Views On News 07 October 2015

Governance Section
VIEWS ON NEWS
THE POLITICS
OF MEAT 48
GUJARAT HARVESTS
THE SUN 53
www.viewsonnewsonline.com
THE CRITICAL EYE
OCTOBER 7, 2015
ALL THE
WORLDS
A JOURNALIST
es ,ed
Sundeep
Khanna:
Newspapers
dying?
36
Shobha John:
Trump
blazing
on TV
32
`50
Politicians and public

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]^YZ[gdbi]ZhdX^VabZY^V
By Ajith Pillai
12
Bikram Vohra:
Who blacked
out the OROP
vets?
24
TMM Survey:
Women as
commodities
44
EDITORS NOTE
DIMINISHING RETURNS
IT IS BECOMING evident that the more the hype created by media spin doctors to embellish the image of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the more it produces
diminishing returns. Huge pledges made in the heat
of oratorical flourishesas is the PMs styleproduce proportional criticism when they remain
unredeemed.
A recent story in Mint said that Modis approval
rating a year after he took office had risen to 87 percent. This is remarkable for any world leaderpossibly a record. But, instead of being impressed by this
statistic, observers were cynical about the findings of
this Pew survey because it did not seem to match
ground realities based on the performance of his government or street corner opinions.
Actually, when you look deeper into
that survey you find: Distrust (against
Modi) remains perhaps in part because
incidents of communal violence were
up by nearly a quarter in the first five
months of 2015 under BJP rule,
compared with a comparable period in
2014 when a Congress-led government
was in power. Modis lowest approval
on domestic issues, the paper said,
comes in his management of communal relationsthe day-to-day interactions between the Hindus and minority
Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, and Christians
as well as the relationship between various castes in the country.
This is a very damaging finding which is completely out of sync with the 87
percent approval boast. It is precisely
because Modis spin doctors choose to
4 VIEWS ON NEWS October 7, 2015
project and play up a figure so glaringly at odds with

other facts that a credibility gap has begun to hurt
Modis image.
It is true that all politicians promise the moon and
fall short. But it appears that in Modis case, the rhetoric of candidate Modi and Prime Minister Modi, supported by massive PR blitzkriegs raised expectations
beyond realistic thresholds.
The more sweeping the rhetoric, the deeper the
resentments and disappointments when there is such
a mismatch between promise and performance. Take
for example, Modis latest visit to his constituency,
Varanasi. Candidate Modi, a proud tea vendor who
boasted of his humble origins, his hatred for Indias
VIP culture and had won the hearts of Kashis residents, returned there as Prime Minister Modi.
In attendance were 13 ASPs, 23 DSPs, 500 subinspectors, 3,500 constables including women, 18
companies of PAC and central paramilitary forces;
anti-sabotage and bomb disposal squads had been
provided to the district to deploy with locally available
force. The commandos of the anti-terror squad and
intelligence wing cops had also been pressed into
service. Varanasi had been converted into a fortress.
The ordinary people of Kashi were not impressed.
They remembered the promises he had made to their
neglected and garbage-strewn citypower, ferries,
a new centre for weavers. As the Huffington Post recently observed: After all, he said in his campaign
that a divine calling, no less, had drawn him to VaranasiMain aaya nahin hoon. Mujhe Maa Ganga ne
bulaya hai (I havent just come. I have been called by
Mother Ganges herself). Much like the swell of the
Ganges in the monsoon, expectations rose in this notoriously chaotic city. With the assembly elections in
Uttar Pradesh (Indias largest state by numbers) due

in 2017, the BJP and Modi must realise that the road
to Lucknow is via Varanasi.
How much did the blazing rhetoric actually translate into work on the ground? At best, continued the
post: progress has been slow. The disappointment
among the voters and residents of Varanasi is slowly
rising and no amount of talk is going to bring acche
din hereonly work on the ground will. Assi Ghat
may have improved somewhat, but if it takes three
visits of the PM (spade in hand) to better one ghat,
we are in for a very long ride as there are at least 84
ghats in Varanasi.
This is a sad home truth to which the PMs spin
doctors should awaken. Take another glaring mismatch between bitter truth and blazing rhetoric: The
Times of India reported that in a wake-up call for the
centre the Swachh Bharat campaign launched by the
PM on October 2 last year with massive pomp and
ceremony and media glare was considered a flop
in cities by 71 percent of those who participated in a
recent survey.
In another blow to his common man image, PM
Modi had to apologize to the residents of Chandigarh
after his first visit because security arrangements paralyzed the city shutting down even the crematoria.
Modis rally in Bhagalpur, probably the last before the
Bihar elections, may have attracted huge crowds, but
a key constituency which had voted for his party
the weavers of the silk city (the BJPs only Muslim
votebank)were left sorely disappointed because,
Modis proudest moments have been

the rock star receptions he received
abroad from overseas Indians. Even
this is threatened by protests planned
by non-resident Gujarati Patels.
once again, he announced no special package for
them despite tall electoral promises. Shortage of silk
yarn is forcing them to buy smuggled Chinese silk!
What a blow to the Make In India program.
His promises and the dreams woven for the public
by his publicists have come back today to haunt his
government, the most prominent among them the
pledge he made on OROP to Indias military veterans.
Narendra Modis proudest moments have been the
overwhelming rock star receptions he has received
abroad from overseas Indians. Today, even this last
bastion of invincibility seems threatened by protests
being planned against his government by non-resident Gujarati Patels.
Inflation, regular government statistics and pronouncements notwithstanding, isnt coming down at
the ground level, unemployment remains largely
unaddressed, capital investments in new plants and
expansion are zero, FDI is faltering and Dengue is
spreading.
It is time for a reality check.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 5
VOLUME. IX
ISSUE. 01
Editor
Rajshri Rai
Managing Editor
Ramesh Menon
Deputy Managing Editor
Shobha John
Executive Editor
Ajith Pillai
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
Everyones a Journo
12
The mobile camera has made everyone an instant journalist. And those most
vulnerable are politicians with their foot-in-the mouth disease and public
servants, writes AJITH PILLAI
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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FOCUS
Muzzling Dissent
18
ABHAY VAIDYA wants to know why media baron Subhash Chandra

is asking for a law to control the press
NEW MEDIA
Let Down by the Media
24
BIKRAM VOHRA describes how effectively ex-servicemen reached out to

people via social media after the mainstream press blacked out their agitation
T E N T S
EDITORS PICK
Popularity of
Print Media
36
With 45 percent of adults reading

print newspapers, reports of their
demise seem vastly exaggerated,
writes SUNDEEP KHANNA
MEDIA MONITORING
ADVERTISING
App-vertising Smartly
The use of mobiles has changed
the way advertisers woo
consumers, reports MR DUA
ANCHOR REVIEW
Americas Favorite?
29
Women Still in
Poor Light
44
MEAT BAN
48
Politics of Meat
The banning of meat in various

states to honor Jain sentiments
is more than just about
honoring religious
sentiment, writes G MOORTHY
A TMM survey of four TV channels

shows that commodification of
women is rampant in advertising
GUJARAT
32
CNNs Chris Cuomos assessment of

tycoon Donald Trump, in the race for
US presidentship, is worth a second
look, observes SHOBHA JOHN
Governance
Sun to the Rescue
R E G U L A R S
53
In a new initiative, Gujarat will

reduce its dependence on
fossil fuels and rope in farmers
to tap solar energy, observes
KAUSHIK JOSHI
Edit..................................................04
Grapevine........................................08
Quotes........................................10
Media-Go-Round............................11
As the World Turns.........................17
Web-Crawler....................................23
Vonderful-English....................39
Breaking News................................40
Design............................................42
Cover design: Anthony Lawrence
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 7
Grapevine
Gogois Friend
ACTOR RAKHI Sawant
has caused a strange
headache for Assam
Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi. She recently announced that the CM is
a good friend of mine,
and the nice man that
he is, Gogoi has invited
her to Guwahati for Bihu.
She added she was planning to wear SadarMekhla for him and also
do Bihu for him! Going
red in the face, Gogoi is

asking: Who is she? I
dont know her. With
such claims, I would have
to give an
explanation to my wife as well.
But with Assam elections
coming next year, his associates like Himanta
Biswa Sarma deserting
him, and Rakhi planning
the role of the infamous
Assamese Indrani Mukerjea in an upcoming
film, Tarun Gogoi can
certainly do without such
friendships.
Talk Till The Call Drops

RIGHT FROM the PM to the
tea-seller, everybody is upset
about calls getting disconnected mid-conversation. The
telecom minister has been
pulled-up and is giving statements day and night about
why it should not be happening. But Delhiites must brace
themselves for the worse, as
the MCD is expected to seal
many mobile towers. The
Delhi civic agency is cracking
down on mobile cell towers
Foot-in-the-Mouth General
MINISTER OF State for External
Affairs General VK Singh is at his
caustic best again. One would have
thought that he had given up
calling media persons
presstitutes. However, a
dig at him by The Indian Express
made the general retaliate:
Thought, departure of presstitute-in-chief from IE will make it
better. Todays edition proves basic
traits cannot change. What a
shame! Dear Ps (presstitutes) at

IE I do not have a favourite
publisher and Hindi Samelan
was not for publishers but to
discuss future for Hindi. Singh
stirred a hornets nest, when he
claimed at the Vishwa
Hindi Sammelan, organized
by the MEA, that authors
usually attended it to eat
and drink. Army discipline
forgotten, General?
which violate telecom

permission norms and has
already sealed about 266
towers in the last two months.
Meanwhile, TRAI has
announced a 15-day deadline
for fixing the problem, rejecting the argument of inadequate spectrum. The option of
setting up towers atop government building, is not acceptable to security agencies. Amid
this tug of war, theres a rush
for the window seats at
homes and in offices where
reception would be good.
Secrets of Selling Tea

TEA-SELLING could soon become
the most coveted professions in the
country. Not only has it given us our
PM, but fresh dimensions of the profession are coming to light every now
and then. A new facet was revealed at
the World Hindi Conference in
Bhopal when the Prime Minister
shared yet another of his tea-selling
anecdotes. He said people wonder
how he, being a Gujarati, speaks such
fluent Hindi. The secret is, he learnt it
while selling tea.
Culture War
IN THE process of cleansing India of
western influences, Union Culture
Minister Mahesh Sharma seems to be
preparing the ground for a culture war.
The Obama Effect

THE EFFECT of being up-close and
personal with Obama does make one
do strange things. No, we are not
talking about a blue pin-striped suit
with a name printed all over. Its
about MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
who still uses the photo of the USs
first couple with him as his profile
picture in social media. The photograph dates to Obamas India visit in
January this year. In the photograph,
the Obamas can be seen towering
over him and he is seen craning his
So do only Hindi speakers drink

tea or are they the only ones to buy
tea at railway stations? Or do they
buy and drink tea and the rest make it
themselves?
His candid views on meat ban and

learning Hindi and Sanskrit are wellknown. He is now working with Union
HRD Minister Smriti Irani to incorporate Ramayana and Mahabharata in
schools. But what takes the cake is his
statement that the government will decide on extending the meat ban to the
nine days of the Navratri festival. Coincidently, this also is the time of Durga
Puja, celebrated across eastern India
with gusto. Will the ban go down well
with Bengalis, who cant do without
non-vegetarian platters during Durga
Puja? Sharma should confirm this with
the HRD minister, who has deeply
entrenched Bengali roots.
neck backward doing a customary
handshake on the lawns of Rashtrapati lawns. Other ex-MPs and ministers too have similar photos.
Class on Indian Culture

