian control. It is
about freedom, creativity and ideas. In terms of ideology, it has always tilted towards the Left. A filmmakers life is a life of uncertainty and struggle and
the students are well-aware of this reality.
Students from varied backgrounds compete
fiercely to become creative professionals. Freedom
and the pursuit of creativity have always been of
paramount importance for the students and this is
evident from a visit to the campus. Graffiti, installations and slogans painted on the campus walls are
all about freedom of expression.
The FTII has seen about 40 strikes and agitations
in the past five decades. Even when an accomplished
actor like Mohan Agashe was at its helm as director,
there were protests over fears of the institutes priva48 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015
tization in the name of modernization, re-structuring of syllabus, upgradation and whether the highly
subsidized structure would be scrapped.
CHAUHANS CREDENTIALS
In the present case, the agitation is not so much
about Gajendra Chauhan per se, but about credentials. The students opposed Chauhan because of his
unimpressive body of work in contrast to, say,
highly respected directors such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Rajkumar Hirani, who would have
brought prestige to FTII with their stature.
The students fears were not unfounded and
were bound to raise an alarm, which is precisely
what happened. Rather than address these fears, the
Modi government and the BJP saw the FTII strike
as an act of indiscipline and went about dealing
with it sternly.
Bureaucrats began to build pressure by turning
the screw little-by-little. The agitating students were
told that they would face rustication; those overstaying in the hostel were identified and asked to
WONT FOLLOW THE

GOVERNMENT SCRIPT
(Left) FTII students
protest against the
high-handedness of
the government in
appointments at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi
(Below) Director
Prashant Pathrabe was
gheraoed by agitating
students on the
campus in Pune
Anil Shakya
vacate and employees on contract were asked to

leave as there was no work at the institute. I&B
officials also instructed Prashant Pathrabe, the new
director of FTII, to immediately undertake the
long-pending assessment of film projects of 50 students of the 2008 batch, even if the films were incomplete. The students protested, saying that the
projects were incomplete because of administrative
and infrastructural issues. In this, the students were
supported by the faculty. When Pathrabe refused
to budge, he was gheraoed by the students in his
cabin for about six hours, after which he called in
the police in consultation with I&B ministry officials. On August 19, four bouncers were deployed
by the FTII management for Pathrabes security.
This did not go down well with the students and
the faculty.
GOVT MISCALCULATION
The police action resulted in widespread, negative
reaction and the ministry hastily announced that a
three-member team would be sent to Pune to
assess the ground situation and submit

a report to resolve the crisis. The government clearly mis-calculated the fallout of the FTII crisis.
The government still has an opportunity to undertake corrections. The
institute needs to flourish in its liberal
environment and it needs real autonomy and transparency in its appointment procedures. One way out of this
mess is to establish a mutually acceptable panel of experts which would work out a compromise between the government and the students.
Even Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal would
have been acceptable in place of Gajendra Chauhan
because they have far higher cinematic merit, said
filmmaker and FTII alumnus Salil Desai. He felt
that the government had bungled badly by appointing Chauhan in the first place.
The government will succeed in destroying this
premier institute if it decides to run it with a heavy
hand and a hidden agenda.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Governance
Environment
Mumbais Coast Road
CHAIN OF HOPE
School children join
the protest against
the proposed Coast
Road in Mumbai on
August 14
Road to
Perdition?
A road proposed on
Mumbais western sea
front has kicked up
quite a storm. Despite
questions being
raised over the
ecological damage it
would cause, the
government has given
most of the
clearances
BY DARRYL DMONTE
HERE is a serious issue concerning

peoples right to know when it comes
to the controversial Coast Road, proposed on Mumbais western sea
front. It was mooted by the former
Congress chief minister Prithviraj
Chauhan, whose government was
voted out of power last October. But he couldnt get it off the
ground in his tenure. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) did appoint a committee to advice on the
road, the alignment of which was up on its website for several
months. Subsequently, the alignment was incorporated into
the 20-year Mumbai Development Plan (DP) from 20142034, but it was unceremoniously junked when experts and
SERVICE TO THE RICH

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is
useful mostly to those who
commute in cars
DIRE SITUATION
citizens pointed to gaping loopholes and inconsistencies in the document. This set the stage for a
new DP.
The 2005 Mumbai floods

occurred because there was
no outlet for rainwater
FAST CLEARANCES
It is illegal for an alignment approved by an official
committee to be reworked without a proper official authorization like a government resolution
(GR) for such a purpose. But the Shiv Sena-dominated BMC is obviously in a high comfort zone
with the BJP-led coalition state government, not
to mention compliant ministers in New Delhi like
Minister of Environment and Forests (MoEF)
Prakash Javadekar, who has given the road
VIEWS ON NEWS
Governance
Environment
Mumbais Coast Road
The Hindu
carried a long
Sunday
magazine
feature by its
Mumbai staffer,
highlighting
the human
predicament of
a fishing
village which
will be
truncated by
the road.
environmental clearances, and Minister of Road

