NL Hafta

He talks to Madhu Trehan about the state of the Indian judiciary - of which his book is an account - press freedom and even the Ayodhya dispute.Arun Shourie is a former cabinet minister, journalist, author, activist and an important voice in the public sphere. His 27th book, Anita Gets Bail, is an account of and commentary on the state of the Indian judiciary. In an interview with Newslaundry, Shourie speaks to Madhu Trehan about the issues the legal system is grappling with today.Commending the efforts of Niranjan Takle, the Caravan journalist who wrote about the possible tampering with evidence in the probe into Justice Loya’s murder case, Shourie expresses distress over the case.On the transfer of the judge appointed to hear the Sohrabuddin Sheikh murder case and absenteeism of main accused Amit Shah, BJP president, from the hearing despite being summoned, he remarks: “The Supreme Court does nothing! It is their own order being violated, but (the Supreme Court remains) asleep, not asleep but looking the other way.”He further mentions points about the legal proceedings in the Loya case. “After the story is published by Caravan, the Bombay advocates’ association immediately files a petition in the high court saying there should be an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the death,” he says, adding: “And suddenly, two unknown petitioners turn up in the Supreme Court and suddenly the Supreme Court says, ‘Noo… no... no..., we'll hear it. Nobody else will hear the case’.”Madhu asks Shourie whether the departure of Smriti Irani from the I&B ministry, and the new minister’s comment that he won’t control the media, is a positive sign. He replies with a wonderful couplet: “Qaidi ka mann behlane ko, darbaan badalte jaate hain.” (To keep the prisoner engaged, gatekeepers are often changed.)On the speculation of possible mistakes that led to Irani’s departure, he says, “After all, Smriti Irani could not be issuing those instructions (and) circulars without clearance (from the PMO).”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