DINANATH BATRA, famous
for his advice to students on how
to hold birthday parties, pontificating on what food to eat, promoting the idea of Akhand
Bharat, is back on the scene.
Batra had got Penguin Publishers
to destroy all copies of The Hindus: An Alternative History. He
has now officially arrived on the
countrys education scene. Text
books written by him are compulsory in Guajarat, and he formally
shapes education policies in MP
and Haryana. Recently, he made a
presentation to HRD Minister
Smriti Irani at the RSS-BJP coordination meet wherein he gave inputs for the New Education Policy
proposed by the NDA government. Irani, who till recently
claimed to have never even met
Batra, must have got heavy dose
of Bharatiya Sanskriti to work on.
Water Ban?
ONE CAN survive a meat ban.
But what if water is banned every
second day? Shiv Sena corporator
from Mumbai, Ramakant Rahate,
suggested at a Civic Standing
Committee meeting that the BMC
should look at an action plan of
providing water only on alternate
days to South Mumbai that is
grappling with a severe water crisis
due to a weak monsoon and
dipping lake levels. But with the
kind of high-profile inhabitants in
South Mumbai, this idea might
not have too many takers. Smart
cities without water, huh?
Compiled by Roshni Seth

Illustrations: UdayShankar
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 9
U O T E S
When bits of your personal

life become a part of breaking
news; when your life is
caricatured into a few lines of
half-truths and paraphrased
analyses, you watch in
helplessness and achieve a
state of icy silence. Of
wordlessness.
Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, in
her latest book, Leaves from Lahore
Aroon Purie, Chairman

and Editor-in-Chief,
India Today Group
MP has many problems but food

shortage is not one. So what explains
malnutrition? Need protein-rich food,
veg or not.
Indrani Bagchi,
Diplomatic Editor,
Times of India
Why should we go to Supreme Court

for opinion on meat ban? Why can't
governments work keeping common
sense and Indian constitution in mind?
Personally, I find that the

media is more sensitive to
womens issues in India as
compared to abroad.
Neelesh Misra, Founder,

Gaon Connection
At any given time, more people are
dying of "unsexy" unfancied diseases
than the diseases the media decides to
start talking about.
Union Minister for Women and

Child Development Maneka Gandhi,
answering a question during
a Facebook Q&A session
Shahid Siddiqui,
journalist
Extremists make for very

good copy and I guess thats
why the media loves them.
AR Rehman is above religion or region.

He is an international icon. Music
knows no boundaries. Fatwa against
him is a publicity stunt. Condemn it.
Amish Tripathi, author
Sonam Kapoor, actor

Have an opinion whether its good bad
or ugly. Let no one silence your voice.
Have the courage to stand up for what
you think is right!
You wont die if you

dont eat onions for
a few days.
Rajasthan Agriculture
Minister Prabhu Lal Saini
on rising onion prices
Rana Ayyub, journalist

Truly hope that the RSS finds a fitting
replacement for Mahesh Rangarajan
as Nehru Memorial chief. Someone the
calibre of Gajendra Chauhan.
EDIA-GO-ROUND
AIBs newsy avatar

COMEDY COLLECTIVE AIB is all
set to launch a news comedy series in October. Titled On AIR
with AIB, the show will be aired
on Star Network. The 20
episodes will first be aired on
Stars online portal, Hotstar and
then on Star World and Star Plus.
The show will be on the lines of
famous American news satirical
series Last Week Tonight with
John Oliver and The Daily Show

with Jon Stewart. Super excited
to announce our latest project.
Our most ambitious one yet, AIB
tweeted, along with a threeminute funny video that explained
the concept of the show. The
four-member group earlier this
year hit the headlines for conducting an expletive-laced show,
AIB Roast.
Sun Group bags contract
GSTV faces the heat
for 3 FM channels
for taking a dig at Modi
DIGITAL RADIO Broadcasting Ltd, a company associated with the Sun Group,
has bagged three radio
channels. The company got
last-minute permission from
the Delhi High Court to take
part in FM Phase 3 auction.
Earlier, the Ministry of I&B
had refused it permission
on the ground that it had
been denied security clearance by the Ministry of
Home Affairs. The Digital
Radio Broadcasting Ltd,
which runs Red FM in
Delhi and Mumbai, bagged radio channels in Mumbai, Jodhpur
and Srinagar each. The rights for an FM channel in Delhi has
been bagged by HT Media Ltd, with the highest-ever bid of
`169.16 crore.
AFTER TAMIL channel Sathiyam

was served a show cause
notice in May this year for
allegedly insulting Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, its
now the turn of a Gujarati
channel to face the music. GSTV
has been served a notice for a
deliberate attempt to malign the
reputation of a leader in a program titled Gandhi Hatya Koni
Jawabdari? (Who is responsible
for Gandhis death?), reports
The Economic Times. The
program was telecast

on January 30. It asked why the
government was not stopping
the glorification of Gandhis
killer Nathuram Godse. It also
said that Gandhis thought cannot be taken forward by wearing
expensive suits or by waving
brooms in air, an alleged reference to Modi. GSTV denied having violated any code and said
the show cause notice overlooked their right to free speech
and expression.
Zee journo wins sacking case

THE BOMBAY High Court has ruled in favor
of a woman journalist associated with Zee
News, who had claimed that she was wrongfully dismissed by the news channel during
her pregnancy, a report in The Hoot says. The
judgment was passed by Justice NM Jamdar.
The journalist had challenged the termination
of her services in 2012, and both the Labour
Court, Mumbai and the Industrial Court,
Mumbai, had ruled in her favor. Zee had challenged these rulings in the High Court, but
Justice Jamdar too has upheld the earlier
judgments, saying: Arbitrary termination of
service during the maternity period, such as
the present one, not only affects the concerned woman employee, but creates a
sense of despair and disillusionment amongst
the working women in general.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 11
Lede
Citizen Journalist
A Universe of
Prying Cameras
The ubiquitous mobile

camera has made everyone
an instant journalist. And
everyone is under scrutiny.
Those most at risk are
politicians with their
foot-in-the-mouth disease
and public servants
BY AJITH PILLAI
E do live in strange and

exciting times when
that bored looking and
seemingly innocuous
person next to you in a
bus or suburban train
can suddenly transform himself or herself into a
super journalist. He or she need not be a trained
media professional to achieve this instant metamorphosis. In todays super-charged information age, a
Anthony Lawrence
news story is just a click away on the cellphone. In

fact, recording images of dramatic events be it an
accident, a natural disaster or a riotas they unfold
has almost become second nature to many of us.
And once you have it captured on video, there are
several avenues to make it publicthe social media
is an obvious option, although there are enough TV
channels to grab footage, even pay for it and claim
it as their exclusive.
So, are we slowly becoming a nation of people
with prying cameras? Ask any politician, public figure or person in authority and he will tell you that
their clan has to be more careful than ever before.
The realization has sunk in that the risk of being
caught on camera can no longer be ignored. Simply
put, what you say and what you do even in the remotest district of the country could turn viral and
prove to be a major embarrassment. There is always
the lurking fear of the citizen journalist wielding the
smart phone or a stringer with a handycam recording what is happening.
Gone are the days when a politician could outright deny what he had said. The standard explanation given all these years was of being wrongly
quoted by the reporter or of statements being taken

out of context with mischievous or devious intent.
Even audio recordings have been questioned for
their authenticity, with allegations that they have
been tampered with or the voice impersonated. But
with video images, such denials lack any credibility
as what was said or done is there for the world to
see and hear in moving images. Politicians know
that they have to brazen it out or pay the price if
caught with their foot in the mouth.
n the 2015 Delhi assembly elections, union

minister of state for food processing industries,
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, was caught using abusive
language while campaigning in Shyam Nagar, West
Delhi. Her speech delivered late evening on a cold
winter night in December last year was attended by
a sparse crowd of BJP supporters. A few years ago,
what the junior minister said at a low-profile meeting would perhaps have gone unnoticed. But this
time, much to her chagrin, it was recorded. Her remark: Do you want a government of Ramzaadon
(followers of Lord Ram) or haramzaadon (those
who are illegitimate-born)? was not only up on
Media scrutiny
has spread
deep and wide
and the
modern-day
politician as
well as the
bureaucrat or
police official
has to be
aware of this.
Slapping a
bank official or
hurling abuse
in public
somehow gets
recorded.
FROM GROUND ZERO

(Left) Supporters use
mobile phones to click
pictures of Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi as he arrives on
the dais at an election
rally in Jamshedpur
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 13
Lede
Citizen Journalist
BJP Lok Sabha

MP Sakshi
Maharaj has
made several
statements
which have
embarrassed
his party no
end. Two
decades ago,
his comments
would have
merited very
little media
attention and
the BJP MP
would perhaps
have got away
with them.
TV but went viral. It was taken up by the opposition

in parliament and the Sadhvi was left with no option
but to apologize. Her attempt to contextualise what
she said or to explain what she actually meant convinced no one.
Similarly, the brash BJP Lok Sabha MP from
Unnao, UP, Sakshi Maharaj, has made several statements which have embarrassed his party no end.
Earlier this year, he was issued a show cause notice
by the BJP for making controversial statements, including one that exhorted Hindu women to produce four or five children. He also blamed the Nepal
earthquake on Rahul Gandhis impure (after eating beef) visit to Kedarnath. The last statement was
made in Hardwar, but was picked up by the national
media. Two decades ago, it would have merited very
little media attention and the BJP MP would perhaps have got away with it.
Congress leaders have been caught on the wrong
foot too. Former Union coal minister Sriprakash
Jaiswal must have thought he was being witty while
inaugurating a kavi sammelan at a womens college
in Kanpur in 2013. When the function was underway, news came that India had won an important
T-20 match. Jaiswal had to interrupt his speech to

allow the bursting of fire crackers to celebrate the
win. But before that, he said this to the audience:
You must celebrate the victory first since the charm
of celebration is when the victory is fresh. If you
delay and it gets old, the charm will be lostlike
when a wife gets old, the celebration of marriage
does not remain that enjoyable.
rom the footage shown on national television, the minister clearly thought he was
being witty. But he obviously did not factor
in that his sexist jibe would be debated and dissected
nationally. That, unfortunately for him, was the case.
Women activists were baying for his blood on prime
time and the opposition sharpened its knives. Jaiswal had to offer profuse apologies for the remark
made in Kanpura city which is never in the news
unless there is a horrendous crime or an unexpected
election result.
The entire episode proved that media scrutiny
has spread deep and wide and the modern-day
politician as well as the bureaucrat or police official
has to be aware of this. Slapping a bank official or
hurling abuse in public somehow gets recorded.

The mobile has in recent times made virtually
everyone accountable.
Last fortnight, a policeman was caught travelling
drunk in the Delhi metro. The video made it to the
news channels and as expected, he was suspended.
Similarly, dereliction of duty by officials or police
disobeying traffic regulations captured on video invariably leads to punitive action. Last year, the Uttar
Pradesh government transferred the DIG of Saharanpur for publicly endorsing honour killing. And
an SP was shifted from his post for his insensitive
remark to a father whose daughter had been kidnapped. He had said that the polices priority is to
catch thieves and not girls who have eloped. In both
cases, action was precipitated by proof on video.
It is not just visual images that catch public and
official attention. The BBC, reporting on the reach
of social media, gives the example of Naresh Bankar,
an adivasi farmer in Chhattisgarh, who had to pay
a bribe of about `1 lakh to a forest official on behalf
of his community for land deeds that were sold to
them. The tribal communitys right to their land
under Indian law is protected and the official was
demanding money for land owned by them. Naresh

phoned a local news portalCGNet Swaraand
recounted what had transpired. This led to a departmental inquiry against the officer and within a
month, he was held guilty and had to return the
money he had extorted.
Minister of
State Sadhvi
Niranjan
Jyotis abusive
speech in the
2015 Delhi
assembly
elections was
recorded,
shown on TV
and went viral.
She had to
apologize and
her attempt to
contextualize
what she said
or meant
convinced
no one.
ast week, retired army veterans continuing

their agitation for one rank one pension
(OROP) were cut up with the poor media
focus on the issue after the government alleged that
the matter had been amicably resolved. The pensioners want all the pre-poll promises made by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ex-servicemen
vis-a-vis their pension fulfilled before they call off
their protest at Jantar Mantar. The veterans also believe they have been given a raw deal by the media,
which they allege, has switched off from their story.
They have been venting their frustration through
social media networks. Here is one thought from a
retired general in the public domain:
Dear Barkha Dutt, Vishnu Som, Arnab Goswami, Mahroof Raza and the esteemed members of
the fourth estate of my Country. You have
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 15
Lede
Citizen Journalist
HAULED UP
(Below) Former coal
minister Sriprakash
Jaiswal was also
caught on the wrong
foot after his sexist
jibe in 2013
stayed with our soldiers, enjoyed their unparalleled

hospitality, drank their highly subsidised liquor and
ate their high quality rations, made your careers by
showing their blood and tears and their bodies
wrapped smartly in tricolour while they visit their
loved ones for the last time. And yet when they
needed your support the most you abandoned them
with such disgrace. Please go to a corner of your
bedrooms, face the wall and hang your head in
shame for a minute, may be then you will be able to
forgive yourself for what you did because you guys
will not be able to redeem yourself in the eyes of a
soldier in this life or the next. But when you are marooned in a flood or on a hill top while holidaying
or cower yourself in your houses or offices hiding
from terrorist bullets then the very soldiers will not
think twice to put themselves in harms way to res-
Social media
is also full of
false news
and should
be viewed
with a fair
amount of
scepticism.
There are
images that
do not tell
the complete
story. A video
from an
earlier riot is
sometimes
shown as
proof of an
incident that
currently
occurred.
cue your sorry asses.

