MxMIndia

Tag: Alt News

  • "The mainstream media has played a massive role in fanning flames of hatred," writes Ranjona Banerji

    Hit the child harder

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiThe news cycle in India is like a yoyo, swinging between one bizarre act by the government to another worship of the PM to one more ghastly act of communal, casteist and gender violence.

    Of course, just because the news cycle swings like this does not necessarily mean that the Indian news media follows suit.

    A very disturbing video of a school teacher urging students to beat up a classmate went viral this week. From the video it appeared that the teacher was urging the students to hit the boy harder and also what sounded like this treatment was for all “Mohammedans”.

    From both the communal angle as well as the child rights angle, the video was painful to watch. Most people who saw it on sites like X (formerly Twitter) were outraged, including several shameless TV people who have consistently egged on anti-Muslim sentiments and violence for the past nine years. The video was shared by many, picked up by news sites and spread across cyber space.

    https://www.thequint.com/news/india/muzaffnagar-muslim-child-beaten-classroom-tripta-tyagi-neha-public-school

    https://www.boomlive.in/news/uttar-pradesh-neha-public-school-tripta-tyagi-muslim-student-beaten-viral-video-22860

    As the internet outraged away, the pincer movement from our strong Hindutva brigade began. The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights posted that the video should not be shared because it violated the rights of the child, and action would be taken against those who continued to share it. The BJP propaganda website known as “OpIndia” (as in “Opposed to India”, I feel) tagged the NCPR chief and asked for action to be taken against Mohammed Zubair of Alt News, the fact-checking website. The post ended with the line, “let’s get him this time”.

    I add that line for all of you who continue to believe that this BJP site is a genuine news site.

    Then people identified the school, the boy’s father was located, the teacher was named – Tripti Tyagi, and the Muzaffarnagar Police was also activated. I should not need to specify that the school was in India’s most developed and forward state, Uttar Pradesh, but I shall do it anyway.

    The defence of the teacher began in a number of ways: she was differently abled so could not get up and hit the child herself, she was asked by the parents to beat up the child, she was loved by the villagers, she was ashamed, she was not ashamed, the video was edited and she only meant that “Mohammedan children should not be taken to their maternal uncle’s homes by their mothers or they would miss school”, the boy had not done his homework and any number of such stories.

    The school was found to be unregistered and unlicensed and apparently shut down. The teacher was “booked” but not further action was taken. There are laws about beating up children, but never mind. Let’s see what happened next.

    Which was that an FIR was filed against Zubair for sharing the video. Out of the thousands of people who had shared that video, only Zubair was targeted. Because of his fact-checking stories and his Muslim name, Zubair has been a consistent target. The bullseye on his back was painted by the BJP website, and obviously, the system was activated.

    https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/police-book-alt-news-mohammed-zubair-sharing-video-muslim-boy-being-beaten-181627

    A number of side arguments carried on around the incident: many teachers are like this, this has always happened (the foremost excuse from liberals which translates to “do nothing), this is not “my’ Hinduism, what about the student who was beaten up in Jammu for writing Jai Shri Ram on the blackboard (teacher arrested), where were you when Mahmud of Ghazni did that or that.

    But everyone inside themselves knows how deep the hatred has seeped and knows how the mainstream media has played a massive role in fanning those flames.

    The internet is now full of other videos of children spouting vile communal propaganda.

    And then comes this incident, from a Delhi school:

    https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/delhi-gandhi-nagar-sarvodaya-bal-vidyalaya-in-gandhi-nagar-hema-gulati-why-didnt-you-go-to-pak-delhi-teacher-charged-for-comments-in-class-4338256

    Sadly, for us all this will soon be forgotten. The G20 summit begins in Delhi in September and the mainstream media will begin collective sashtang pranams (genuflection) to the glory of the Emperor.

    Children can now get thrashed with impunity, Muslims killed, Dalits killed, women beaten and raped, Manipur burn and all the rest of it.

    Prove me wrong.

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.