उत्तरा प्रदेश के कैराना में होने वाला लोकसभा का उपचुनाव, एचडी कुमारस्वामी के शपथ ग्रहण समारोह में लगा विपक्षी नेताओं का मजमा, तमिलनाडु के तूतीकोरिन इलाके में वेदांता के स्टरलाइट कॉपर प्लांट में मजदूरों पर की गई पुलिस की फायरिंग, म्यामांर में रोहिंग्या सैल्वेशन आर्मी द्वारा की गई हिंदुओं की हत्या पर आई एमनेस्टी इंटरनेशन की रिपोर्ट और सूचना प्रसारण मंत्री राज्यवर्धन सिंह राठौर द्वारा शुरू किया गया फिटनेस संबंधी चैलेंज इस बार की चर्चा के मुख्य विषय रहे.चर्चा की विशिष्ट अतिथि रही राज्यसभा टीवी और एनडीटीवी की पूर्व एंकर और हिंद किसान चैनल की पत्रकार अमृता राय. साथ में न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के मैनेजिंग एडिटर रमन किरपाल, और न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री संवाददाता अमित भारद्वाज फोन पर कैराना से कार्यक्रम में जुड़े. कार्यक्रम का संचालन न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के कार्यकारी संपादक अतुल चौरसिया ने किया.तमिलनाडु के तूतीकोरिन में स्थित वेदांता की स्टरलाइट तांबा फैक्ट्री का विरोध कर रहे ग्रामीणों पर की गई पुलिस फायरिंग में 11 लोगों की मौत पर विस्तार से बात हुई. शुरुआत में अतुल चौरसिया ने कहा, “यह विवाद स्टरलाइट के विस्तार की कार्रवाई से बढ़ा. यहां पहले से ही सालाना चार लाख टन तांबे का शोधन हो रहा है जिसे बढ़ाकर सालाना आठ लाख टन करने की हरी झंडी सरकार ने दे दी थी. इस पर वहां के ग्रामीणों ने विरोध करना शुरू किया. ग्रामीणों का आरोप है कि तूतीकोरिन इलाके में की पूरी आबोहवा जहरीली हो चुकी है. सांस लेना भी दूभर है. दूसरी तरफ अंडरग्राउंड जल के सभी स्रोत भी बुरी तरह से प्रदूषित हो चुके हैं.”इस पर अमृता राय ने विस्तार से अपनी बात रखते हुए कहा, “सबसे पहले 1992-93 में यह कारखाना महाराष्ट्र के रत्नागिरी में लगाने की कोशिश हुई थी जिसका बड़े पैमाने पर विरोध हुआ. आखिरकार 1993 में मजबूरन इसे तमिलनाडु में लगाया गया. जिस इलाके में यह कारखाना लगा हुआ है वहां हवा से लेकर पानी तक सब कुछ प्रदूषित हो गया है. हमने पाया कि 1994 में ही इस इलाके से सटे खेतों में काम करने वाली महिलाएं बीमार होकर गिर गई थीं. न्यूज़मिनट की एक ख़बर में मैंने पढ़ा कि शुरुआत में इस फैक्ट्री को सालाना 70,000 हजार टन तांबा शोधन करने की अनुमति थी. लेकिन शुरू से ही इसमें निर्धारित सीमा से ज्यादा तांबे का शोधन होता रहा. अब इस इलाके में लोगों के बीमार होने, जल प्रदूषण के 25 से ज्यादा वाकए हो चुक हैं. टीवी पर एक रिपोर्ट में देखा कि एक आदमी के फेफड़े पूरी तरह से सूख गए हैं, एक छोटी बच्ची थी जिसके सिर से बाल उड़ गए थे. ये तो कुछेक घटनाएं थी जो हम जानते हैं. इस इलाके में इस तरह के अनगिनत पीड़ित होंगे.”वो आगे कहती हैं, “शुरुआत से ही इस कारखाने का बुरा अअसर लोगों के ऊपर दिखने लगा था, इसके बावजूद यह चलता रहा. बीच में 2013 में ऐसी भी स्थिति आई जब फैक्ट्री में रिसाव हुआ और बड़े पैमाने पर लोग बीमार हो गए, तब इस फैक्ट्री को बंद करना पड़ा था. लेकिन बाद में कानूनी दांवपेंच में उलझा कर इसे फिर से शुरू कर दिया गया. यह भी अपने आप में चिंताजनक है कि लोग वहां पिछले 100 दिनों से विरोध कर रहे थे. यहां मीडिया के ऊपर भी सवाल खड़े होते हैं. क्यों यह मुद्दा पहले चर्चा में नहीं आया.”रमन किरपाल ने पुलिस की कार्रवाई और सिस्टम के कामकाज पर रोशनी डाली. उन्होंने कहा, “वेदांता कंपनी किस-किस को चंदा देती है. इसमें भाजपा भी है, कांग्रेस भी है. इस तरह से यह एक पूरा नेक्सस बन जाता है. यह एक संगठित सिस्टम है जो कभी रुकता नहीं. दूसरी बात पुलिस रूल में साफ-साफ लिखा है कि उसे बहुत दर्लभ मौकों पर ही गोली चलानी है. वो भी हमेशा कमर के नीचे. फिर भी पुलिस नहीं मानी. आप कश्मीर में पैलेट गन का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, यहां क्यों नहीं कर सकते.”अपना एक संस्मरण सुनाते हुए रमन ने कहा, “1994 के मुजफ्फरनगर चौराहा हत्याकांड में आरोपी आईएएस अधिकारी को सीबीआई जांच से बचाने के लिए खुद मुलायम सिंह यादव ने अंड़गा लगाया और उसके खिलाफ जांच का आदेश नहीं दिया. हमारे देश का सिस्टम ही ऐसा है कि यहां एक हद से ज्यादा कुछ होता नहीं है.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Online media regulation has garnered significant attention in debates and discussions today, following an Information and Broadcasting Ministry order to form a 10-member committee “to frame and suggest a regulatory framework for online media/news portals including digital broadcasting and entertainment/infotainment sites and news/media aggregators”.

In the light of this contentious move, Medianama organised a discussion at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi. It hosted a panel consisting of media and law personalities - HR Venkatesh from International Centre for Journalists, Durga Raghunath, CEO of Indian Express Digital, Abhinandan Sekhri, Co-founder of Newslaundry, Siddharth Varadarajan, founder of The Wire and former editor-in-chief of The Hindu, along with Amba Kak, Tech and Legal policy fellow at Mozilla.

Online media regulation has garnered significant attention in debates and discussions today, following an Information and Broadcasting Ministry order to form a 10-member committee “to frame and suggest a regulatory framework for online media/news portals including digital broadcasting and entertainment/infotainment sites and news/media aggregators”.

In the light of this contentious move, Medianama organised a discussion at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi. It hosted a panel consisting of media and law personalities - HR Venkatesh from International Centre for Journalists, Durga Raghunath, CEO of Indian Express Digital, Abhinandan Sekhri, Co-founder of Newslaundry, Siddharth Varadarajan, founder of The Wire and former editor-in-chief of The Hindu, along with Amba Kak, Tech and Legal policy fellow at Mozilla.