It is another matter that what the general did not
factor in was that the media is allegedly under pressure from certain vested interests in the government
to stay off the story. There is also the question of
viewer fatigue on an agitation which is close to a 100
days old.
ut what is significant is that such a message

to the media would not have found its way
even in the letters to the editor column of
a newspaper. If it did, it would have been edited and
sanitized with much of the frustration tempered.
However, in the social media, which is like a wordof-mouth high on steroids, it goes exactly as it is
written. A forum is now available for venting ones
thoughts and more and more people are using it.
One must quickly add that many are abusing it
too. Which is why, social media is full of false news
and should be viewed with a fair amount of scepticism. One can also find images that do not actually
tell the complete story.
There are times when a video from an earlier riot
is shown as proof of an incident that has currently
occurred. Even established news channels have been
fooled into using such visuals in their rush to telecast exclusive footage.
Sometimes, it is courtesy CCTVs that the rich
and powerful stand exposed. TV channels and the
net often go viral with images of politicians and rich
kids refusing to pay highway toll and instead, vandalizing booths and brandishing guns. News channels are full of stories on a host of issues, including
environment degradation, civic apathy, VVIP racism and what have you, which have inputs from citizen journalists. Any man, woman or child with a
smart phone is today a journalist and part of the
newsgathering process.
And what makes it to the public domain could
be the good, the authentic, the bad or the ugly. It
could also be the trivial, the inaccurate, the unreliable or the nonsensical. But it does come out. Remember, a million cameras are watching you...
S THE WORLD TURNS
Caught kicking on camera

A HUNGARIAN camerawoman for an
online TV channel has been fired after
reporters filmed her kicking migrants as
they fled from police at Roszke in southern Hungary. The footage went viral internationally. The N1 TV channels editor,
Szabolcs Kisberk, said in a statement
that employment of the camerawoman,
identified as Petra Laszlo, had been terminated with immediate effect,

reported Al Jazeera. The Internet-based
TV is close to Hungarys far-right
Jobbik Party which has an anti-migrants
stand. Tension between migrants and
police have been running high for days
near Roszke.
Google abused market position: Russia

FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS by Competition Commission
of India that Internet giant Google Inc abused its dominance in the Indian market, now Russias Federal Anti-monopoly Service (FAS) has found Google guilty of abusing
its dominant market position. Last year Russias Yandex
search engine filed a complaint with FAS about Googles
practice of pre-installing its own apps on Android smart
devices. Yandex is Russias largest search engine provider.
On September 14, FAS announced that it found Google in
breach of a Russian law on "protecting competition." This
was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Not fair Charlie

THE FRENCH satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has published
cartoons of the photograph of drowned three-year-old Syrian boy
Alan Kurdi. The toddler was found on a Turkish coast, after a failed
attempt by his family to reach Greece on boat. In the cartoon, the
child is depicted with a caption that says: So close to his goal.
The image shows a billboard featuring a Ronald McDonald lookalike and the caption reads: Two childrens menus for the price of
one.The magazine became a symbol of freedom of speech when
it was attacked by Islamist militants in January for publishing cartoons mocking Prophet Mohammad. However, the latest edition
has invited sharp reactions for making mockery of death.
Now, tweet
Ukraine
bans 40
journalists
UKRAINES PRESIDENT Petro
Poroshenko has signed a
decree banning 40 journalists
and bloggers from 15 countries, including them as potential threat to national
interests. The journalists are
included in an extensive blacklist issued by Poroshenko's office, which prohibits 400
people from entering Ukraine
for a year. The President's
crackdown is in response to the
upcoming elections in the
rebel-held territories of Donetsk
and Luhansk. Ukraine is set to
hold nationwide regional elections on October 25, but the
rebels have announced they will
hold their own two-stage polls
beginning a week earlier.
your donations
AS THE US presidential election gets

nearer, candidates are taking to social
media and campaigning aggressively.
Twitter has introduced a feature that
enables candidates to raise money
through its mobile application from
followers. Apart from presidential candidates, the service is also available to
local and state-level candidates. Twitter is working with Square Inc, a

financial services firm, to collect funds
and information that the Federal
Election Commission requires from
donors. Twitters user-base is
particularly engaged with news and
current events.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 17
Focus
Media Regulation
Muzzle
the Press!
Why is media baron Subhash
Chandra demanding a law to
control the press? While the
press has been ridden with
corrupt practices, is this an
attempt to justify government
control of the medium?
BY ABHAY VAIDYA
AST month, media baron Subhash

Chandra called for the introduction of
a law to regulate the media in India.
Chandra, who is the chairman of the
Zee TV-Essel Group, said the credibility
of the media was at its lowest, media ownership was
opaque and he wouldnt be surprised if a criminal like
Dawood Ibrahim was owning or controlling some news
TV channel in the country.
If there is someone who can bring a law to regulate
the media, it is (Prime Minister) Modi and no one else,
Chandra said in an interview televised on Zee News on
August 8.
If there is someone who can bring a

law to regulate the media, it is (Prime
Minister) Modi and no one else.
Subhash Chandra, chairman,
Zee TVEssel Group
He suggested the setting up of a regulatory

mechanism for entry into the media business, on
the lines of the Reserve Bank of Indias fit and
proper criteria. Chandra said some dubious entities had entered the news media business as a
shield for their illegal activities and there was a
need for a clean-up.
The fact is that driven by greed for higher
profits, media barons have themselves compromised media ethics and are thus responsible for
a high degree of corruption in the Indian media.
The Zee News-Jindal Steel & Power Company
case of 2012 is one of the most shameful episodes
in Indian journalism. In November 2012, Zees
Group Editor Sudhir Chaudhary and Business
Head Samir Ahluwalia were arrested by Delhi
Police on charges of attempts to extort a `100

crore advertising deal in exchange for favorable
news coverage. In a reverse sting operation, the
duo was secretly filmed by Jindal Steel while trying to negotiate that deal. The company then
showed the video at a press conference and accused Zee TV of indulging in blackmailing and
extortionist tactics.
n 2012, The Times of India Group, which

runs the worlds largest English newspaper,
answered a fundamental question about its
existence. We are not in the newspaper business,
we are in the advertising business, said Vineet
Jain, managing director of Bennett, Coleman &
Co Ltd (BCCL), the firm that publishes The
Times of India (TOI), in an interview with Ken
Auletta of The New Yorker. As he explained: if
90 percent of your revenues come from advertising, youre in the advertising business.
All that Jain meant was that newspapers were
forced to depend on advertising revenue, as the
cover price of newspapers amounted to a fraction
of their production cost.
However, Jains poor choice of words stuck
badly and it has come to suggest not without reason that at TOI, the advertiser and his promotional interests get a clear priority over all other
stakeholders in journalism.
This is true of a large section of the Indian
media today which has followed the TOIs
footsteps and introduced their own versions of paid news and private treaties and
have firmly declared the supremacy of
We are not in the newspaper

business, we are in the advertising
businessif 90 percent of your
revenues come from advertising,
youre in the advertising business.
Vineet Jain, managing director,
Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 19
Focus
Media Regulation
The paid news format soon spread like cancer

in the rest of the print and TV media and the
clear demarcation of advertorials was not always
adhered to.
SHAMEFUL EPISODE
(L-R) Zees Group
business head Samir
Ahluwalia and editor
Sudhir Chaudhary
In November 2012, Zees Group Editor

Sudhir Chaudhary (right) and Business
Head Samir Ahluwalia were nabbed by
Delhi Police for allegedly trying to extort a
`100 crore ad deal for favorable coverage.
the marketing department over the editorial.
When TOI launched Medianet, its paid news
department in 2003, it was meant to prevent corporate and PR companies from using the news
space to promote their brands, products and
clients. TOI explained that such news was to be
carried as paid-for advertorials with a clear disclaimer to distinguish news from advertisements.
In a paper published by Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism in 2013 (In Need of a
Leveson? Journalism in India in Times of Paid News
and Private Treaties), Times CEO Ravi Dhariwal
was quoted as saying that the purpose of Medianet
was also to counter journalists who were being
paid by PR agencies to plant news in the paper.
hus, readers are either unaware or left

guessing about advertorials sneaked in
as news reports and paid news has become a part of organized and institutionalized
form of media corruption.
Media companies have even collected substantial black money from politicians in exchange for favorable, one-sided coverage during
elections. One such instance was cited by the
Press Council of India (PCI) in its report, Paid
News: How corruption in the Indian media undermines Indian democracy. It related to Loksatta
Party candidate Parcha Kodana Rama Raos revelation that he paid `50,000 in cash (without receipt) to Eenadu to carry a report on him.
Many news organizations have also entered
into private treaties with various firms after the
BCCL marketing innovation was introduced in
2005 in order to accept equity in lieu of advertising revenue.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) was among the first to raise serious concern that private treaties (renamed by TOI as
Brand Capital) may give rise to conflicts of interest and may therefore, result in the dilution of
the independence of the press vis--vis the
nature and content of the news/editorials in
the media of companies promoting such
agreements.
This is exactly what the private treaties
arrangement has degenerated into with newspapers offering protection against negative coverage to firms covered under private treaties and
promising only positive coverage for higher
amounts. This is akin to the protection money
charged by gangsters and the underworld from
celebrities and wealthy businessmen.
The Reuters Institute paper quoted Dhariwal
as saying that a Chinese wall exists between

Brand Capital (private treaties) and the editorial
department and that the editorial is not influenced by firms engaged in private treaty arrangements. However, Dhariwal could not explain the
Rahul Joshi-The Economic Times episode of 2007
and the skewed Sobha Developers coverage in
TOI Bangalore in 2008.
In 2007, in a piece in the news blog Sans Serif,
award-winning journalist Sucheta Dalal published
a leaked email from The Economic Times editor
Rahul Joshi dated November 29, 2007, instructing
his journalists to support private treaty clients.
His email read: At ET, we are carving out a separate team to look into the needs of private treaty
clients. Every large centre will have a senior editorial person to interface with treaty clients. In
turn, the senior edit person will be responsible
along with the existing team, for edit delivery....
ations of the Saradha Group, former Congress

MP Matang Sinh, Sun TV and a host of others.
To propose regulatory control over the media
in India tantamounts to touching a raw nerve.
Was Subhash Chandra influenced by the RSSBJP to propose a law for media regulation? This
media baron, who is close to the BJP, voluntarily
offered a clarification during his interview that
he had not prompted or directed Zee TVs
he email further went on to say that news

stories on private treaty clients would be
integrated into different sections of the
paper and in this way, we will be able to incorporate PT into the editorial mainstream
When newspaper barons are found dabbling
in mega real estate projects, bidding for coal
blocks and engaged in power generation, the
larger picture is very disturbing and raises conflict
of interest issues.
In some cases, it suggests that running newspapers and television stations is essentially a
faade to use the power of the press to promote
larger business interests.
In March 2014, media baron, Congress MP
and Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Lokmat
Group from Maharashtra, Vijay Darda, was
charged in the coal block allocation scam along
with his son, Devendra Darda. The father-son duo
and a business associate were charged with cheating, conspiracy and corruption.
In its special report on August 7, Zee Business
highlighted controversies relating to media oper-
According to a Press
Council of India
report, Loksatta
Party candidate
Parcha Kodana Rama
Rao allegedly paid
`50,000 in cash
(without receipt) to
Eenadu for a
positive report.
Media baron,
Congress MP and
Chairman and
Editor-in-Chief of
the Lokmat Group,
Vijay Darda, was
charged in the coal
block allocation
scam along with
his son.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 21
Focus
Media Regulation
posals to empower the PCI with punitive powers.

