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Reporters Without Orders
Reporters Without Orders Ep 143: UP mother and child's death, FDI in digital media, Sudarshan TV
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In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayush Tiwari and Akanksha Kumar
“if you give birth to a girl, we will not let you or her stay alive.” This is what young Pappi Devi’s in-laws told her before she and her newborn baby girl died in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district. The conversation begins with Akanksha narrating the young woman’s story and the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths. Questioning why no arrests have been made in the case till date, she talks about how the victim’s family had to file 15 complaints before an FIR was registered four months after the incident. Akanksha and Ayush both term Uttar Pradesh as an “absentee state”.
Next, Ayush talks about his report on the sudden shut down of HuffPost India. He labels it as “dramatic” and goes on to add that the website may be the first “casualty” of the new FDI scheme launched by the current government for digital media organisations. The new policy restricts foreign investment in Indian digital media to 26 per cent. Snigdha points out how this further reduces the space for independent media in the country.
Lastly, the panel discusses Ayush’s second story, on Sudarshan News’s show ‘UPSC Jihad’. Ayush explains how the show propagated a conspiracy theory on the infiltration of Muslims in the Indian bureaucracy. He talks about how the Supreme Court ordered the show to be taken off air, saying it is “in bad taste and there is a likelihood that it would produce communal attitudes.” The panel also calls out the government for deflecting responsibility and unfairly restricting the digital news space instead.
All this and a lot more as they talk about what made news this week, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have. Tune in!
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Reporters Without Orders Ep 317: ANI’s business model, Dalit farmers’ electoral bonds ‘scam’
51:19This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Shivnarayan Rajpurohit and The Quint’s Himanshi Dahiya.Shivnarayan talks about his profile of ANI and how it became the Modi government’s favourite media outlet. But the story isn’t that simple, he explains, because beyond ANI’s dismal coverage of the opposition are a number of contracts that the agency has signed with state governments. Himanshi reported on a Gujarat Dalit family that was “cheated” into giving a whopping Rs 11 crore in electoral bonds, of which Rs 10 crore was encashed by the BJP. She explains how the alleged scam took place and just how a company linked to the Adani group was involved. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:05 - ANI’s journalism00:25:25 - Gujarat family’s electoral bonds 00:49:07 - RecommendationsRecommendationsHimanshiGita Press and the Making of Hindu India2024 Pro-Hindutva Films Were Funded By BJP-Linked People, Promoted by BJP NetasShivnarayanAamisTanishkaHow National Creators Award Winners Amplified BJP’s MessageProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 316: Aurobindo Pharma’s electoral bonds, Kejriwal’s arrest
32:26This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Anmol Pritam and The News Minute’s Jahnavi.Jahnavi talks about her report on businessman P Sarath Chandra Reddy, accused-turned-approver in the Delhi liquor policy case. She says his firms bought electoral bonds worth Rs 55 crore, later encashed by the BJP, and also explains the ‘South Group’ connection to the case.Anmol was on the ground during the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He talks about the mood among the people, based on his interviews with locals, whether the Delhi police is being ‘biased’, and how the AAP believes their right to protest is being suppressed.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:31 - Kejriwal’s arrest00:20:39 - P Sarath Chandra Reddy00:29:06 - RecommendationsRecommendationsJahnaviAnatomy of a FallAnmolMedia Control: The Spectacular Achievements of PropagandaSumedhaAamisThe arrest of Mr Kejriwal: A PMLA caseProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 315: The stories that won us the Ramnath Goenka, their impact
48:11This week, host Pooja Prasanna is joined by the Ramnath Goenka awardees from Newslaundry and The News Minute, to talk about the four awards they won this year.While Ayush Tiwari and Basant Kumar won in the environment, science and technology category for the plunder of the Aravalli series, Hridayesh Joshi’s video report on arsenic in water triggering diseases in several villages, supported by the Thakur Foundation, was honoured in the Hindi broadcast category.The News Minute also won two awards. While Azeefa Fathima, Balakrishnan Ganesan, and Prajwal Bhat won in the civic journalism category for their five-part series on exposing manual scavenging, Prajwal’s reports on the 2022 hijab protests in Karnataka were awarded in the political reporting category.They look back at their work to discuss its importance and impact on society.Tune in.RecommendationsAyushThe Rise and Fall of the Third ReichBasant21वीं सदी : पहला दशकHridayeshबड़े शहरों में जंगल? बिल्कुल, खुद देखिए [Forest restoration in Delhi and NCR]The Cooking of Books : A Literary MemoirAzeefaACCESS DENIEDThese Precious DaysBalakrishna3 Body ProblemGita Press and the Making of Hindu IndiaThe Seven Moons of Maali AlmeidaPoojaLove Jihad and Other Fictions: Simple Facts to Counter Viral FalsehoodsThe GentlemenThe costs of Reliance’s wildlife ambitionsProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram; recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 314: Decoding electoral bonds data, patterns of funding
28:11This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and Basant Kumar.Both Prateek and Basant share their experience of investigating the patterns in political funding in India, and decoding the State Bank of India’s data dump on electoral bonds. They discuss how they found out about “a very strange pattern” of donation to political parties, with some companies donating or lapping up their donations after raids by central agencies. In some cases, the companies’ donations even surpassed their profit growth and revenue.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:21 - Donations to parties00:05:18 - Electoral bonds00:25:22 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantProject Electoral Bond (Report)PrateekMaamla Legal HaiTanishkaPlunder of the AravallisProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 313: CAA protests in Assam, UP’s new information commissioners
