Media Monocle 3

An Ethical Citation?

Caravan is one of India’s most-known long-form magazines and its editor Vinod Jose has written novella-like profiles of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is for the former article and another on the profitability of an ethical media, that Jose has been recognised by the Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia (http://asiasociety.org/media/press-releases/bloomberg-news-team-wins-asia-society-osborn-elliott-prize-excellence-journalis). While it’s commendable, it is also a little odd that Jose’s long piece on media ethics begins with him eavesdropping at a press conference on the text messages a lobbyist in Delhi bangs out to a scribe. Jose does mention that, much to his shame, he let his eyes drift toward to the lobbyist’s phones and for a second he invaded his privacy. Does admission of guilt condone an act of privacy invasion, even if for the purpose of uncovering the work of a lobbyist? Think what you will, it won him an award for excellence in journalism.

Firstpost’s Internet Oscar

You get a prize – any prize – you flaunt it. Even if you are mentioned for an award category – any mention – you go to town with it. Within a year of launching its mobile app, Firstpost has got the kind of thumbs-up the main characters in The Big Bang Theory would be proud of. They’ve made it to a who’s who list of honourees for media innovation worldwide -the Webby Awards list of honourees under the mobile apps (tablet and all other devices) category. The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Firstpost just got certified as nerds.

The Empire and Kim Jong Un

The BBC has landed itself in a North Korean soup. A group of students from the London School of Economics went on a trip to North Korea organised by BBC. What they didn’t realise was that their group included three journalists from the BBC. A banned entity in the world of Kim Jong Un and reason enough for the group to be nuked by the Little Master. The BBC hasclaimed that it briefed the students more than once that embedded journalists were part of their entourage and that they could face arrest if North Korean authorities realised this. The students claim that they became aware of the presence of the journalists only once they’d reached Pyongyang. In the meantime, media regulator Ofcom is considering undertaking a formal investigation about this controversy. And despite all the brouhaha, BBC is going ahead with broadcasting the episode. Just goes to show that if in the pursuit of a good story, the repercussions mean endangering students and non-journalists, that’s just collateral damage for the BBC.

Bengal gets emotional

A media career can often be the cause of many tears for those eking out a living through the profession. And life in Bengal can also make your burst into tears. But the cause for tears this time around, wasn’t either of these. On Monday, on the day of the Bengali New Year, cast, crew and associated artistes who worked for the Bengali channel Tara Muzik came on-air and wept, in a mass gesture of helplessness. The reason? The channel was sinking. Many Bengali media ventures have run on an uncertain financial model – that of chit funds. And Tara Muzik and Tara News are the latest casualty in the media in Bengal. The two channels are part of the Saradha Group, which made its money through the chit fund business before moving into businesses such as realty, tourism and construction. Just to drive home the trauma being undergone, a choreographed show was organised with dark clouds and anchors and actors and actresses from Tara Muzik weeping on cue and resolving to keep fighting. If celebration is a spectacle, so is grief. Even bad news, about one’s channel going to the dogs, can bring in the TRPs. Sadly it’s not good enough to keep the Bangla show on-air.

Cyrus Broacha haazir ho…

We always knew Cyrus Broacha would get into trouble, but we thought that would be for bad jokes. We were so wrong. Turns out the Tamil Nadu government does not like his sense of humour and has filed a defamation case against him. It took an exception to his remarks in The Week That Wasn’t on April 2, where he commented on Jayalalithaa and her letter to the PM asking that Sri Lankan players not be allowed to participate in the IPL.

The criminal defamation case filed by City Public Prosecutor ML Jegan on behalf of amma, also names scriptwriter Ashish Shakya and the show’s director Kunal Vijayakar. Broacha may reportedly have to face trial. At least someone’s taking TWTW seriously.