He had also proposed a national qualifying examination for journalists on the lines of a license
for doctors and lawyers, which could be revoked
in the event of serious violations.
Various governments
in India have
attempted to control
the press. Congress
MP Meenakshi
Natarajan tried to
introduce a private
members media
regulation bill in
parliament in 2012.
India needs to
initiate a Lord
Justice Brian
Leveson-style
inquiry done in the
UK to look into the
affairs of the media.
All issues related
need to be examined
and addressed.
Mission Clean Media campaign.

Over the past decades, various governments in
India have been itching to control the press one
way or the other and the NaMo government could
be expected to do likewise. The most brazen muzzling of the press was during the Emergency in
1975-77 when press censorship was at its severest.
Other attempts include Congress MP
Meenakshi Natarajans bid to introduce a private
member's media regulation bill in parliament in
2012 and PCI chief Justice Markandey Katjus pro22 VIEWS ON NEWS October 7, 2015
ne of the strongest recommendations

for regulatory control over the media
came from the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Information Technology in 2013.
Its report, Issues related to Paid News, recommended heavy penalties and regulation, censure,
fine, cancellation or revocation of the license of
the media house and even imprisonment depending on the gravity of the violations.
Incidentally, this was the first such report of
its kind by a parliamentary body in India on
media corruption.
In the light of the 2010 Radiagate expose
which revealed the unholy nexus between top
journalists, lobbyists and ministers and politicians, it was not surprising that the parliamentary committee recommended stiff regulatory
measures and also drew attention to the Leveson
Inquiry undertaken in the UK into the culture,
practices and ethics of the British press.
Instituted in the wake of the News of the
World phone hacking scam, Lord Justice Brian
Levesons Inquiry Committee said in its 2,000page report that a new independent body with
powers to impose a range of sanctions and fines
on errant media was necessary.
As a first step, India needs to initiate a Leveson-style inquiry to look comprehensively into
the affairs of the media. All corrupt and questionable practices, the need for an independent
regulatory body, a review of the powers and
functioning of the PCI and the need for greater
job security for journalists need to be examined
and addressed.
The writer is a senior journalist who has
worked in The Times of India and DNA
EB CRAWLER WHATS TRENDING
Battling on another front

AN IMAGE OF a group of women officers of the US Army has
gone viral on Facebook, garnering 2.5 million views. The picture
is by photographer Tara Ruby, former member of the US Air
Force, who was on active duty between 1997 and 2001.
Saying that her aim was to remove the taboo surrounding
breastfeeding in the military, Ruby added that she was heartened
by the overwhelming response to the picture. While the US Army
does not have a country-wide policy, individual army bases
have guidelines requiring modesty. Such rules have been
criticized by serving mothers.
An innovation
that turned into a nightmare
AHMED MOHAMED, A 14-year-old student from Irving, Texas, who is interested in robotics, thought he would impress his teachers by showing
off his home-made clock. Instead, he was arrested and taken
to a juvenile detention center under suspicion that the
clock was a hoax bomb.
Mohamed was handcuffed and put under intense questioning for more
than five hours, prompting an intense backlash on social media.
President Barack Obama,
Democratic presidential
front-runner Hillary Clinton
and Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg expressed their
support, with Obama and
Zuckerberg extending Mohamed invitations to the
White House and Facebook
headquarters, respectively.
Ahmed was later released for
lack of evidence.
Hope for humanity

AMIDST A TORRENT of heart-wrenching images pouring out
of Eastern Europe due to the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, the
image of a Danish police officer playing a game with a young
Syrian girl has won hearts across the world, in stark contrast
to scenes of refugees being tear-gassed by cops in Hungary.
The picture, taken by photographer Claus Fisker near the
German-Danish border, has been shared on social media
platforms and has generated an outpouring of goodwill.
Remembering the Iron Lady

DURING A TELEVISED debate between leading Republican Party presidential hopefuls, former Florida governor Jeb Bush singled down
on UKs former prime minister Margaret
Thatcher as his choice for the woman to be
represented on the new $10 bill, due to be
circulated in 2020.
I would go with Ronald Reagans partner,
Margaret Thatcher, he said, noting that it was
unlikely to happen as she was not American.
Nevertheless, Margaret Thatcher started
trending on Twitter soon after, receiving everything from support to outright mockery. User
ElmOnTeamHillary cited Thatchers shameful
support for apartheid as proof of her unworthiness of such an honour, while user Mike
Koenigs quoted Thatchers famous words:
The problem with socialism is that eventually
you run out of other people's money, a sentiment that echoes strongly among American
conservatives. Two other candidates chose
civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 23
New Media
OROP Agitation
Dumped by
the Media
LEGITIMATE DEMAND
(Right) Army veterans
at the Sainik Ekta rally
at Jantar Mantar in
New Delhi
The press is overcome

by OROP fatigue and
has bypassed the
ex-servicemens agitation.
But they have reached out
to people via social
media. Is this the end of
Fourth Estates relevance?
BY BIKRAM VOHRA
ITH supreme fatigue having set in

on the OROP issue, the media is not
really interested in carrying anything on it. Unless one of the fasting
ex-servicemen cops it or there is a
bonfire of the vanities and they burn their citations of
bravery or hand back the medals, the party, as far as the
TV and press are concerned, is over. Time to move on to
tilt at other windmills.
Curiously though, the major snub given to the vets by
the Indian media per se and their deliberate ho

hum turning of the back to the Ekta rally in which
50,000 ex-servicemen and their families displayed
an impressive solidarity, has opened another
front. The vets took the publicity blackout punch
on the chin and like the soldiers they still are, developed their own strategy. Lets go to the people
and use social media platforms, we dont need the
conventional press.
SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN
All the OROP leaders I spoke to say it may not set
the Jamuna on fire, but the word is spreading fast.
The first signature campaign gathered 35,000
supporters inside two hours and is now a legitimate legal document that can be forwarded to the
government.
And as I sift through my inbox and read
scores of messages from ex-servicemen around
the globe, it strikes me that the TRP race and the
inward looking press and TV band of journalists
might just be facing a future siege, a sort of Alamo
The first signature campaign on social

media gathered 35,000 supporters inside
two hours and is now a legitimate legal
document that can be forwarded to
the government.
without the heroics. The conceit is so tangible in
our ranks that no one would even consider social
platforms as a threat. But with bloggers more interesting and erudite than professional writers, the
public involvement in issues intensifying and the
chance for the individual to express himself sans
interference is a heady elixir. The speed of delivery
makes for a deadly combination. Anybody can be
a writer and a dispenser of news and opinion.
Wunderbar.
The adhesive which is still needed is a sense of
organization and it is fair to concede that the
OROP call may not achieve its goals at such an
early stage. But it has set into motion an alternative messenger. The geometric progression of
PRIDE OR SHAME?
(Above) An armed
forces veteran with his
medals at the dharna
for OROP in New Delhi
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 25
New Media
OROP Agitation
PLAINTIVE CRY
A dissatisfied military is not in the interest of
any nation least of all India which has to
contend with multifarious internal and external
security issues. The nation at large and the
political leadership must be alive to the
prevailing sentiments and act appropriately lest
the gates of military stations are opened.
Lt Gen NS Brar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd), former
Deputy Chief Integrated Defence Staff and Member
Armed Forces Tribunal
Dear Prime Minister! I hope you have seen the

sad picture of a proud veteran trying to fight
his tears and another veteran whose shirt with
medals torn asunder withstands the criminal
use of force against him with quiet dignity
and equanimity. It is still not too late to
make amends.
Lt Gen PG Kamath (a veteran)
The Ekta Rally proved to the World that

soldiers are a disciplined lot. Not a single
slogan shouting against the Govt. No hai hai or
murdabad. Everyone was standing in
Regimental lots or state lots quietly listening to
the speeches. I have never seen such strength
which was so disciplined. Over 50,000 veterans
with wives and children from all over standing
there. Hats off to the Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee, Bangla Sahib and Rakabganj Sahib
for organizing stay for people coming from
outside, they provided breakfast, lunch, langar,
water, tea at Jantar Mantar. The kar seva
members went to Jantar Mantar and served
everything to ex-faujis and their families. What
we want from the social media since press is
gagged, we want your help: Please make it viral
on WhatsApp and Facebook.
Chander Kamboj (a veteran)
100 people sending forward a chain letter in the

morning can reach hundreds of thousands by
evening. And before you know it, there is not just
a groundswell of public opinion, there is a visible
reaction as well.
STRONG INFLUENCE
It is a sobering thought that it was Twitter and
Facebook that accelerated the Arab Spring in
Egypt and for a high-density population like we
have in India, getting the nation to stir its conscience and come to bat for a cause is not difficult
at all. YouTube is widely seen as a major element
on US politics.
The governor of Vermont, Howard Dean, was
the pioneer for political activism through social
media. He changed the paradigm on mobilization
of numbers, accelerated fundraising and gave the
likeminded their focus.
Remember the Oscar Morales saga where the
Colombian citizen took on the guerrillas engaged
in kidnappings and used Facebook to generate a
global uproar that actually resulted in the release
of a victim?
Let me give you three story angles doing the

rounds from retired officer enclaves to active cantonments and even reaching service personnel living abroad where the indignation is tangible. All
these have been studiously ignored by media organs because of the boredom factor and steep diminishing returns.
STORIES GALORE
Story One: A subedar major spoke to the throng. He
started by saying he was the father of not one but
two martyred sons. He asked the prime minister
(with reference to his foot-in-the-mouth public remark that hed be given OROP at the cost of the
poor) whether he still needed to prove his loyalty to
the nation? To stifle spontaneous cries of Shame,
Shame he declared that if the prime minister publicly proved that he indeed needed to deprive the
poor to give OROP, he didn't want it.
What a story, it would do any cover proud but
there were no takers. How many parents have
given two sons in uniform and stayed on earth to
mourn them? It screams for attention. Just this
story can be a rallying point.
Story Two: Former service chiefs are coming together to meet the president in an extraordinary
conference around the beginning of next week.
Some of them are currently abroad but are flying
back for this session in which the prime minister is
expected to be present. The call is to take Major
General Satbir Singh, the spearhead of the movement, with them.
This is the first time former four star officers are
coming together to create a unified force.
There is not even a mention of it anywhere.
But the ever-increasing ripples on the internet are
finding listeners. There is also the pass on effect
to those on civvy street who have relatives in
the forces and, what is more, the messages, translated into various languages, is reaching out to
rural areas where 90 percent of our soldiers families reside.
Herein lies the irony. Blacked out by the
media, the movement was compelled to go underground, but it has more support now from
sources that had not stirred themselves when the
coverage was intense. Now, they are stepping in
to fill what they see as a breach.
Blacked out
by the media,
the movement
was compelled
to go
underground,
but it has
more support
now from
sources that
had not
stirred
themselves
when the
coverage was
intense.
GLORIOUS TRADITION
(Left) Defense
Minister Manohar
Parrikar pays homage
to martyrs of Kargil
war on Kargil Vijay
Divas, July 26
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 27
New Media
OROP Agitation
OPTIONS GALORE
(Left) They do not need media attention
OROP GETS
SCBA
SUPPORT
The OROP issue received
wholehearted support from
lawyers of the Supreme
Court Bar Association
(SCBA). Around 20 lawyers
led by SCBA president
Dushyant Dave were to
represent the veterans in
the apex court. And they
had decided not to charge a
single penny.
The decision, taken at a
meeting of the executive
committee of SCBA, was
chaired by Dave and
included Secretary, SCBA,
Aishwarya Bhati and other
office bearers.
After the government
agreed to implement the
OROP scheme, Dave also
sent a letter of thanks to
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Story Three: The sentiment is indeed a matter of