Transport Nitin Gadkari who is gung-ho about
building highways. Gadkari was responsible for
construction of 55 flyovers in the city when he was
PWD minister in the BJP-Sena state government
in the mid-1990s.
True to form, about a year ago, the BMC
appointed STUP Consultants and Ernst & Young
to draft a new alignment as a Detailed Project
Report (DPR) for a fee of `8 crore. This was submitted early this year to the BMC, whichfor reasons best known to itselfsat on it till June when
it released an executive summary along with the
voluminous document. Citizens were given only
a month to send in their objections.
The report, to put it mildly, is a hotchpotch of
ill-digested raw data with sweeping conclusions,
including the contention that the road, for which
some 170 hectares are
going to be reclaimed
100-200 meters off the
coast, will have no environmental repercussions. Even the prose is
wonky, which makes
one wonder what an
international consultant like Ernst & Young
was doing co-authoring it?
It was difficult even
for public transport experts to wade through
the voluminous data,
with traffic projections
on the 35-km-long
route by the hour, projected for a score of
years. The report, like
the DP in another context, is also riddled with
errors. Ironically, the
mandatory environ-
mental impact assessment included in it, contradicts the thrust of the report by pointing to all the
environmental problems that reclamation will
cause to Mumbai. The city recently observed the
10th anniversary of the devastating July 2005
mega-flood, in which some 700 people perished
when 944 mm of rain fell over (mainly suburban)
Mumbai and its outskirts in some 12 hours. There
was no way for the rain to escape.
On July 27, the deadline for sending in objections, the BMC found that there were too few
unlike a few thousand in the case of the DPand
extended it till August 27. By August 10, it complained that it had only received some 400 objections, most of which were repetitive.
JUST A PRETENSE
Significantly, it said that these reiterations wouldnt
be taken into accountwhich gives a clear indication that it is dead-set on going ahead and is
only going through the motions of consulting
stakeholders. In the past, as in the case of the
iconic Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), which
forms a central section of the road, fisher folk
protested vociferously at the public hearing and
disrupted it, but the hearing was officially declared
as being held as required under the law.
In 2001, the Indian Peoples Tribunal on Environment and Human Rights held a proper public
hearing on the BWSL, in which this writer was a
commissioner. It gave an adverse report
(http://www.iptindia.org/wp-content/pdf/report/An-Enquiry-Into-The-Bandra-Worli-SeaLink-Project.pdf) on the `400-crore project which
eventually cost four times as much. It is used by
only 45,000 cars a day as against 1,20,000 estimated today, which means that the public is
subsidizing seven percent of car-owners or commuters using motorized transport to travel to
work, as will be the case with the Coast Road.
The belief that this is an eyewash is only reinforced by the fact that Javadekar has already provided most of the environmental clearances,
barring a few to do with the Coastal Zone Regulation law, which are in the pipeline. All this was
before throwing the plan open to public consultation. This is a complete travesty of the entire
process of governance, which requires people
affected by a project to be allowed to air their
grievances prior to the commencement of the
project in any manner.
To compound the confusion, the Maharashtra
government hasfollowing the recent visit of
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutteinvited
Dutch consultants, to Mumbai to advise on the
alignment and also explore the possibility of
incorporating a metro line along the route. At the
meet, Rutte and Dutch consultants reiterated that
in Holland, all stakeholders are consulted before
embarking on a project because, pragmatically,
this saves time and money.
FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS
Nothing of the kind is happening in Mumbai,
where there is a flagrant violation of governance
norms. Even well-informed citizens like Cyrus
Guzder, a businessman associated with the heritage conservation movement and the Bombay
Environmental Action Group, were in a quandary: how do they protest against a road project
without even knowing what its alignment is and
what it envisages by way of reclamation? This is a

fundamental deprivation of the right to information, especially when it concerns a project which
will change the face of the city irretrievably.
In the absence of public information, the
media has stepped up to the plate and been
consistently reporting the tortuous process of decision-making on this project. This writer himself
has written four articles, pointing to various deficiencies in the road plan (for example
http://www.thequint.com/india/2015/06/08/mu
mbai-coastal-road-rail-link-just-speaking-double-dutch). The Hindu carried a long Sunday magazine feature by its Mumbai staffer, highlighting
the human predicament of a fishing village which
will be truncated by the road (http://www.thehindu.com/sunday-anchor/the-long-road-toprogress/article7411612.ece).
The most detailed critique has come from two
young academics from Kamala Raheja College of
Architecture in the city, Hussain Indorewala and
Shweta Wagh. They have painstakinglyonce
again, in the absence of official information
plotted the alignment from the route provided in
the DP and, later, the DPR. Surprisingly, it has
fallen on citizens in the suburb of Bandra [disclosure: this writer is the President of the Bandra
West Residents Association which is
YES MINISTERS
(Above, L-R)
Environment Minister
Prakash Javadekar
and Road Transport
Minister Nitin Gadkari
are gung-ho about the
project
The city
recently
observed the
10th
anniversary
of the
devastating
July 2005
mega-flood,
in which some
700 people
perished.
VIEWS ON NEWS
Governance
Environment
Mumbais Coast Road
The project
will not only
deprive the
fishing
community of
their vista of
the ocean, but
their very
livelihood.
spearheading the protest] and other suburbs,

