In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls across the country, and the controversies surrounding it. The hosts are joined by activist and psephologist Yogendra Yadav. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss two High Court orders–from Kerala and Karnataka– that quash FIRs in sexual harassment cases. They are joined by former lawyer and journalist Sukanya Shaji.

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The Shady Business of Stolen Footage: Support the report fund

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Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introduction 

00:01:44 - CCTV Series 

00:02:47 - Headlines 

00:08:45 - Support Newslaundry 

00:09:45 - Headlines

00:15:12 - Yogendra Yadav on SIR  

00:54:55- Bumble & Ranjith Cases

01:15:38- Recommendations 

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the hijab controversy in Kerala, and whether it is a question of faith or the right to education. The hosts are joined by senior journalist Shahina KK and TNM’s Executive Editor Sudipto Mondal. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss the newly announced Google data centre in Visakhapatnam, whether it is viable for the state, and the row between Karnataka and Andhra ministers over it. The hosts are joined by Indulekha Aravind, a senior journalist who primarily writes on business.

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Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introduction 

00:01:04: Diwali Offer

00:01:52 - RSF Press Freedom Nomination

00:05:05 - Headlines 

00:19:00 - Kerala Hijab row  

00:58:10- Karnataka-Andhra Spat

01:15:27- Recommendations 

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Dashwanth, convicted and sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Tamil Nadu. They are joined by Azeefa Fathima, TNM’s head of Breaking News. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss the RSS’s centenary year and the outfit’s presence in the southern states. They are joined by historian and author V Geetha, and TNM’s Executive Editor Sudipto Mondal.

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Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introduction 

00:01:35: Diwali Offer

00:02:48 - Headlines 

00:12:18 - Dashwanth Case  

00:43:38- RSS in south India

01:24:05- Recommendations 

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss whether the attack on the Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, is more than what just meets the eye. Justice Gavai is the second Dalit CJI of India. The hosts are joined by Ajoy Ashirwad, Political Affairs Editor, The Wire, and veteran journalist K Venkataramanan. In the second part of the session, the hosts and guests discuss the power of cults in politics and the power of fans when stars become politicians.

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Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introduction 

00:02:42 - Headlines 

00:13:56 - CJI Gavai Attack  

00:43:02- Power of Cults in Politics

01:09:21 - Recommendations 

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

This week, The News Minute's Dhanya Rajendran and Sudipto Mondal, and Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande áre joined by senior journalist Josy Joseph for a special and South Central and Hafta crossover episode on the future of media.

Josy begins the discussion by arguing that the decline of newspapers and television is accelerating, not only due to technology, but also because of a compromised business model. He points out that while balance sheets are “artificially protected” through government and corporate advertising, the reality is stark.

Dhanya shares hard lessons on what audiences pay for. While issues like climate change receive constant calls for coverage, they draw little financial support. “Everybody’s always asking why you guys are not reporting on the environment… but that is one fund people hardly pay,” she says. 

Manisha adds that the future role of journalism lies in helping audiences think critically in an “age of reels and feels.” 

“While others can trigger emotions, journalists can provide context, history, and perspective,” she says. 

On the replacement for legacy media, Josy says, “What you people are doing at The News Minute and Newslaundry, to me, is a great laboratory of experiment. You are actually bringing journalism back as the intellectual property for which people should pay,” he says. 

Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:12:26 – Headlines 

00:37:42 -  Discussion on the future of media 

01:28:17 - Recommendations

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Produced by Priyali Dhingra (Newslaundry), Bhuvan Malik (TNM), with production assistance by Ajay.

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the controversy in Karnataka over the socio-educational survey, wrongly called the caste census. The hosts are joined by guests Anisha Sheth, TNM’s Karnataka Bureau Chief, and Shivasundar, writer and activist. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss whether the price of movie tickets should be capped to make them affordable for common people. They are joined by film producer, writer, and director G Dhananjayan.

Reporting Fund: The Shady Business of Stolen Footage

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Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introduction 

00:01:24 - Reporting Fund 

00:03:30 - Headlines 

00:17:26 - Socio-Education Survey 

00:44:29- Cap on Movie tickets

01:04:31 - Recommendations

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the safety of Indians abroad in the context of a surge in anti-immigration sentiments across Ireland, US, UK and more. 

Joining them are guests Joyojeet Pal and Bharathy Singaravel. The second part of the discussion is on two court orders– one, on Reliance Vantara, which says no further complaints will be entertained against the Ambanis’ enterprise. The second is an ex parte injunction in favour of the Adani group, allowing them to add any number of URLs to be taken down–YouTube, Instagram, and others, including an episode of South Central. Investigative journalist Saurav Das joins the hosts. 

Reporting Fund: India's Hidden Digital Exploitation

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Audio Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introduction 

00:00:43 - Support TNM 

00:03:36 - Headlines 

00:09:05 - Are Indians safe abroad? 

00:50:45 - Freedom of press at stake? 

1:14:36 - Recommendations

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the long legal process endured by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others who have been in prison without trial. The hosts are joined by lawyer and activist Shahrukh Alam and Poorna Ravishankar, lawyer and researcher whose focus area of study has been the Indian Constitution.

In the second part of the discussion, the hosts discuss how political leaders in the South are navigating the thin line between secularism and faith. They are joined by Dr Meera Velayudhan, a writer, policy analyst, activist, feminist scholar, and former president of IAWS. She is the daughter of Dakshayani Velayudhan, the youngest and only Dalit member of the Constituent Assembly.

Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Introductions

00:03:03 - Media Rumble

00:04:47- Headlines

00:09:58 - UAPA: Umar Khalid and Sharjeel 

00:46:50- Southern CMs and Secularism 

 1:20:43 - Recommendations 

Once a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to [email protected] 

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Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali and written by Sukanya Shaji.

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

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss K Kavitha’s resignation from the BRS and what it reveals about power, patriarchy, and BC mobilisation in Telangana, set against the Kaleshwaram probe and the CBI-consent twist. They are joined by Tara Krishnaswamy, Political and Policy Consultant, and C Vanaja, Senior Journalist & Founder, Mahua Media, to unpack the family dynamics, the party calculus, and what Kavitha does next.

In the second part, the panel turns to the new GST regime, where federalism is at the heart of the debate. While consumers see gains from simplified taxation and lower rates, many states flag mounting revenue losses and shrinking fiscal space. 

Audio Timecodes 

00:00:00- Announcement

00:01:28 - Gauri Lankesh 

00:04:41- Headlines

00:10:13 - Kavitha’s BRS Exit 

00:45:40- New GST Regime 

 01:05:47 - Letters 

1:07:25 - Recommendations 

Remembering Gauri Lankesh: Impunity in journalist killings in India 

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali.

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