rising damp. The feelings of hurt, confusion, disbelief and anger at being given short shrift for taking
a stand on principle are now coalescing into an effective weapon through messaging. Clearly, the decision to bypass the media that bypassed them is
working in generating a certain squirt of glue. Says
a very senior frontliner over the phone: We are all
speaking the same language and sending the same
message to everyone. That fosters unity and there
is no ambiguity. Nor are we prey to contrived stories designed to derail us. Our only regret is that
being born in the non-net years, we did not appreciate how important it is and we do wish we had
harnessed the resource earlier. It costs nothing and
is effective. We dont want to be on TV, get lost, we
will enter your homes and offices on a one on one.
PROUD VETERANS
Here is a report doing the rounds on the net by Lt
Col KJ Vohra: At the massive ex-servicemen rally
on September 12, there was a rare collective bonding, a steely resolve, a sense of dignified indignation.
When 80-year-olds spoke, their feeling of pain and
humiliation was masked by the JOSH, something
that flowed spontaneously. Perhaps, this was the
grueling army training where you

always knew how to convert adversity
into purpose.
Some veteran frames were slightly
bent with the ravages of age, but heads
were held high. Passions were intense, a
common thread ran through the sea of
humanity conservatively placed at a
rolling count of 50,000.
Some limped on to the stage to
speak, but when the slender frame
spoke, a lion roared from within with
enough force to cause mild tremors
across at 7, Race Course Road, and resonate with their grandchildren at the borders. It appeared to be one big family, where even wives and
children instinctively invoked their instilled spirit
of camaraderie and solidarity to create an atmosphere that was solemn, focused and yet almost festive. Eighty-year-olds strutted about in the
oppressive heat in colorful turbans with medals
across their chests (that somehow got inflated to
over 56 inches with pride).
My wife and I nearly didnt come. News reports, authoritative sources said the rally had been
called off. Some friends from out of town cancelled
their trip. It didn't matter that the dirty tricks department was at work. You cannot stop a tsunami
by breaking wind against it.
Fond imaginings or not, the vets are still there
and they dont seem to care that the media has
dumped them. Thats the first time in India that any
entity has said, oh phooey to you, we dont need you.
To me, it is the small beginning of an Orwellian
world and will hasten the change. With scarcely any
laws to govern it, the net and its crisscross grids of
highways and arteries is a whole new game.
Except that it isnt...a game. So, does the media
have blinkers on and will it risk getting sideswiped?
Absolutely.
Advertising
Mobile Medium
App-vertising Smartly
The use of mobiles
has changed the
way advertisers woo
consumers. As they
zoom in on smartphone and iPhone
users, its predicted
that this business
will reach $49.81
billion in two years
BY MR DUA
DVERTISE or perish. That is the mantra

of todays marketing punditry. Moreover,
since time immemorial, advertising has
been universally accepted as the most essential ingredient of any successful marketing endeavor. Therefore, any advertising media, be it
print, electronic, outdoor or face-to-face, is the best tool for
multiplying sales and increasing profits.
While most entrepreneurs and industries yoke existing
advertising media with their publicity plans as and when
they deem fit, of late, manufacturers and marketers have realized that all these devices take some time to reach the
FLASHY PHONES
(Above L-R) Sangfeis
CEO, Kevin Hou, and
country manager,
SS Bassi with models,
during the launch of
Philips Mobile in
New Delhi
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 29
Advertising
Mobile Medium
target audience. By the time it reaches the user,

they have ended up losing him, sometimes forever. This is something no business enterprise
wants in todays cut-throat world.
GRAND OPENING
(Below) Customers
gather for the
opening of an Apple
Store in Hangzhou,
Zhejiang province,
China
NEW AD SLOTS
Therefore, in order to approach the targeted consumer expeditiously and attract his attention instantly, numerous mobile mediums such as
smartphones, iPhones and tablets have opened up
umpteen new ad slots. Studies in mobile media
advertising have demonstrated the magnetic
pulling power of these mediums to getting the
consumer to buy the products. No wonder advertisers are rushing in to employ these new advertising techniques.
Also, with a massive target audience, this form
The advantage with mobile advertising is

that it can provide product information
such as location, users, time and tasks,
allowing marketers to identify and
influence customers at the right moment.
of advertising works best. Its estimated that cell

phone users have touched 30 million in India
alone, while in Asia, there are over seven lakh
apps. Some of the internationally reputed mobile
phone advertising agencies are Adform, AdMob,
AppBoost, Geemobi, Mobvista, mobileCore, AdMaxim and AdlQuity.
eMarketer, a noted American media researcher, estimated that until December last year,
more than $30 billion was spent on new mobile
advertising globally. And it is predicted to expand
further, reaching $49.81 billion in the next two
years. In the US alone, it is likely to net more than
$4.4 billion by 2018.
With the meteoric growth of mobile phone
usage, and apps such as Pandora, Shazam, Angry
Birds and web mapping service MapQuest owned
by AOL, marketers consider them to be the most
profound, cheapest and quickest devices for accessing consumers everywhere, be it villages, small
towns or metros.
VERY COST-EFFECTIVE
Yet another innovative aspect of mobile media
such as smartphones and iPads is that they can be
easily and quickly integrated with other similar
technologies such as the internet and tablets, thus
making mobile advertising very cost-effective
even for small businesses and petty traders.
For the consumer too, it is a winning proposition. Mobile media advertising gives him immediate information regarding a product and
chances of it being bought increase exponentially.
Also, with smartphone and iPhone users invariably carrying their devises in pockets or bags, their
access is fast.
Professionally speaking, the mobile media ad
copy is brief, precise, to the point. It does not have
any unnecessary adverbs or bombastic language.
At the same time, it has to be engaging, catchy,
funny and with mass appeal. Such advertising carries the image of the product and has sugar-coated
copy to persuade the user to buy the product.
Most often, the screen just shows the product,

while empty space could be used to lure the user
with discounts in phone tariffs, call costs, etc.
Most iPhone and smartphone users could enormously benefit by such concessions and deals
struck instantaneously.
While the ad content and duration of advertising in mobile devices may vary with costs and
transmission plans, messages are put out in these
formats: SMS advertising, MMS, mobile PPC (pay
per click ads, also called InPage advertising), mobile banners, contextual mobile ads, idle screen
advertising and audio advertising.
Also, commonly aired ads include: mobile
phone audios, internet videos, cartoons and engaging conversations with consumers.
The advantage with mobile advertising is that
it can provide product information such as location, users, time and tasks, allowing marketers to
identify and influence customers at the right moment of decision.
In addition, cell technologies and apps are
being effortlessly married with several other
technologies. App-vertising is the most recent
innovation. Its not surprising that Apples App
Store is fast entering the market for cell phone advertising. For its new sports car, the A4, luxury
car-maker Audi has created the A4 Driving Challenge Application, says The Wall Street Journal.
PROBLEM AREAS
Despite the growing importance of mobile advertising, many hurdles remain in the actual usage of
these adverts. Some of the most frequently experienced are created by web detectors, Ad Blockers.
In addition, there is skewed mobile screen space
fitting the matter and illustrations, monotonous
content, users deleting messages, exaggerated
messages unaccompanied by actual delivery of
products. There are also numerous risks such as
malware, privacy intrusions and spam profusions.
However, several startups are providing relevant
software and solutions to battle such defects.
eMarketer,
a noted
American
media
researcher,
estimated that
until December
last year, more
than $30 billion
was spent on
new mobile
advertising
globally.
With media consumption habits constantly

evolving, it is being seen that print media is losing
clientele and television viewers are fickle. In this
context, mobile advertising will most certainly
gain new ground in all areas of marketing and advertising strategies.
And in India, with Prime Minister Narendra
Modis Digital India taking off soon, mobile advertising is bound to make waves in rural and
urban areas in times to come.
APP-SAVVY WAYS
(Top) Audis A4 Driving
Challenge App Interface
(above) The Digital India
initiative aims to integrate
government departments
with the populace
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 31
Anchor Review
CNN with Donald Trump
The Trump-et Card
Why are the Americans rooting for Donald Trump as president? What makes
this arrogant and pompous tycoon so appealing? CNNs Chris Cuomos
assessment of this tycoon is worth a second look
BY SHOBHA JOHN
FRANK ABOUT
BEING BRASH
(Above) Donald
Trump (left) was
unabashed in
sharing his views in
an interview to
Chris Cuomo (right)
on CNN
HE way he is going, this billionaire may just come up

trumps at the hustings. If
polls are anything to go by,
Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, may just
end up being the next US president. An uneasy
thought considering all the wild and offensive
things he has been saying recently, so much so that
Republican Lindsey Graham even called him a
jackass. A bit excessive, but then Trump has
rubbed many people the wrong way. He says force-
fully: We are a country in serious decline, and he

thinks hes the best man to tackle it.
In order to gauge his growing popularity and the
reasons for it, VON decided to watch an interview
of his with CNNs Chris Cuomo on August 19. Now,
Cuomo is a seasoned journalist who has worked
earlier with ABC and comes from a family with
political links. His father, Mario Cuomo, was a former New York governor and his brother, Andrew
Cuomo is the current NY governor. So obviously he
is no push-over and as the interview progresses, one
can see his growing scepticism over Trumps chest-
thumping statements.
The interview was smartly divided into various
sectionsHillary, immigration, trade, jobs, ISIS,
TV education, familymaking it easier for American voters to judge him on various issues. Interestingly, the interview is done in what seems like a
mall, with curious onlookers watching from a distance and taking pictures.
HITTING AT HILLARY
Asked about polls saying he and high-profile Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton were in close
competition, Trump dismisses them saying Hillary
will have a hard time over her leaked emails. And
then ridiculously, he compares this to the leak of
classified documents by Gen David Petraeus, then
CIA director, to his mistress. Cuomo rightly points
this out to him, but it hardly matters as Trump asks
righteously: Whats she doing? Why is she doing
it? He even goes on to say the email leak could be
a criminal act or incompetence, none of which is
good for the US president.
Coming to geo-politics, Trump takes the credit
for predicting that if Iraq is decimated, Iran would

take over the Middle East and then, someone would
take over the leftover oil, which is ISIS. So call it
vision, I have to call it vision as I am trying to get
elected, he says pompously.
But he is clear and blunt about one thingoil.
He says categorically he will take the oil therethe
source of their wealthand give it to the armed
forces and wounded soldiers coz they deserve it,
they are the greatest people and I love them. No
wonder America is loving him!
He slams the Iran-US nuclear deal,calling it the
worst deal a country has ever made. While an eversceptical Cuomo says Iran has been fighting
Despite Trump rubbing many people

the wrong way, and his skewed idea of
economics and diplomacy, America is
loving him for his blunt talk about
getting oil and jobs for the Americans.
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 33
Anchor Review
CNN with Donald Trump
Tim Sebastian (left) has become a legend

for his interviewing style, especially on
BBCs Hardtalk. His interview with author
Isabel Allende (right) will be remembered
for its charm and graciousness.
against the ISIS, Trump says that the US has been
making many mistakes in the Middle East and in
Syria. I want to take care of ourselves and want to
rebuild this country and focus on the wealth of ISIS.
It is this sense of false bravado and fighting for
what he thinks is truly American that is getting him
the votes. He wants an incredible and powerful military that no one can play games with or mess
withhe says looking after the military is what he
will be best at. Does that bode well in an increasingly
hostile world?
GREATEST JOBS PRESIDENT
Coming to the economy, Cuomo says that Americans think that as Trump is rich he can make others
too rich. But Trumps statements on thisI will be
the greatest jobs president that God ever created
seem ludicrous when he says emphatically that he
will take back jobs from Japan, Mexico, China.
He lambasts big businesses for building factories