while the residents of south Mumbai, which features the posh areas of Nepean Sea and Warden
Roads, with Malabar and Cumballa Hills towering
above, seemingly somnolent.
In the article: Mumbais coastal road plan is a
welfare scheme for the well-to-do in Scroll.in in
April, the two writers say that the official position
is that a freeway would take away traffic from
internal roads, reduce Mumbais notorious congestion and cut down pollution levels, thus diminishing public health hazards.
The two further cite the official stand that the
coastal road would supply significant green
space to the city by reclaiming 160 hectares of
land from the sea. It would also beautify the citys
western edge by creating recreational spaces.
On the whole, the committees report
claimed, the freeway will result in a quantum
leap towards enhancing the quality of life of its
citizens. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge
of coastal cities knows this is a falsehood.
There has not been a single article in favour
of the project in the English media. Even the
Marathi press, after some initial disinterest, has
begun to awaken to the need to

expose the false claims of the
project. The popular daily, Sakal,
recently carried a double-page
centre-spread titled Marg Kuberacha which echoes the two
academics by terming it a road
for the rich.
On July 29, the same paper
carried a report titled Mumbaicha Coastal Road Samudracha
Jeev Ghenar, i.e. the road will
rob the sea of its life. There is a
symbiotic relationship of the
Marathi media and the fishing
community, who are already
seeking legal recourse against the
project which will not only deprive their community of their vista of the ocean,
but their very livelihood.
Postscript: On August 14, a day before Bandra residents were to hold a human chain after
hoisting the flag on two public promenades
maintained by residents associations, committee
members received repeated phone calls from the
local police station, the CID and even
Mantralaya (the state secretariat). The callers inquired about the nature of the protest and
whether the safety of school children taking part
in this entirely peaceful demonstration would be
jeopardized. Someone purporting to be from the
Anti-Terrorist Squad actually asked a convent to
desist from sending their children, which prevented 90 girls from protesting. The demonstration passed of peacefully, with some 500 children
in both locations, along with scores of residents
and fisher folk. At Carter Road, this writer publicly quoted chapter and verse from Article 19 of
the Constitution which guarantees both freedom
of expression and the right of peaceful assembly.
Even trade unions have the right of such assembly, let alone law-abiding citizens. Are these the
earliest signs of an illiberal government?
RNI No. UPENG/2007/22571
Postal Regd. No. UP/GBD-204/2015-17

3ULQWHGRQ HYHU\PRQWK 3RVWHGDW6XE3RVW2IFH6HFWRU1RLGD

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Governance Section

SEPTEMBER 07, 2015

Fooling the World

By Shantanu Guha Ray

FTII: MISSING THE

4 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015

appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, TV actor and BJP

syllabus, privatization fears and upgradation.

What needs examination is whether

Chief Editorial Advisor

Published by Prof Baldev Raj Gupta on behalf of EN Communications Pvt Ltd

6 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015

A parliamentary panel has

The present crisis in FTII has shown

A sharp fall in ad revenues has led to

A vibrant Coca-Cola ad for

Talk of the town

Controversial and colorful

DARRYL DMONTE writes on the

and reward the better performing ones. So, do expect

Aam Aadmis Entertainment

8 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015

Meri Awaaz Suno

THE BJP is making full use of

Our Money, Their

THE KEJRIWAL government in

THIS IS how the second para of page

One commits rape and then

Now that Bihar polls are

I have no views on @sanjivbhatt.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind

Will Rahul Gandhi be

To use a cricket analogy, in

10 VIEWS ON NEWS September 7, 2015

8 p.m. deadline for female Jamia

Sanjay Jha, Congress

Nitish Kumar, Bihar

DID YOU KNOW?

SMARTEN YOUR TALK

You may be successful and laughing your way to the

Party on!..Thats right!

Bated breath, NOT baited

Spit it out!........Say it!

De luxe, NOT deluxe

Not on your Nellie!................Definitely not!

Chivvy, NOT chivy/chevy

I dont mean maybe!...........I am serious! (not kidding!)

All right, NOT alright

Centenary 100 years

Pardon my French!..Forgive my bad language!

TYPES OF MEN & WOMEN

THANK YOU, SIR!

HIT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS?

Surprise, meaning to take

The vast amount of information

NE of the most iconic pictures of the Nepal earthquake

a stranger, and her brother hugged her protectively.

the Nepal earthquake and Indian anchors waxed

Here are 10 questions that you need to ask to decide the

Does the article have a logical structure?

Who is the author?

How good is the quality of writing?

What is the purpose of the write-up?