I write in with a heavy heart. I decided to pick up the offer from CNN-IBN guys despite my deep misgivings about a foreign news channel operating in India. Despite the fact that these guys claim to have only “content sharing agreement”. Whatever it means.
Over the past few weeks, this organisation has sought to censor comments from appearing all over. We all know that this form of censorship, where criticism isn’t tolerated, is bad enough. As long as it isn’t personal, I believe that constructive criticism can shore up a lagging performance.
However, it seems that CNN-IBN guys don’t seem to like me. I made efforts to comment on Rajdeep’s blog entry which subsequently didn’t appear on their web site. The salt on the wounds is that I had merely agreed with Rajdeep’s blog entry and offered my own two cents of “advice”. Despite the difference of opinion with their editorial policies, I find no reason as to why it wasn’t allowed to appear. A subsequent email to their web editor only elicited a denial and gobbledegook. I must hasten to add that there is nothing personal with anyone of them. I understand that they are constrained because of their “massa’s orders”. However, I wouldn’t deal with such an organisation as a whole which seeks to gag.
Sorry guys. I thought, I could highlight the sorry state of Broadband Access on a wider canvas. Now I don’t care. The blog entries are good enough. It was with this intention, I was egged on and I decided to bury the hatchet about foreign media ownership. However, I wouldn’t even re consider the decision in the light of the events. Being devoted to Open Source and Open Access, I believe that it’s perfectly valid for organisations to get flak for their ommissions. If it doesn’t work out because the bozos feel that they are above criticism or have a “God” like status with immensely fragile/ brittle egos, it’s best not to deal with such an organisation.
Media in whatever form, isn’t interested to highlight the real issues. Just an after thought though. NDTV was airing a Sunday special with Prannoy Roy on the Indo-Pak relations. Hmm. 50+ years and there is no solution. If this is what you call as “serious journalism”, then God help you! There are vested lobbies working in the background that seek to undermine national interests and media is their most powerful weapon. We could do without Pakistan or Bangladesh for that matter.
Read more on the same issue on India Media Bash blog entry.
You are the new RantMan.
/me hands over my title to you.
Yey! for Dr. Abhishek Puri.
Don’t worry dude. I think it’s even better that you are not with CNN-IBN. Writing there would have forced you to make lots of cuts and edits; sometimes destroying the soul of the article altogether.
Blogging here gives you freedom to voice your opinion in your own way.
You could rope in a few more contributors from other parts of India that could provide an insight in to their own plights–which may not be necessarily similar to yours.
My two cents.
(ps: Please add “live comment preview” plugin
)
Why am i not surprised this did not work out
If you ever stuck ith CNN-IBN, i get the feeling it might appear as if the good doctor had been over zealous in raiding his sedatives compartment, if u get my drift
But it’s good experience, when you are dealing with mass media whose prime intention is to “inform” rather than criticise, leave that to the columnists do. I think with time, that could be a good niche for you to operate in.
Meanwhile back to regular programming.
Actually going on the criticism thing with columnists here. I get the impression it’s quite watered down in other areas as well compated to what you come to expect in democratic countries.
It was with some surprie that i saw India languishing close to the bottom wrt to press freedom here. Funny thing is the govt does not stop journalists in this, but apparently a lot of activists.
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554
We were at 80th palce in 2002 !!!
Open source eh, i’m surprised to know that LIC went with Red Hat..
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/08/2150239
blr_p, I got no official confirmation from CNN-IBN guys. Just that, I took the unilateral decision on my own and announced it. It seems that they haven’t set up the CMS. Possibly, they might not even want to have independent “collumnists”, as you put it across.
Frankly, I was seething with this censorship drama, specially when they they decided to keep the matters status quo. Unfortunately, their response didn’t help the matters either.
Good link for the RSF website. There is an inevitable gag order that operates. Criticism isn’t valid for thick skulls. They would seek to control they way they know.
Hmm, as for the live preview plug in, let me see. We want to change the look all over again as is there on the media blog. We might add that soon.
This is as good as it gets! The Ajax power…
Feel very sad dude… I had great expectations when you had informed about the talk with `CNN’, well now that seems to have died an untimely death. I really wish my A** was not bleeding (literally.. u know that, and untill i get the surgery done, it will keep on bleeding).. what is the next course of action? Give a gala `snacks & drinks’ party to the newspaper reporters so that they can put in a small comment about our sufferings?
Dada, even if I switch over to CNN-IBN guys, assuming overnight and with a readership running in thousands, I still wouldn’t have been able to translate that in action at the level of BSNL/ Department of Telecom.
I tried my level best, but in a media set up, it needs to be backed up with proper proof et al. Further, I have a sick feeling that I would have to sign in some kind of a contract/ or inevitable gag order. The freedom that I enjoy here couldn’t have been replicated elsewhere. (as BD rightly observes).
I have explored options for filing a class action suit too. However, as I mentioned in the earlier blog entry, it would be difficult to define the word “monopoly”.
TRAI is bound because those guys cannot take action against telecom companies. I would have had to go to TDSAT. This means, going to Delhi and filing a case. Not a sensible proposition, isn’t it? Further, hiring the lawyer et al. And one more thing. They don’t admit PIL’s as a matter of routine.
For consumer court case, you would have to define “deficiency” in service. BSNL has it’s own “logic” behind keeping the limits to 1 GB. It’s take it or leave it. There is no deficiency in service. The BB is good in fact. The speeds are nearly as good as advertised.
The best option and within legal parameters is the Spam campaign which we are carrying out. I mail everyday, twice or thrice in a day. This is what which might work.
Journos are not interested to highlight the hassle because it concerns no one. The computer literacy according to them is just click on Windows and it should fucking work. If it doesn’t, the support systems kick in. For them, the broadband hassles make no sense. They fucking dont realise the potential implications of Digital Divide.
One more thing, before I stop. I remember reading a write up by Sevanti Ninan on The Hindu. She writes in bi weekly column on Sundays and is the managing editor of The Hoot (www.thehoot.org) You could excuse her leftist leanings and “secular credentials”. However, she writes good.
Anyway, these guys have been at the forefront of setting up Community Radios. They cheered when the recent FM licences were issued. We are ruled by archaic laws governing the radio spread. Thats another sob story. The point here is that Community radios have the potential to transform the knowledge seeking behaviour. Health issues and even local issues can dominate and inform people. Yet, setting up a FM radio station is a crime! The point is that within journo’s club, there are enough idiots to justify the tag which makes it difficult to communicate the ideas behind revolutionary concepts. They couldn’t make other journalists write in for community radios at all. Except maybe for The Hindu, no other newspaper carried out the campaign, so as to say. The maximum readership is for The Times of India, which likes to carry pics of naked women.
I wouldn’t deal with bunch of loosers(read mainstream media or Television channels) for that matter. They don’t realise the potential complications/ troubles with inequitable growth of the society.
Well, the guest posts were always welcome! Infact, they would add to the variety and I welcome personal experiences et al.
Indeed, Dada, I am glad that you have decided to drop in often here and be a part of the ideas. Let’s make this as a viable ecosystem.
that was a comment?
I tried to make it as a comment!