37:41This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep.Pratyush reported on the Assam police increasing security and barricading in anticipation of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which the government this week said it would soon implement. He says there’s a huge difference in intensity of protests between 2019 and 2024. But Basant points out the government laid the groundwork to make sure no protest could take place.Basant talks about his report on Uttar Pradesh appointing a chief information commissioner and 10 information commissioners last week. At least four have links to the BJP or are favourable to Chief Minister Adityanath, he says. He also explains his interview with Indrajeet Ghorpade, a 32-year-old techie and activist from Pune who has filed over 50 complaints against hate speech on news channels. Watch. Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:05:53 - Cops try to quell Assam’s CAA disquiet 00:24:10 - Appointments of information commissioners in UP 00:33:42 - Interview with Indrajeet Ghorpade 00:34:48 - RecommendationsRecommendationsPratyushIn 15 more donors of BJP, 4 shell firms, 11 companies that faced central action by Prateek GoyalBasantPoacher on Amazon PrimeProduced by Prashant Kumar, edited by Parikshit Sanyal, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 312: Caste killing in Chennai, Himanta’s media empire
41:02This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep and The News Minute’s Nidharshana Raju.Pratyush reported on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s media conglomerate, Pride East Entertainment, which is also the Northeast’s biggest media network. He delves into the hold of Sarma’s family on the media outlet and how its political leanings change as Sarma switches sides. Nidharshana talks about her report on the killing of a 22-year-old Dalit man by his caste Hindu brother-in-law in broad daylight in Chennai. She says the city has been witnessing crime against Dalits, but had not witnessed such a caste killing in recent years.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:12 - Himanta’s media empire00:11:25 - Caste killing in Chennai00:36:26 - RecommendationsRecommendationsPratyushULFA: The Mirage of Dawn NidharshanaKaruvadu: the wet world of dry fishTanishkaIndia’s iPhone factory is keeping women workers isolatedProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 311: NL-TNM’s investigation into political funding
27:02This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and The News Minutes’s Korah Abraham.Prateek and Korah were part of Newslaundry and The News Minute’s joint investigation on political funding. They found that in a five-year period, donations of nearly Rs 335 crore were made to the BJP by at least 30 companies that faced action by central agencies during that time period. They explain this unique pattern – and what happens when the companies skip donating to the BJP for a couple of years.Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:00 - Political funding00:10:10 - Companies and BJP00:25:34 - RecommendationsRecommendationsKorahThe Caravan February 2024 - The Military Under ModiPrateekPoacherSumedhaWhy Hindutva groups want to reshape Birsa Munda’s legendProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 310: Farmer protests, harassment of Muslim delivery agents
46:07This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Aryan Mahtta andThe Quint’s Fatima Khan.Fatima reported on Muslim vendors and delivery agents employed by online platforms that leave them vulnerable to discrimination and hate speech. She says bigots use technology as a tool to spread hate and fintech companies do nothing to stop them. To some people, she says, simply being a Muslim vendor is a “crime”.Aryan reported on the ongoing farmers’ protests. He says it devolved into a stand-off between farmers and security personnel, since the forces were using a “very aggressive” approach towards the protesters. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:52 - Boycott of Muslim vendors00:26:15 - Farmers’ protest00:43:22 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAryanRed Love: The Story of an East German FamilyFatimaThe Day I Became a Runner: A Women's History of India through the Lens of SportBasantUnfiltered by Samdish ft. Vikrant Massey | Powered by WoodlandProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.
Reporters Without Orders Ep 309: Protesting farmers vs govt, Haldwani’s Muslims
43:50This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Prashant Kumar.Avdhesh talks about his report on the ongoing farmers’ protest at Shambhu border in Haryana’s Ambala, where thousands of farmers have gathered to march to Delhi. He delves into the police crackdown on protesters, demands of the farmers, and why they are accusing the government of fooling them. Prashant reported from ground zero at Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where violence erupted after authorities razed a mosque and madrasa citing “encroachment”, despite the matter being subjudice. He talks about the chaos and police action that unfolded in the locality, reportedly resulting in several Muslim residents leaving the locality. Tune in.By the way, general elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together. Choose an election project you would like to support and power our journalism. Click here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:23 - Farmer Protest00:08:36 - Haldwani Violence00:39:46 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAvdheshJobless Youth : Jharkhand CGL Exam Paper Leak के चलते रद्द हुआ, तैयारी करने वाले छात्रों का हाल...PrashantMUJHE CHAAND CHAHIYEShivnarayan‘Govt concealing facts’: Caravan notice points to ‘absurd confidentiality’ of takedownhttps://caravanmagazine.in/crime/indian-army-torture-jammu-and-kashmir-poonch-bjp-gujjar-bakkerwalProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.