     

  • The media is an active collaborator in our mutually assured destruction of democracy, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Blindfolded to transgressions on our fundamental rights…

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiFor all those within the media who have wilfully blindfolded themselves to the transgressions of the state on our fundamental rights, the time of reckoning has come.

     

    Around the anniversary of Independent India’s darkest hour – the imposition of the Emergency which suspended our Constitutional rights – the current administration has tried to outdo the past. Then, the media was accused of being compliant. Now the media is an active collaborator in our mutually assured destruction of democracy.

     

    After a direct nudge from the Supreme Court, the Gujarat ATS arrested journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad from her home in Mumbai on Saturday, June 25. Her crime? To dare to take on the Gujarat government for its role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Narendra Modi was chief minister then; he is Prime Minister now.

     

    Whistleblower RB Sreekumar, former IPS officer was also arrested from his home in Gandhinagar. Sanjiv Bhatt, also former IPS, is in jail for a custodial death under his watch, and he is also named as part of this “conspiracy” against the Gujarat government.

     

    On Monday June 27, journalist Mohammed Zubair of the fact-checking website Alt News was arrested from Bengaluru by the Delhi Police. His crime? A complaint filed by a Twitter user about a still from a 1983 Hrishikesh Mukherjee film which Zubair had retweeted.

     

    The anger is Zubair is known. In recent times, he has been relentless against exposing all the legal transgressions by the state when it comes to dismantling and destroying Muslim homes, and against all those who cyber-bullied Muslim women. One of the existing cases against him is for using the term “hatemonger”. The mind boggles at the pettiness of the Indian state.

     

    The underlying message is clear: any journalist who speaks against the State will feel the might of the State. In the case of Setalvad, she has been a thorn in the side of the Modi administration for 20 years now. The report by the Citizens for Justice and Peace, an NGO started by many prominent citizens including the late Alyque Padamsee and Anil Dharker in 2020, of which Setalvad is one, about a supposed meeting held in Gandhinagar just before the riots broke out in Gujarat has been the main sore.

     

    By dismissing the case against Zakia Jafri and CJP on June 24, the apex court almost paved away from this harassment and legal travesty of the notion of freedom of expression and the right to justice.

     

     

    The Network of Women in Media, India, has issued a statement to protest the arrest of Setalvad, as has the Mumbai Press Club. The Digipub News India Foundation has issued a statement in support of Zubair (see screenshot). There have been protests across India for Setalvad’s release. Some others may also speak up.

    The NWMI condemns arrest of journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad

    https://sabrangindia.in/article/nation-unites-demand-teesta-setalvads-release

     

    https://scroll.in/latest/1027071/journalist-mohammed-zubair-arrested-for-allegedly-hurting-religious-sentiments

     

    Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur in Human Rights Defenders tweeted this:

     

    “Deeply concerned by reports that WHRD Teesta Setalvad being detained by Anti Terrorism Squad of Gujarat police. Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime. I call for her release and an end to persecution by the Indian state.”

     

    But from with the Indian media, we know that few will speak up but for the usual suspects.

     

    After all, it was the pro-government ANI’s interview with Union Home Minister Amit Shah which implicitly pushed the police to arrest Setalvad.

     

    Most of TV will create distractions and continue to fan Islamophobia by pretending that Hindus are under threat.

     

    The rest of the time the focus will be praise of the BJP and Modi.

    That’s the Indian media for you.

    That’s the level of disregard for our own rights to function in a democracy.

    On the assumption that we still are a democracy, in name at least.

    If the bulk of the Indian media had its way… they themselves would not exist.

    Right?

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal

     

  • The one category of media professional which truly deserve to receive accolades is the Independent Journalists.

    It’s The Independent Journalist. The MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2020

     

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

    Greetings! It’s that time of the year when we announce the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year. Unlike various other awards and presentations, this is done via MxMIndia, not through an event. This ensure we aren’t dictated by the demands (and exigencies) of sponsors and the constraints that venues and budgets put us under. So, it’s just an online announcement.

