You Don’t Have To Be A Great Economist To Be A PM: Karan Thapar

Karan Thapar in conversation with journalist Ayaz Memon at the Talk Journalism 2018 conclave

 

By Anusuya Som

Jaipur, 10 August, 2018 – A politician need not be a great economist to be a good prime minister, said journalist Karan Thapar at the Talk Journalism conclave here on Friday, citing the example of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and India Gandhi.

“See I am not saying that Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) does not have good qualities. Even Manmohan Singh was not a loquacious person but yes he was a great economist. But again a politician or a Prime Minister does not have to be a great economist. Great PM like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were not,” Thapar said after a panel discussion with senior journalist Ayaz Memon.

“All you need is a good set of people with a clear intention and good policies for the people,” Thapar, whose book ‘The Devil’s Advocate’, which has a section on his controversial 2007 interview with Modi, said.

When Thapar was asked if curbs on free speech can be compared to the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Indira Gandhi government, Thapar said it will be wrong to compare the two.

“Emergency was way more strict and the scenario then was much more pathetic. But yes the present scenario is deeply disturbing but I don’t think we should compare the two. If we would that then we are not giving enough respect to emergency,” he said.

The report was filed during live newsroom workshop conducted by Institute of Integrated Digital journalism and Mass Communication (IIDJM) 

Each Time Media Mentions Caste In An Incident It Triggers Violence

Japan Pathak, Founder/Editor of Desh Gujarat and Political Commentator on print, TV and digital media. Took the dais at Talkfest Journalism to speak on Covering the Caste Bias.

 

By Jyoti Mamnani and Dhanraj Chauhan

Jaipur, 10 August, 2018 – Caste is a volatile topic in India. We keep reading about inter caste incidents that lead to violence, rioting, and death. Given this, what should be the role of news media in reporting caste. This is the topic on which the Founder/Editor of Desh Gujarat Japan K Pathak, spoke at the Talk Journalism event in Jaipur.

Mentioning caste when an incident takes place ensures that it becomes a high profile incident, attracting politicians, religious institutions, activists, NGOs and others. This raises temperatures all around, and, it shouldn’t be done in a sensitive society like India; said Japan Pathak in his session on covering caste bias. He gave several examples of Dalit atrocities and the communal pressure that it creates among the people. People from the lower caste have lost jobs and opportunities due to the image of them in the media

The media is credible in the matters of caste and the consumers trust them blindly. He gave examples of 2002, 2004, 2008 and the recent 2018 Maratha uprisings, as examples of the caste based bias in India due to the coverage of caste and community in the Media. According to Mr. Pathak Journalists have become activists, and only cover a story from one particular angle; he also said that journalists and media at large have to cover a story from a 360 degree angle-understanding all the peculiarities of the incident.

Desk: Vaidehi Gangan (copy edit), Jyoti Mamnani (editorial coordination)

This report was filed during Live Newsroom workshop conducted by Institute of Integrated Digital Journalism and Mass Communication (IIDJM) at Talk Journalism 2018.

Media Crosses Their Lines To Create Headlines

Ayodhya Prasad Gaur speaks about his book Chautha Dhandha: Kisse Journalism Ke and the business of headlines.

 

by Shivam Singh

Jaipur, 10 August, 2018 – Journalist Ayodhya Prasad Gaur spoke about how headlines are driving increased news consumption in modern India. While reciting stories from his book ‘Chautha Dhandha – Kisse Journalism Ke’ today, at the Talk Journalism event in Jaipur, Ayodhya Prasad Gaur said that,“Jakham Tab tak Khuredo jabtak uss se khoon nahi nikalta” – journalists pick at a scab till it bleeds, while referring to a famine story he covered as a reporter. The compilation of stories, are based on real life incidents, but semi fictionalised.

He gave another example of the on ground reportage of Actor Salman Khan during the blackbuck shooting incident in Jodhpur. The cameraman at that point refused to cover the incident, because there were just a handful of people at the location. The locals reacted by tearing posters of Salman Khan, and blocking the main road. This created a huge crowd leading to inconvenience for the local people. Gaur, said, this is what he did as a reporter to create a headline. He recounted the time when a commercial sex worker, Alisha, told him that “You are a bigger dhandebaaz than us”.

These stories are a part of his book Chautha Dhandha which speaks about journalism considered the fourth pillar of democracy, is now being run as a business.  He agreed that the news does not sell without a catchy headline and hence it’s become a mandatory practice. Mr. Gaur also mentioned that the worse a story is, better it sells.

Desk: Vaidehi Gangan (copy edit), Jyoti Mamnani (editorial coordination)

This report was filed during Live Newsroom workshop conducted by Institute of Integrated Digital Journalism and Mass Communication (IIDJM) at Talk Journalism 2018.

‘A Cartoonist Should Be An Observer And Not A Political Activist’

Cartoonists Keshav, Manjul and Abhishek Tiwari were part of the first session at Talk Journalism 2018

 

By Rucha Kanolkar and Mayank Meliwar

Jaipur, 10 August, 2018 — There is a line political cartoonists should not cross and editorial satirists are observers and not activists, said Keshav, the cartoonist for the Hindu newspaper, at a journalism conclave in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Friday.

The panel arranged by Talk Journalism, an annual event in the pink city that brings together some of the top names in journalism.

“There was a time when the newspapers were there as a service for public, but now it has become a beneficiary for advertisers and the nature and medium of cartoons is changing with time,” Abhishekh Tiwari, Assistant Editor with Rajasthan Patrika, who was also on the panel, being moderated by cartoonist Manjul, the winner of the Maya Kamath memorial award, said.


 

Talk Journalism 2018 kicked off to a good start with an inaugural session attended by Avinash Kalla, the founder of the event, Aqeel Khan, the co-founder, and senior journalist Ayaz Memon among others.

“With freedom comes responsibility. We must see is it going to hurt somebody,” Keshav, who is also a painter, said. He said, “A cartoonist should also work on the positive aspects rather than focussing on the negative aspects.”

Desk: Rupali Soni (copy edit), Anu Sonia Ashok (photo), Jyoti Mamnani (editorial coordination)

This report was filed during Live Newsroom workshop conducted by Institute of Integrated Digital Journalism and Mass Communication (IIDJM) at Talk Journalism 2018.