and cars in Mexico instead of the US. But thats coz
labor is cheaper there, interjects a stiff Cuomo. But
Trump says these businesses will have to pay a
tax/penalty to drive those cars back in! But wont
these cars be expensive for US consumers? Then
they should buy fewer cars, says Trump triumphantly. He seems to have got his economic fundas mixed up. Cuomo looks astounded as Trump
says: We are getting killed on trade.
Even foreign relations and diplomacy are plain
business for Trump. They are killing us and they
dont even like us, says Trump of China. Calling a
spade a spade, eh? With me, they will like us and
we will beat them, he says emphatically. Sure. Even
my Chinese tenants love me, says this real estate
magnate. Of course, they will love himhe is rich
and can throw them out any time. Trump goes on
about China: They understand they are ripping us
off.We have the greatest business people in
the world.
But he says they have the wrong people in the
wrong job like Caroline Kennedy, US ambassador
in Japan who doesnt even know how she got the
job. He cribs about Japan sending in ships with cars
(But they are cheaper, says an incredulous Cuomo) even as the US sends beef and wheat to them
which they dont want. Thats unequal trade for Trump. It will be interesting to see how he equalizes it.
For a man running for president, Trump is anything but presidential. He is downright offensive
and runs down rivals. He calls Jeb Bush, another Republican presidential hopeful, a very low-energy
person. He claims he was given an award by the
Marines Corps at the Waldorf-Astoria. When CNN
checked this out, it found out it was the Marine
Corp Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity. Two
different things, aint it, Mr Trump?
However, Trumps views on women would sound like music to their ears. I will protect women
more than anybody else. And yes, he is willing
to allow women in combat roles after speaking to
the generals.
He is also unabashedly arrogant, saying he has

the greatest company and has created tens of thousands of jobs, and he looks after his people well. I
am a job producing machine, he says as he taunts
the other presidential candidates for not being in the
same league as him.
SERIOUS TAKE
While Trump is full of bluster and blows his own
trumpet at the drop of a hat, Cuomo, nattily dressed,
came across as too serious. His lack of humor is
matched by Trumps own lack of charm. One almost
misses the silky smoothness of Bill Clinton. Perhaps
Cuomo would do well to see BBCs Hardtalk where
journalist Tim Sebastian interviewed world leaders
in such a relaxed manner that they seemed like
drawing room conversations. His interview with
Isabel Allende, a Chilean-American author, will
be remembered for its charm and graciousness.
No wonder Sebastian won Britains prestigious
Royal Television Society Interviewer of the Year
award in 2001.
Coming to Trump, Cuomo asks him why he
wants to send illegal immigrants back. Isnt this a
constitutionally dubious and extreme position? He
says righteously: I have to do the right thing. This
Trump says Hillary Clinton will have

a hard time over her leaked emails,
adding that the email leak could be
a criminal act or incompetence, none
of which is good for the US president.
country is so politically correct and no one wants to
take a stand on anything. He says he will send the
migrants back to their countries, build a wall along
the border and they would need to get back in
legally. Ludicrous idea, I say!
The problem with Trump is that he approaches
every problem like a businessman and says: We are
losing business to Mexico. Three hundred thousand births among illegals. He even dismisses the
14th Amendment which will prevent this. But he
promises that he will get good people to come
back, but legally.
He even has a message for the Pope who will
visit the US next month. I like him, he seems like a
pretty good guy. How flippant. And if the Pope is
against capitalism, which Trump says is a very good
thing, he will tell him the ISIS is coming for him!
Yup, he said that.
Good luck to the Americans!
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 35
Editors Pick
Sundeep Khanna
If print media is dying,

why are moneybags
investing in it?
VON brings in each issue,

the best written commentary
on any subject. The following
write-up, from Livemint.com,
has been picked by our team
of editors and reproduced for
our readers as the best in
the fortnight.
With 45 percent of adults reading print newspapers,

reports of their demise seem vastly exaggerated
AST week, Rupert Murdochs 21st

Century Fox announced it was buying
a 73 percent stake in National Geographics media properties, including
its iconic magazine. The 127-year-old
society had been in financial distress for a while
and needed the lifeline which came with Murdochs
$725 million.
This is the third mega print media deal in the last few
months and comes after the acquisition of theFinancial
Timesby the Nikkei group for $1.3 billion andThe Econ-
POPULARITY
OF PRINT
Newspaper
reading still
remains a
popular choice
Anil Shakya
omistby Exor, the holding company of the Agnelli family,

which paid $446 million to increase its stake to 43.4 percent. Two years ago, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid
$259 million forThe Washington Postand other products
in its stable. The previous year,The Washington Posthad
lost $54 million.
Ken Doctor, writing on the Nieman Labs site in
May,pointed outthat for the first quarter of this year,
seven of the 10 largest newspaper publishing companies
in the US had total net income of about $21 million! So
why are men like Murdoch and Bezos investing in print
media? With profits of all print products diving in recent

years, it would seem to be a case of throwing good money
after bad.
NOT THE END AS YET
There could be several reasons.
Print is far from dead. According to readership data from
Nielsen Scarboroughs 2014 Newspaper Penetration Report, 56 percent of those who consume a newspaper read
it exclusively in print, while 11 percent also read it on
desktop or laptop computers, 5 percent also read it on
mobile and another 11 percent read it in print, on desktop
and on mobile.
Effectively, more than eight in 10 of those who read a
newspaper do so in print, at least sometimes. In addition,
print ad revenues continue to be a substantial chunk of
the media ad pie.
It isnt easy creating brands in the digital space. Many
digitally inclined media entrants are finding that the cost
and challenge of building a digital brand outweighs that
of buying a well-established print media brand and then
leveraging its digital dividend.
The emergence of Facebook as a major news source
proves that it is easier for a well-established brand to find
success in the digital news space than it has been for most
original digital news players such as Vox, Mashable
and Buzz Feed.
Indeed, the most successful digital media products are
still print brands. Even as The New York Times announced
last week that it had hit the million paid digital-only subscriber mark, the top newspapers by digital traffic continue to be old well-established print brandsUSA
Today, NYT, Daily Mail, The Washington Post and
The Guardian.
vestor Warren Buffett to increase his portfolio of publishing company stock. Buffett, who just this year has purchased The Martinsville Bulletin and The Franklin
News-Post, two small-town papers in rural Virginia,
now owns 31 dailies and dozens of weeklies in 10 states in
the US.
Newspaper acquisitions come with collateral gains.
Most long-time print brands come with other assets. In a
complex deal that turned Nat Geo into a for-profit company from a trust, Murdochs acquisition brought him
theNational Geographicmagazine, National Geographic
Studios, digital and social media platforms, books, maps,
childrens media and other business, including e-commerce
and licensing.
Clearly print has legs yet. Instead of the end of the road
predicted for it, sharper and more long-term focused investors see this as an interregnum in the profit cycle, a time
to reinvent the ad-based business model.
For the first time in almost half a century global newspaper circulation revenues at $89.9 billion exceeded the
$77 billion of print advertising revenue. According to Pew
Research CentresState of the News Media 2015report, in
2014, newspaper ad revenue declined 4 percent year over
year to $19.9 billion, while circulation revenue among publicly traded newspaper companies grew 1 percent.
HABITUATED
(Below)
Browsing
through the
newspaper is
a habit hard
to give up for
most
DEVALUATIONS
Valuations are at historic lows. As print media companies
find stanching the flow of red in their books impossible,
they are willing to bail out to the most generous buyers.
The prices at which well-known newspaper brands
have changed hands show a dramatic devaluation is happening in the business, prompting even that canny inVIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 37
Editors Pick
Sundeep Khanna
from advertising, with circulation functioning merely as

a loss-leader to build audiences. It wasnt difficult to predict that when digital with its zero marginal operating
cost model of news distribution came along, it would fatally disrupt that cozy arrangement.
In doing so, the digital onslaught may have also
pointed the newspaper business to look for newer content
and revenue models. In his 2013 letter to shareholders of
Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Buffett wrote: Charlie
(Munger) and I believe that papers delivering comprehensive and reliable information to tightly-bound communities and having a sensible Internet strategy will
remain viable for a long time.
For those unlike Murdoch who

dont have media as their primary
business, the challenge will be to
reconcile their major business
interests with their interests in media.
A NEW FOCUS
(Above L-R)
Mukesh
Ambani who
recently bought
Network 18;
Rupert Murdoch
has bought
a stake in
National
Geographic
A change in the way the business has been done

shouldnt be such a surprise. It is what most mature industries go through at regular intervals.
Ten straight years of decline in soda sales in the US
hasnt meant the end of Pepsi and Coca Cola. Theyve
moved into energy drinks, juices, foods. Earlier this year,
Coke even launched premium milk brand Fairlife
in the US.
Contrary to what it seems today, the advertising-supported revenue model that has seen print media (and TV)
succeed isnt particularly old. Areportby the World Association of Newspapers notes that the newspaper industry
only became addicted to advertising in the 1960s, with
eventually disastrous consequences.
By the late 1970s, 80 percent of its revenue was coming
NEW PLANS
Whether the new owners succeed will, of course, depend
on their ability to craft those innovative strategies. Both
the outsiders who are entering this business for the first
time as well as existing players buying legacy properties
face several challenges with their new acquisitions.
Amazon has Kindle, a hardware product, pure digital
plays such asBusiness Insiderand a marquee legacy product likeThe Washington Post. Individually they mean little, but knit into a strategic game plan, they could well be
future of media.
For those unlike Murdoch who dont have media as
their primary business, the challenge will be to reconcile
their major business interests with their interests
in media. It is a struggle for Indias new media tycoons
like Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Industries now
owns Network 18 with its slew of television, digital and
print products, as it is for Murdoch whose past pronouncements about climate change sit uneasily with National Geographics avowed, and increasingly strident,
mission to save the planet.
With 45 percent of adults reading print newspapers,
reports of its demise seem vastly exaggerated. The truth
is many of the revered print media brands have been run
like not-for-profit empires, fed on dollops of insane advertising money. It may be that the new buyers can bring
in financial discipline and efficient management to turn
around their fortunes.
Sundeep Khanna is executive editor, Livemint.com
English is one of modern Indias 22 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
NEVER IN PLURAL
HOW DO YOU DO?
While words like jeans and scissors are words used only in
plural, there are many other words which never take a plural:
Next time you bump into your boss/colleague/friend,

dont greet them with a Hello but say
Hows by you?
Getting any?
Whats the good word?
Hiya!
Whats cooking?
Howdy?
Whats shaking?
Hows tricks?
Whats happ?
Hows it been?
Yo!
How have you been?
Hows the world treating you?
How you been?
Whats coming up and whats
What have you been up to?
going down?
Hey now, say now, whatsay-say?
Que pasa?
Baggage
Furniture
Evidence
Jewelry
News
Money
Information
Knowledge
Insurance
Weather
DID YOU KNOW?
ALL GREEK AND LATIN
Its time to dot the is and cross the ts:
Centre on, NOT centre around
Countless foreign phrases now form part of an English dictionary

and every media professional must know them.
Cause celebre . Famous lawsuit
Mens rea Criminal intent
Tour de force Great feat
Sine qua non. Essential condition
Quid pro quo Something for something
Pret-a-porter. Ready to wear
Pro bono At no cost
Lapsus linguae.. Slip of tongue
Inter alia Among other things
SMARTEN YOUR TALK
CONFUSING COUPLES
Heres skin off your nose!..........Good health (a toast)!
Apprise.. inform
Appraise .. evaluate
Discreet . capable of keeping a secret
Discrete . . individually distinct
Disinterested . impartial
Uninterested .. not interested
Laudable . praiseworthy
Laudatory praiseful
Titillate tease
Titivate . smarten
To lambaste, NOT lambast

Marshal, NOT Marshall
Curtsy, NOT
-ey
Dignitary, NOT -tory

Margarine, NOT
-ger-
Renown, NOT Reknown

Remunerate, NOT Renumerate
Senior to, NOT Senior than
To return, NOT return back
(Go) take a running jump!........Go away!