Online media regulation has garnered significant attention in debates and discussions today, following an Information and Broadcasting Ministry order to form a 10-member committee “to frame and suggest a regulatory framework for online media/news portals including digital broadcasting and entertainment/infotainment sites and news/media aggregators”.In the light of this contentious move, Medianama organised a discussion at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi. It hosted a panel consisting of media and law personalities - HR Venkatesh from International Centre for Journalists, Durga Raghunath, CEO of Indian Express Digital, Abhinandan Sekhri, Co-founder of Newslaundry, Siddharth Varadarajan, founder of The Wire and former editor-in-chief of The Hindu, along with Amba Kak, Tech and Legal policy fellow at Mozilla.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s Awful and Awesome has Abhinandan and Rajyasree finally lavishing some praise on a film. There are a few trailers, an online series and a commercial to wrap up this episode, and Rajyasree talks about the “grandest wedding in town” as well.

Deadpool 2 replaces the otherwise promised review of High Jack (sorry listeners!) Directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool 2 is a superhero movie “for adults” that hit the cinemas this week.

Abhinandan says: “I was curious to see what is a superhero film for adults”. He feels it is “brilliantly written”. Rajyasree, while admiring Reynolds, talks about the quirkiness of Deadpool 2 which comes from the “cracks about superheroes” in the movie itself. Abhinandan adds that the “opening credits were hysterically funny”. Rajyasree “loved the music in Deadpool”, while Abhinandan recommends it and calls it a “most satisfying film”.

Next up, the trailer of Race 3 gets hysterical reception from Abhinandan and Rajyasree. Directed by Remo D'Souza, the movie will star Bobby Deol, among others. Rajyasree sounds almost petrified when she says, “Bobby Deol is back and he is bare-chested!” Abhinandan feels it is the “shittiest trailer… I hope they make Rs 20”.

Moving on “from the sublime to the ridiculous and back to the normal”, the trailer of Bohemian Rhapsody seems promising. The film is a biography of Queen singer Freddie Mercury and stars Rami Malek. Rajyasree says: “It’s amazing how much they’ve made him look like Freddie Mercury.” Abhinandan mentions, “Growing up, I have loved Queen’s music, but no I've not been a fan of Freddie Mercury… I was underwhelmed by the trailer”.

Another trailer that Rajyasree really likes is of Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero starring Anil Kapoor’s son, Harsh Vardhan Kapoor, who made his debut in Mirziya. It is a “vigilante drama” revolving around a group of boys “who keep seeing things happening around them” and finally decide to take the law into their own hands.

Abhinandan approves of the trailer and says “definitely makes you want to watch the film”. Rajyasree adds, “it does look like a cool film”. While she seems impressed by Harsh Vardhan, Abhinandan comments, “every time he opens his mouth, he says something so stupid… just pipe down ya”.

The trailer of Mowgli by Andy Serkis wins praise from both Abhinandan and Rajaysree. Abhinandan thinks “it was spectacular” while Rajyasree talks about Serkis' intention to make a dark version of The Jungle Book. Rajyasree adds that it's “spectacularly shot”. Abhinandan, however, talks about how The Jungle Book has “worked in every avatar of its making” and that Hollywood remakes on the original story could jeopardise this film.

Moving on to what’s new on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why (Season 2) has been aired. The show revolves around Hannah Baker who commits suicide because she is bullied in school. Rajyasree informs us that it is a “very popular show, based on a book by Jay Asher”.

The great "Royal Wedding" of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caught Rajyasree’s attention over the weekend. She says: “More than 29 million Americans tuned in to watch them getting married”. She also joked about the large number of security personnel present at the wedding. “If a terrorist attack had happened, they would have been able to get rid of half of the British entertainment industry and Oprah Winfrey and the others,” she adds.

Finally, a “spectacular commercial” called “Who stole the cup” concludes the agenda of the day. Rajaysree says “it’s a UK production” starring the legends of football. The ad is about a betting site, which Rajyasree could not figure out. Abhinandan asks her: “You didn’t know about the product watching the ad, does that mean it’s a good ad or a shit ad?”

All this and much more. Listen up.

This week’s Awful and Awesome has Abhinandan and Rajyasree finally lavishing some praise on a film. There are a few trailers, an online series and a commercial to wrap up this episode, and Rajyasree talks about the “grandest wedding in town” as well.

Deadpool 2 replaces the otherwise promised review of High Jack (sorry listeners!) Directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool 2 is a superhero movie “for adults” that hit the cinemas this week.