     

    First, a quick look at how we are different from various other awards/title presentations:

     

    It’s not based on a survey. It’s not based on any industry poll. It is based on a study conducted by us through the year. This makes the decision-making tougher, as we can’t pass the blame on to research. Or the collective view of the industry. Or of a jury.

     

    Second, it’s an A&M industry study. Agreed CEOs of big clients are important, but we are looking at CMOs and not CEOs of well-marketed organisations. And we look at journalists, creative folk… almost every person in the A&M&E sector. We don’t look at politicians, else you know who would be a permanent Mediaperson of the Year 😉

     

    Third, we look at performance through the year, and do not base it on the highs of the last two quarters of a year which tend to influence any voting-based process at the yearend.

     

    Fourth, it’s about performance in the year. The highs and highs achieved in this calendar year.

     

    Fifth, we give you a clear reason why we have chosen the winner

     

    Sixth, we are as sincere and honest about the awards as one can get. A few years back there were suggestions that we should make it an on-ground event. But then that comes with its own set of issues (and compulsions). We even had one large media group expressing its interest five years back. But we think it could’ve influenced our decision-making.

     

    Seventh, we do it with no intent of future favours. That currying favour with anyone will help us in any way. Revenues especially.

     

    So: the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2020 is an online presentation. It’s an accolade that’s for the truly well-deserving. And for the True Achiever of 2020 in the Indian Media, Advertising & Marketing arena.

     

    With the backgrounders done, here’s how we went about our task.

     

    We maintain an online notebook that records important developments of the year. It’s also a drill that ensures one can do recaps etc with ease.

     

    For the Mediaperson of the Year, one reviews names, quarter-wise. This ensures the choice of the winner doesn’t suffer from the recency factor.

     

    We looked at various names. We don’t miss the achievements of the various media biggies as they went on consolidating operations.

     

    We had also asked our readers for their nominations, and we added these to arrive at a shortlist of five.

     

    Ladies and Gentlemen, We have great pride in announcing that the 2019 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year Award is:

     

    The Independent Journalist

     

    So how did we arrive at our decision: 

     

    If the year 2019 was horrible for the media, advertising and marketing ecosystem, 2020 was terrible. It could’ve almost wiped us out. Only the Burre Din happened, and they still have’t gone away.

     

    The Covid-19-led pandemic has had a terrible impact on the state of the economy and hence the business of media. Profits are down, losses are up, work has reduced or has vanished and the bottomlines have been severely impacted.

     

    We looked at every part of the sector and did think there were some high performers.

     

    But we were looking at positive attributes so we couldn’t have selected Arnab Goswami, even though he achieved much success with Republic Bharat this year. We had Barkha Dutt doing a splendid show with her crisscross of the country, but that’s one expects from journalists of her calibre.

     

    We also had Rajdeep Sardesai in our shortlist, for doing a consistently good job through the year. Neutral, unbiased journalism, asking the uncomfortable questions to all and doing well with the Covid-19 coverage since March. But that’s what one would expect from an editor like Sardesai.

     

    In advertising and the rest of the media, there were a few bright sparks in the year, but no one truly deserving of this accolade.

     

    The one category of media professional which truly deserve to receive accolades is the Independent Journalists. Journalists who have moved out of the big newspapers and channels and did some super work as independents – bloggers, small websites or using platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to post about things. There are some who aren’t professional journalists, but are doing better than full-time trained journalists.

     

    We consulted our columnist, senior journalist and Consulting Editor Ranjona Banerji to share a few names of people she follows and her list matched ours. To name a few: Rema Nagarajan, Anoo Bhooyan, Vidya Krishnan, Suchitra Vijayan, Saahil Meghani and Saahil Murli Menghani. Then there are others like Polis Project, Live Law, Bar and Bench and Diet Sabya some of which may not be one-person operations, but they could be classified as Independents.

     

    There have been independents in the past as well: The Wire, Scroll, then there is Alt News, Boomlive and various others not promoted by mainstream media entities but we named The Independent Journalist as the 2020 Mediaperson of the Year because of the nature of work done by the Independents this year.

     

    Kudos to all the super-achiever independents. Truly deserving winners of the 2020 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year title.