Thatll be the day!....................Thats very unlikely!
Whats your poison?................What would you like to drink?
Get my drift?...........................Do you understand me?
You bet your boots!.................Certainly!
Its been a slice!.....................Its been good!
Go on!....................................I dont believe you!
Whats the odds?..................What does it matter?
Bag that!.................................Forget that!
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 39
DATE
7/9/15
7/9/15
8/9/15
8/9/15
9/9/15
10/9/15
10/9/15
10/9/15
NEWS
Audio conversation between AAP MPs
Bhagwant Mann and Dharamvir Gandhi
goes viral; Mann allegedly claims party
leadership plotting against everyone.
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
11:59 AM
12:00 NOON
12:02 PM
12.01 PM
Accused presented in court in Sheena Bora

murder case. Indrani, driver Shyamver Rai
sent to 14-day judicial custody.
3:57 PM
3:57 PM
3:57 PM
3:58 PM
Controversy over Gujarat govt ad, which

exhorts people to abstain from beef and
quotes the Quran to prove that eating
beef can cause diseases.
11:05 AM
11:05 AM
11:20 AM
11:21 AM
Rakesh Maria, probing Sheena Bora

murder case promoted as DG Home
Guards. Ahmad Javed takes over as
Police Commissioner.
12:40 PM
12:42 PM
12:45 PM
12:45 PM
Bihar Elections announced. CEC Nasim Zaidi

lays out the five-stage poll schedule for 243
seat assembly, starting October 12. Results
to be declared on November 8.
2:26 PM
2:27 PM
2:28 PM
2:28 PM
PM inaugurates World Hindi Conclave; says

people realize the importance of a language when they have lost it. Hindi is
important even abroad, says PM.
11:35 AM
11:36 AM
11:38 AM
Rahul Gandhi attacks PM, wonders

where are the acche din. Its only the
farmer who is dying of hunger, says the
Congress leader.
1:00 PM
1:01 PM
1:03 PM
1:03 PM
2:55 PM
2:57 PM
2:58 PM
2:58 PM
11:40 AM
Rajasthan govt imposes meat ban on

September 17, 18, 27.
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
11/9/15
11/9/15
11/9/15
16/9/15
16/9/15
17/9/15
17/9/15
18/9/15
NEWS
MCOCA court in Mumbai convicts 12 out of
13 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train
blasts, which had killed 189 people.
NEWS
CHANNEL TIME
10:07 AM
10:08 AM
10:08 AM
10:19 AM
Chhattisgarh follows Maharashtra,

Rajasthan and Gujarat in banning meat.
No slaughter and sale of meat till September 17 on account Paryushan.
11.55 AM
11:57 AM
11:58 AM
12:00
NOON
PM Modi addresses medical students at

34th convocation of PGIMER in Chandigarh. Says convocation is not the end of
their education.
11:00 AM
11:02 AM
11:03 AM
11:04 AM
The grand alliance (Cong-JDU-RJD) seeks a

meeting with the election commission;
wants suspension of PM Modis Mann Ki
Baat radio program till Bihar elections.
11:00 AM
11:01 AM
11:03 AM
11:05 AM
Congress hits out at the Modi govts decision to discontinue with postage stamps
featuring Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Launches protest at a press conference.
11:22 AM
11:25 AM
11:27 AM
11:39 AM
Dengue claims 14 lives. Delhi High

Court asks for a report from Kejriwal
govt, NDMC, MCD.
11:39 AM
11:40 AM
11:40 AM
SC upholds Bombay High Court judgment

against meat ban. Jain community had
filed a petition against HC judgment.
12:53 PM
12:56 PM
12:57 PM
8:29 AM
8:30 AM
8:31 AM
Pak Air Force base in Peshawar under

attack. There could be 10 or 11 terrorists .
Three terrorists gunned down so far.
11:41AM
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 41
Design
DESIGNS THAT MADE IMAGINATIVE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS,

FONTS, COLOR AND WHITE SPACES TO LEAVE AN IMPRESSION
By ANTHONY LAWRENCE
Modi has more on his shoulders than
he can manage, this much is clear.
The discordant note is clear from way
the instruments are loaded, indicative
of the state of the country.
Is Angela Merkel really the magnanimous state head that she is making
herself out to be? In the midst of the Syrian refugee crisis, this cover of
The Spectator conveys quite clearly the threat that her contradictory
signals pose to those making a perilous journey to the European shores.
The image says it all.
Virtual world is as scary as reality! Who would like their

hands sliced as sausages? But thats what the computer
software does. How about trying it to make the world a
better place?
Street art taken to limits. Would you like to lick

the dirt? But then, theres no limit to imagination
in this art form.
This sketch done by Satwik Gade for the book, Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why so powerfully depicts the struggles that
Ambedkar faced as a child, even for that basic need called water
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 43
Media Monitoring Advertising

TMM Survey
HOW INDIAN ADS

DEPICT WOMEN
SEPTEMBER 8 TO 12, 2015
IN A TOTAL OF 60 HOURS
A TMM survey of four channelsAaj Tak, ABP, Zee

News and India TVsheds some light on the
commodification of women
By VON Team
large part of consumer preference

is dictated by advertisements, be
they on TV, print or radio. While
some ads catch the eye and the ear
for their catchy one-liners and wit,
many hope to grab the consumers attention
based on frivolous and effervescent concepts.
In the race to do so, many end up being sexist
and regressive. Some objectify women in the
hope that men will end up buying their products.
Why else would a car advertisement have a
woman draped over the vehicle in a provocative
pose? Why else would a pan masala ad show a
model in seductive dance moves and why would
a clothing ad show a woman fantasizing about
her husband?
Some of the regressive ads that objectify
women are:
Skewed projection of women
While these ads are meant to titillate men, advertisers forget that many
women are now part of the work force and have bargaining power. Most
ads give one a sense of dj vu as they have the same ingredientsyoung,
slim women who are fair and conforming to our image of ideal beauty
(perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).
Be it beauty products (including colognes and deodorants for men),
tobacco, condoms or cars, its women who are shown in an obscene light.
How far is this projection of women justified across various media
platforms at a juncture when the media is purportedly espousing the
cause of womens rights, equality and dignity?
Research done by TMM among four news channels between September
8-12, 2015, in a total of 60 hours, found out that it was beauty products
which were mostly advertised, followed by food, electronics and vehicles.
The charts below show the product categories across channels, and figures
regarding sensuous ads. The survey features women-centric ads. It focussed on just five days. Imagine the preponderance of ads portraying
women in a sexist light over, say, a month or a year.
Percentage of ads in various product categories

(Between Sept 8 to 12, 2015)
13%
Manforce Condom: Actress Sunny

Leone, endorsing the condoms, is
shown posing seductively and
showing off her cleavage
15%
Shilajeet Pan
Masala: It again
shows Sunny Leone in
revealing clothes and
doing seducing
dance moves.
15%
Cosmetics
Food
Electronics
Vehicle
38%
34%
Total coverage of advertisement by

four channels in different categories
40
Amul Macho:Yeh to bada
toying hai, the ad says.
Here, wannabe actress Sana
Khan can be seen washing
an underwear and fantasizing her husband wearing it.
The suggestive expression of
the actress says it all.
35
30
25
(Between Sept 8 to 12, 2015)
36%
32%
34%
33%
28%
24%
23%
20
31%
27% 26%
25%
17%
17%
15
12%
23%
12%
10
5
Aaj Tak
Zee News
India TV
Cosmetics
Food
Electronics
ABP News
VIEWS ON NEWS
Vehicle
October 7, 2015 45
Media Monitoring Advertising

TMM Survey
Channel-wise break-up
of the ads
Percentage of vehicleads (in %)

(Between Sept 8 to 12 , 2015)

12%
27%
36%
12%
Aaj Tak
ABP News
Zee News
India TV
34%
23%
Aaj Tak
ABP News
Zee News
India TV
31%
25%
Aaj Tak, with 36%, is on top of the list,
followed by India TV at 27%, ABP at 25%
and Zee News at 12%. The beauty products are mainly endorsed by B-town
actresses and celebrities like Kareena
Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Aaj Tak led with 34% ads, followed by

ABP with 31%, Zee with 23% and India
TV with 12%. The ads featured cars, bikes
and scooties, and were endorsed by film
stars, celebrities and models.
Channel-wise break-up of food

product ads (in %)
Channel-wise breakup of
electronicsads
Break-up of sensuous ads

appearing on the channels
(Between Sept 8 to
12, 2015)
17%
32%
26%
17%
28%
23%
Aaj Tak
ABP News
Zee News
India TV
32% of food product ads

were on Aaj Tak, followed
by 28% on Zee News, 23%
on ABP and 17% on India
TV. Ads include cooking
oil, atta, tea leaves, food
masalas, etc.
33%
Aaj Tak
ABP News
Zee News
India TV
18%
24%
33% of electronics
ads were on Zee
News, followed by
26% on India TV,
24% on Aaj Tak
and 17% on ABP.
Deodorant
37%
Tobacco
18%
Talcum
28%
Condoms
EVERY FORTNIGHT VIEWS ON NEWS WILL BRING YOU TELL-ALL

NEWS, ANALYSES AND OPINION FROM THE SHARPEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND MOST INCISIVE MINDS IN THE NATION
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Governance Section
IS SHARAD PAWAR
PLAYING
THE CASTE CARD?
48
CHINKS IN MODIS
GUJARAT ARMOR
52
VIEWS ON NEWS
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SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
`50
Indrani-Sheena Storm
WHERE
DID THE
REST OF
INDIA GO?
Ajith Pillai, Bikram Vohra

and Shantanu Guha Ray
analyze how and why one
sensational story shoved
the nation into a black hole 12
SHASTRI
RAMACHANDARAN:
How media
handles
Sino-Indian
tussles
36
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MENON:
How the
dish blew
away the
antenna
26
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Will the
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channel
succeed?
32
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Governance
Meat Ban
The Politics of Meat

A
BROILING PROTEST
(Below) Nationalist
Congress Party
workers hold chicken
as they protest against
the meat-ban outside
the BMC
headquarters in
Mumbai
The banning of meat in

various states to honor
Jain sentiments is not
just about religious
issues. It is interlinked
with the economic and
political heft of this
community and
Mumbai corporation
polls in 2017
BY G MOORTHY IN MUMBAI
WHOLE week of debate over

the slaughter and sale of meat in
various statesbut most notably in Maharashtra, Gujarat
and Rajasthanto honour Jain
sentiments during the communitys festival of purification, Paryushan Parv, saw
fresh outrage on the evening of September 15. A
section of the television media stated that Karnataka, led by Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah, too
had banned the slaughter and sale of meat during
the impending Ganesh Chaturthi.
A malaise that seemed to have struck BJP state

governments and its over-enthusiastic elected representatives across the country now appeared to
spread to the Congress too. As the night wore on,
it became clear that the Karnataka government had
not issued such directives in the state but the
Benguluru civic body had banned meat for a day
on Ganesh Chaturthi, as it always did. But it still
made news.
The alacrity with which news of the ban made
it to headlines in the last few days pointed to a number of things in Indias discourse now. They revolved
around the private lives and personal choices of citizens in Prime Minister Narendra Modis India.
PERSONAL LIVES
One, it touched a raw nerve because it meant that
the government was now enlarging its footprint into
our personal lives, directing what food citizens can
and cannot buy on designated days. This was par-
ticularly galling in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai city and the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region
(MMR) which was placed under the beef ban by the
BJP government and an enthusiastic chief minister,
Devendra Fadnavis.
It is a telling comment that the Bombay High
Court had to step in to reduce the number of days
of ban from eight, four and two to one day in parts
of the MMR. Further, after a petition by the Bombay
Mutton Dealers Association challenged the ban, the
Court remind the government: You cannot have
this formula for a modern city like Mumbai. The
petition stated that the ban favored a small percentage of the population and was against the secular
fabric of the constitution.
Two, the ban sought to distinguish citizens into
classes based on their significance to the BJP and its
ideological battle. Thus, Jains and their lifestyle preferences during their festival were deemed more significant and superior to the inalienable
FOLLOWING THE FAITH