Abhinandan says: “I was curious to see what is a superhero film for adults”. He feels it is “brilliantly written”. Rajyasree, while admiring Reynolds, talks about the quirkiness of Deadpool 2 which comes from the “cracks about superheroes” in the movie itself. Abhinandan adds that the “opening credits were hysterically funny”. Rajyasree “loved the music in Deadpool”, while Abhinandan recommends it and calls it a “most satisfying film”.

Next up, the trailer of Race 3 gets hysterical reception from Abhinandan and Rajyasree. Directed by Remo D'Souza, the movie will star Bobby Deol, among others. Rajyasree sounds almost petrified when she says, “Bobby Deol is back and he is bare-chested!” Abhinandan feels it is the “shittiest trailer… I hope they make Rs 20”.

Moving on “from the sublime to the ridiculous and back to the normal”, the trailer of Bohemian Rhapsody seems promising. The film is a biography of Queen singer Freddie Mercury and stars Rami Malek. Rajyasree says: “It’s amazing how much they’ve made him look like Freddie Mercury.” Abhinandan mentions, “Growing up, I have loved Queen’s music, but no I've not been a fan of Freddie Mercury… I was underwhelmed by the trailer”.

Another trailer that Rajyasree really likes is of Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero starring Anil Kapoor’s son, Harsh Vardhan Kapoor, who made his debut in Mirziya. It is a “vigilante drama” revolving around a group of boys “who keep seeing things happening around them” and finally decide to take the law into their own hands.

Abhinandan approves of the trailer and says “definitely makes you want to watch the film”. Rajyasree adds, “it does look like a cool film”. While she seems impressed by Harsh Vardhan, Abhinandan comments, “every time he opens his mouth, he says something so stupid… just pipe down ya”.

The trailer of Mowgli by Andy Serkis wins praise from both Abhinandan and Rajaysree. Abhinandan thinks “it was spectacular” while Rajyasree talks about Serkis' intention to make a dark version of The Jungle Book. Rajyasree adds that it's “spectacularly shot”. Abhinandan, however, talks about how The Jungle Book has “worked in every avatar of its making” and that Hollywood remakes on the original story could jeopardise this film.

Moving on to what’s new on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why (Season 2) has been aired. The show revolves around Hannah Baker who commits suicide because she is bullied in school. Rajyasree informs us that it is a “very popular show, based on a book by Jay Asher”.

The great "Royal Wedding" of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caught Rajyasree’s attention over the weekend. She says: “More than 29 million Americans tuned in to watch them getting married”. She also joked about the large number of security personnel present at the wedding. “If a terrorist attack had happened, they would have been able to get rid of half of the British entertainment industry and Oprah Winfrey and the others,” she adds.

Finally, a “spectacular commercial” called “Who stole the cup” concludes the agenda of the day. Rajaysree says “it’s a UK production” starring the legends of football. The ad is about a betting site, which Rajyasree could not figure out. Abhinandan asks her: “You didn’t know about the product watching the ad, does that mean it’s a good ad or a shit ad?”

All this and much more. Listen up.

On this week's Reporters Without Orders, Cherry is joined by Rohin and Amit, the latter has just returned from Karnataka. Also, on the panel is NDTV's Shruti Menon.

The podcast kicks off with some good news. A Newslaundry report on the Cauvery dispute authored by TR Vivek has won Mumbai Press Club's prestigious RedInk Award in the Environment category.

The discussion begins with Cherry questioning media’s obsession with Karnataka elections. She asks, “Not all state elections get as much attention. What do you think was different this time?”

Shruti answers, “What was different this time was the way the elections panned out. It demanded the kind of attention and coverage it was given.”

Nevertheless, Shruti points out that various news events got overshadowed by the election coverage.  She says, “One of them, of course, was the Varanasi flyover collapse.”

“It did not get wall-to-wall coverage. One of the reasons for that was it happened on the day of the counting.” Explaining the lapse, Shruti says, “Even after the counting day was over, there were no follow-ups for what happened in Varanasi.”

Amit disagrees with the argument that some of the state elections don’t get as much attention. He says, “Every election post-2014 has gotten an equal amount of coverage in news media.” BJP's electoral juggernaut is one of the reasons behind this, he says. “It’s also because of the kind of electoral juggernaut that BJP is running in the country," Amit says in reference to media's post-2014 election coverage.

Adding to the discussion, Rohin points out the manner in which Uttar Pradesh's 2017 civil polls was covered by media. He says, “It was being shown to the audience in Delhi. It’s importance was projected to such an extent as if the elections were being held at a national level.” He adds, “And TV news journalists were making the analysis of its probable effects on the 2019 (general) elections.”

Amit and Shruti recall their experience of dealing with ‘planted stories’ while they were on the ground covering Karnataka elections. Shruti says, “It’s very easy to fall for a plant because it is very alluring.” She adds, “As a reporter what you need do is to constantly try and check whether the kind of information you’re getting is credible or not.”

Amit says that it is also about how long the reporter can hold out. “It’s also about at what point of time you fall for it or at what point of time you can hold your nerve.”

Rohin talks about the dramatic increase in fuel prices -- a news piece that has received less coverage. Rohin gives a thorough breakdown of petrol's MRP if it’s brought under the GST tax slab. Doing so could reduce petrol's MRP substantially, he adds. Rohin also points out multiple reasons why rising fuel prices call for a serious discussion.

Amit speaks about the march of Aam Aadmi Party leaders to LG’s office over CCTV project fiasco which found no space in national media. Amit says, “On a regular news day when  you don’t have elections, I think this is the news for the entire country!” He adds, “Aam Aadmi Party is the best selling material.”

Cherry mentions two news stories that found limited mention in the mainstream media. This includes the layoff of 34 people at ABP Ltd, reported in a brief by The Hoot. She also highlights the dissonance in media coverage between United States’ embassy shift from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the protests by Palestinians during which nearly 60 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire at them.

Shruti speaks about another international story that did not receive any coverage -- ‘The Royal Wedding’. Shruti says, “Mainstream media could not pick it up because it was the exact moment when Yeddyurappa resigned.”

On this week's Reporters Without Orders, Cherry is joined by Rohin and Amit, the latter has just returned from Karnataka. Also, on the panel is NDTV's Shruti Menon.

The podcast kicks off with some good news. A Newslaundry report on the Cauvery dispute authored by TR Vivek has won Mumbai Press Club's prestigious RedInk Award in the Environment category.

The discussion begins with Cherry questioning media’s obsession with Karnataka elections. She asks, “Not all state elections get as much attention. What do you think was different this time?”

Shruti answers, “What was different this time was the way the elections panned out. It demanded the kind of attention and coverage it was given.”

Nevertheless, Shruti points out that various news events got overshadowed by the election coverage.  She says, “One of them, of course, was the Varanasi flyover collapse.”

“It did not get wall-to-wall coverage. One of the reasons for that was it happened on the day of the counting.” Explaining the lapse, Shruti says, “Even after the counting day was over, there were no follow-ups for what happened in Varanasi.”

Amit disagrees with the argument that some of the state elections don’t get as much attention. He says, “Every election post-2014 has gotten an equal amount of coverage in news media.” BJP's electoral juggernaut is one of the reasons behind this, he says. “It’s also because of the kind of electoral juggernaut that BJP is running in the country," Amit says in reference to media's post-2014 election coverage.

Adding to the discussion, Rohin points out the manner in which Uttar Pradesh's 2017 civil polls was covered by media. He says, “It was being shown to the audience in Delhi. It’s importance was projected to such an extent as if the elections were being held at a national level.” He adds, “And TV news journalists were making the analysis of its probable effects on the 2019 (general) elections.”

Amit and Shruti recall their experience of dealing with ‘planted stories’ while they were on the ground covering Karnataka elections. Shruti says, “It’s very easy to fall for a plant because it is very alluring.” She adds, “As a reporter what you need do is to constantly try and check whether the kind of information you’re getting is credible or not.”

Amit says that it is also about how long the reporter can hold out. “It’s also about at what point of time you fall for it or at what point of time you can hold your nerve.”

Rohin talks about the dramatic increase in fuel prices -- a news piece that has received less coverage. Rohin gives a thorough breakdown of petrol's MRP if it’s brought under the GST tax slab. Doing so could reduce petrol's MRP substantially, he adds. Rohin also points out multiple reasons why rising fuel prices call for a serious discussion.

Amit speaks about the march of Aam Aadmi Party leaders to LG’s office over CCTV project fiasco which found no space in national media. Amit says, “On a regular news day when  you don’t have elections, I think this is the news for the entire country!” He adds, “Aam Aadmi Party is the best selling material.”

Cherry mentions two news stories that found limited mention in the mainstream media. This includes the layoff of 34 people at ABP Ltd, reported in a brief by The Hoot. She also highlights the dissonance in media coverage between United States’ embassy shift from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the protests by Palestinians during which nearly 60 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire at them.

Shruti speaks about another international story that did not receive any coverage -- ‘The Royal Wedding’. Shruti says, “Mainstream media could not pick it up because it was the exact moment when Yeddyurappa resigned.”