(Below) Jain devotees
observing fast on the
last day of Paryushan
in Ahmedabad on
September 15
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 49
Governance
Meat Ban
constitutional rights of other citizens to choose and

buy their food during those days. That one state
after another, including Gujarat and Rajasthan, one
municipal corporation after another in BJP-ruled
states enforced the ban, often extending it by four
and eight days, with proposals to extend it further,
sent out clear signals to non-Jain citizens. It was
bound to spark off sharp reactions from other communities, especially Muslims, Christians, meat-eating Hindus and Kolis.
WIELDING INFLUENCE
(Below) The jewelry
trade is dominated by
the Jain community
POWERFUL COMMUNITY
To place this in perspective, Jains constitute less than
0.5 percent of Indias population. In Mumbai and
MMR, this is higher at around four to five percent,
but their economic, commercial, social and political
influence far outweighs their numbers. In trades
such as diamond cutting and polishing, gems and
jewelry, stock and commodity exchanges, they
dominate to an extent that the trades have come to
be identified with the community.
For years together, they backed both the Con-
gress and the BJP but, in the last few decades, their
political preference for the BJP has been marked and
overwhelming. Their unabashed pitch for Modis
prime ministerial candidature turned into institutional support on the floor of the all-powerful
Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai two years ago.
So, when BJP-ruled states and civic corporations
picked up an old directive issued during previous
Congress regimes to forcefully implement and extend the ban, the political motive would have been
hard to miss.
Three, the ban was absurd and illogical in many
ways beyond the personal rights over food. In
Mumbai, a number of slaughter houses would remain shut for a day or two during the Paryushan
Parv and, indeed, during major Hindu festivals such
as Ganesh Chaturthi, but sale was allowed without
any of the brouhaha witnessed this year. Often, the
local police would go around forcing them to close
but it did not make headlines. This year, as the BJP
government and its elected representatives in the assembly and municipal corporations raised the
stakes over extending it to
eight days and demanded a
complete shutdown of all
slaughter and sale of meat,
the issue came to revolve
around one communitys
prestige against another.
TRUST DEFICIT
In fact, the ban on slaughter
and sale of meat is neither
new nor has it happened out
of the blue. In Maharashtra,
for instance, the ban during
the Jain festival was first
proposed for a day in 1964,
then increased to two days
in 1994, both under Congress governments. It was
subsequently re-introduced
in 2004 under a Congress-
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government. It

was interpreted neither as a pro-Jain nor as an antiMuslim decision. But in the climate where Fadnavis
government has taken decisions that raised the
hackles of Muslimsbanning sale and possession
of beef earlier this year, not extending the quota for
Muslims in jobs and educational institutions but
doing it for Marathasthe meat ban deepened the
faultline and the trust deficit between the community and the government.
There is a Hitler-like regime and the police is
doing the rounds and asking shops to shut down,
alleged Zubin Kamdin, lawyer for Bombay Mutton
Dealers Association, in the High Court. In the previous years, the ban was limited to slaughtering of
animals for two days during the Paryushan period,
but the ban on sale was being additionally imposed
for the first time this year, he pointed out. Asked by
the Court why the government had not banned fish
and eggs during the Jain festival, the state advocategeneral helpfully explained: There is no slaughter
of fish, they die when they are taken out of water
provoking much mirth all around. Indeed, if the ban
was driven only by a pro-Jain sentiment, even the
sale of onions, garlic and root-based foods such as
potatoes should have been banned given that Jains
eschew them.
Four, the political intertwining of the issue
played a large part in keeping it on the boil. While
the Congress, the opposition party in many states,
including Maharashtra, and the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) silently watched the
unfolding of this bizarre drama over food preferences and religious sentiments, other parties joined
in. The Shiv Sena, for instance, picked up the gauntlet against the Fadnavis government. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray was unusually aggressive in
opposing the ban, asserting that the party would
ensure that there is no ban on sale of meat, exhorting his lieutenants to protest visibly and using the
partys newspaper to put the Jains in their place.
Thackeray even managed to appear liberal for a
brief while in the partys 49-year-old history of in-
POWER BROKERS
(Left) Maharashtra
Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis
of the BJP
enthusiastically
supported the
meat ban
(Below) Mercurial Shiv
Sena leader Raj
Thackeray was a
surprising opponent of
the ban, albeit for his
own reasons
Asked by the
Court why the
government had
not banned fish
and eggs during
the Jain festival,
the state
advocate-general
explained:
There is no
slaughter of fish,
they die when
they are taken
out of water.
tolerances. His cousin, Raj Thackeray, went more
ballistic, not only opposing the ban but also reminding the Jains that Mumbai belonged to Marathis.
SENAS VESTED INTEREST
But there was more to their strident opposition. The
Sena has had a number of grievances with the Fadnavis government, though it continues to be a junior
partner in it. Its visible opposition to the meat ban
would help it in two ways in the 2017 election to the
BMC: to further consolidate its hold over
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 51
Governance
Meat Ban
Cant be pushed down

the throat of citizens
THE Supreme Court has upheld the Bombay High Courts
decision to lift the ban on sale of meat in Mumbai during
the Jain festival of Paryushan.
The SC bench of Justices TS Thakur and Kurien Joseph,
while dismissing the petition by a trust run by the Jain
community, said: Spirit of tolerance is important and it has
to be inculcated. These are the issues which cannot be
forced down some ones throat and these things should not
be thrust on a particular class. The Court asked the government and its agencies to be more tolerant towards diversity.
The trust contented that non-violence was a cherished
dream of the country and people should show compassion
towards animals. Manish Singhvi, the counsel for the trust,
asked what harm could be caused by not selling meat for a
day or two. To that the bench responded that there was no
logic to show compassion to animals only during festivals
when ban was imposed. It should be shown throughout
the year.
The apex court asked petitioner to approach the
Bombay High Court where the matter is pending as the
petition is dismissed as withdrawn.
Justice Kurien Joseph
Justice TS Thakur
Maharashtrians and Marathi-speakers, many of

whom are meat-eaters, and appeal to parochial instincts over the influence of Jains (and Gujaratis)
over Mumbai. It helps to recall that Gujaratis and
Jains were the first adversaries for the Sena, even before South Indians were targeted. The faultlines
were renewed during the Lok Sabha and assembly
elections last year as the BJP rode the Modi wave
and cast aside its long-time ally, the Sena.
But, typical of the Sena, there were inconsistencies during the ban. The current fracas started in the
Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, in the
northern suburb of Mumbai, when it passed a resolution to ban the slaughter and sale of meat during
Paryushan Parv. Jains comprise an estimated 1.2
lakh of the 8.5 lakh residents of Mira-Bhayandar.
The civic corporation is currently run by the BJPSena. When the resolution came up for vote, the
Sena members abstained, allowing it to be passed.
In the BMC, the Sena is the party with the highest

numbers, though it runs the corporation with the
BJP. Here, it did not object to the resolution nor did
it do so in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. However, the Sena showed its belligerent opposition on the streets and the media.
The political intention was clear; it took precedence over other niceties such as constitutional
rights and individual liberties. In fact, a delegation
of Jain community leaders holding important positions in various trades, called on Thackeray after a
week of raised temperatures over the ban. Thackeray issued a statement of compromise, putting the
entire issue down to misunderstanding on both
sides. Raj Thackerays idea of protesting with a meat
garland/toran outside Jain temples drew sneers even
from the most hardened Sainik.
MATTER OF CONVENIENCE
The choicest cut of meat must go to Sharad Pawars
NCP. Its representatives in Mumbai fiercely opposed
the meat ban, calling it ludicrous. But in the Navi
Mumbai Civic Corporation, which it presides over,
the NCP was only too happy to introduce the ban
and extend it to four and eight days. Pawar has not
issued a statement yet explaining the contradiction.
Lastly, those who criticized the ban on the
grounds that it was appeasement of a certain section
of the population, were informed by Dinesh Jain,
the BJP corporator who moved the resolution in
Mira-Bhayandar that it was not anti-Muslim at all
but a question of religious sentiments that Jain sadhus need not see meat hanging in shops during a
period of purification. But as the popular sentiment
against the ban gathered momentum, Jain sadhus
took a break from the acts of purification and forgiveness to take to the streets against the meat ban.
And Dinesh Jain helpfully suggested that he would
argue for a ban on liquor shops, sale and consumption during Ramzan next year.
Clearly, the ban bandwagon is on a roll and cynical political calculations will keep it going for a
while now.
Governance
Gujarat
Solar Power
Farming Solar Energy

In a new initiative, Gujarat will reduce its dependence on
fossil fuels and rope in farmers to tap solar energy from
their lands and earn additional income
BY KAUSHIK JOSHI in Ahmedabad
NDUSTRIALIZED nations the

world over have installed significant solar power capacity into
their grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. An increasing number of developing nations
too have turned to solar energy to reduce dependence on expensive, imported fuels. Gradu-
ally replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy

resources is the need of the hour.
In India, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu are the leading states in regards
to solar power generation. With its recently announced agro-solar policy, Gujarat is the only
state to link agriculture with solar energy. Under
this policy, farmers in the state would be roped
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
(Above) An example of
farmland being used
for the dual purpose of
cultivation and solar
energy generation
VIEWS ON NEWS
October 7, 2015 53
Governance
Gujarat
Solar Power
BRIGHT FUTURE
(Right) T Harinarayana,
Director, GERMI, is
optimistic about
energy output through
these solar panels
(Below) Photovoltaic
panels installed at
Pandit Deendayal
Petroleum University
Scientists also
studied the
impact, if any,
of solar panel
shades on
crops growing
below them.
Happily, it was
found that the
crops could be
grown without
reduction in
their yield by
this method.
in to tap solar energy and earn additional income from power generation companies.
he project, developed by the Gandhinagarbased Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI), helps farmers
install agro-solar plants on their fields. The
project envisions the installation of solar panels
on structures elevated between three to five meters above fertile and cultivable land.
Says Prof T Harinarayana, director of
GERMI: Having studied the concept, we can
proudly say that it can be implemented all over
India and at all locations. Power can be generated using the farmers own land and give him
profit too.
Even as the farmer cultivates
his land, it can be used
for generating power.
This can then be used by
him to work motor pumps
to irrigate crops. If replicated properly across the
country, it can help India attain
the goal of energy security.
The project will also offer an incentive to the farmer as he will be
paid for generating excess energy, which can then

be connected to the main power grid or the
micro-grid. The farmer can also lend his land
for power generation, for which he will be paid
by the power industry developer. Thus, it is a winwin situation both for the farmer and the developer, adds Harinarayana.
Scientists also studied the impact, if any, of
solar panel shades on crops growing below them.
Happily, it was found that the crops could be
grown without reduction in their yield by this
method. This method of generating electricity
would save enormous amounts of money, currently spent on establishing transmission and distribution lines.
Harinarayana explains: Most of our villages
suffer for want of electricity. Consequently, they
dont get enough water for cultivation. State governments spend huge amounts of money on laying transmission lines to reach remotely located
villages. In this context, the agro-solar concept is
an affordable and innovative solution.
ujarat, which recently announced its Solar

Power Policy 2015, aims for a future with
reduced dependence on fossil fuels. It seeks to
promote investment, employment generation and
skill enhancement in the renewable energy sector,
as well as promote productive use of barren and
uncultivated lands.
Gujarat will also push for the use of subsidized
agro-solar pumps, in collaboration with the central government and agencies. The farmer can
also sell surplus power to the distribution company. For isolated and scattered residences in
rural areas where grid connection is not feasible,
the state has taken up an initiative for a home
lighting system. Solar cooking and water heating
systems have also been advocated for a cleaner
environment and healthy living. The government
has also exempted solar power from electricity
duty. Considering its viability, other states in
India should go solar too.
RNI No. UPENG/2007/22571
Postal Regd. No. UP/GBD-204/2015-17

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Governance Section

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T-20 match. Jaiswal had to interrupt his speech to

hurling abuse in public somehow gets recorded.

demanding money for land owned by them. Naresh