"BarkhaGate" Scandal

[Superbad]

The recordings were done by the I-T dept. That was mentioned somewhere.
But the thing is nowa days news media (tv media)
Is not reliable enough.
The TOI is now a sellout IMO.
The news are almost the same as the tv news.
The only paper which carries news as of now seems to be the Indian express in mumbai atleast.
Mirror to some point but it is more like a tabloid paper.
I miss those days when we use to get programmes like newstrack on DD.
People were such fan of the news those days of the shows that the recordings were distributed among colleagues of my moms office.

 

[Darthcoder]

Because you are casting aspersions without any basis. Man up, and make your statement.

At first you ask for basis/source from others to statements that they make.

Heh, so now that the politcans are getting hounded by the media, they have started their dirty tricks campaign against the media

And then you make statements without any basis/source yourself!!
Kudos Mr.Tiwari, Kudos!

 

[kippu]

fascinating listening to those tapes , how much power does that one person have ms.radia, and the only reason that the mainstream tv is covering it up is because of her and they themselves are involved , even TATA ,very interesting

 

[TechHead]

Interesting theory - notice how no Con-gress party people are directly implicated in the tapes. It could be a selective leak - Hey Vir, you've grown too big for your boots. Hey DButt, enough is enough, hey Niira Radia - we don't need you any more. Hey DMK, we know Puratchi Thalaivi Amma is gonna kick your butt in next year's TN elections, might as well get used to having you out of power at the centre as well...

 

[broadway]

A point that was never ever made, just thrown out there with the implication 'you decide'. This is basically how you convey something without having any responsibilty about it. Its slippery. It's funny how ppl seem to miss that for something else.

Again, i have to say this to you... The people in the tapes aren't talking in codes are in any gang language. The conversations are casual and easy to understand. Vir and barkha are busted. In their defensive, they talk about being polite? Barkha instructing congress on the future course of action wrt k-nidhi is supposed to be "polite"? Preventing a footage from being aired is "polite"? Meeting azad privately and giving a brief on the other parties wishes is "polite"?

Free speech is free speech. But does that change the fact that the indian media and congress are in cahoots?

Given you're not resident here currently, let me give you an idea about what the talkshows have been hammering on about for the last week, EVERYBODY is talking about adarsh scam, 2G scam, CWG scam etc. EVERYBODY is hammering Congress on this. The faces of the congress spokesperson says a lot, too much strain over the last week and its starting to show, in the way they hog the mike. The media are talking credit for getting Chavan, Kalmadi & Raja sacked. There is a real blood lust about. Its been quite sustained.

Sacked? SACKED? They should be behind bars! Lallu should be behind bars. Kamal nath should have been behind bars. Don't you get it? The coalition will never do the right thing because they still need lallu. They still need nath and they still need chavan and raja to keep the coalition intact. They are not sacking them! They are simply changing their portfolios. This is india. Everyone walks in circles.

notice how no Con-gress party people are directly implicated in the tapes. It could be a selective leak

That is what i had thought. But no top BJP leaders are involved also. So which agency or individual leaked these tapes?

Barkha dutt planning to file defamation cases again

In response to the Open Magazine cover story dated 20th November, 2010 NDTV would like to object in the strongest terms to the clear misrepresentation of conversations between Barkha Dutt and Ms. Nira Radia, that took place in May 2009. What misrepresentation of conversations? The tapes were posted "as it is".

In the pursuit of news and information, journalists talk to an array of people from all professional backgrounds; this case being an an unfolding political story on cabinet formation, after the general elections. okay
To caricature the professional sourcing of information as "lobbying" is not just baseless, but preposterous. Briefing congress leaders on the internal issues of DMK and instructing the required course of actions to get DMK support is not "lobbying"? Is their another name for this "activity"?
At every stage effective journalism involves engagement with a multitude of characters in the process of gathering news and information. To call this process "lobbying" is a serious and defamatory distortion of journalistic practices. Like chatting with unknown congress leaders in the background. Getting promises from them that they will talk to DMK as per barkhas wishes. Meeting azad at the PM's residence to update him on kanimozhi's whereabouts... This is not "lobbying", Of course not!
Ironically, when Barkha Dutt raised(the right word is "threatening" to file a defamation suit) this smear campaign with the magazine's editor, Manu Joseph, these are the responses she got.
1. "Dear Barkha; thats not true. I can send a copy of the magazine to you right away or you can check the story on the website. We have carried the Radia transcripts which include some of your conversations with her. In fact there is not much remarkable and you will not be embarrassed by it. There is one bit in the strap where the word "go-between" is used which I dont like myself. I would love to carry your response in the next issue if you would like to send one. My email id is manu@openmedianetwork.in."
Once again,when she asked the magazine's Editor why the basic tenets of journalism had not been followed in seeking her response before publishing these accusations No accusation was made my the magazine. They just posted a few transcripts of the conversation along with the audio files, this is the reply she received.
2. "Dear Barkha, In the attachment is the cover story (divided into introduction and the transcripts).
We knew we were going ahead with the story only on Monday as Prashant Bhushan had submitted a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday attaching the same recordings that we had. We had to make a decision and we did. I wanted to get your response, but there was a possibility that if the word of the story got out (and, you know very well, it is not an exclusive) some people might do their best to ensure that we didn't carry it.
If you would like to respond to the story at any length, please let me know (by Tuesday).
Warm regards"
The fact that the very editor of the magazine that has published this story accepts the distortion in the story's caption and goes on to say that there is nothing "remarkable" in the content speaks for itself. Lair lair
NDTV believes the magazine should first verify and corroborate facts before participating in a defamatory smear campaign.
These are unsubstantiated, baseless and defamatory allegations and we reserve the right to take appropriate action.
Narayan Rao

Group CEO, and Executive Director, NDTV

 

[SharekhaN]

it is pretty disgusting how the scams happen to involve boatloads of money and people talk of it without consequence and in matter of fact do escape without consequence. the real loser? only the people of India for letting these people go on without any real retribution for the damage done to the economies.

Vir Sanghvi and Radia speak about the payoff done in an amount of 600 crores for buying support. This is ridiculous.

Scams leeching us thouands of crores each time.

These people are never tried for their scams. They just lose power temporarily. I think the only kind of these people fear is the street kind. Mark me as cruel, but i wouldnt be bothered if a street mob lynches some of these politicos for these scams. the likes of Kalamadi and Raja deserve to pay in blood for indifference.

How much money is enough? These donkeys are insatiable. They will not be satisfied by a couple of crores in their dealings. Such greed needs to be rewarded in kind.

 

[panther]

Doordarshan sadly for the politicos.. has swinging loyalties.. to whoever is in power

offcourse it is from its inception it is a government channel

 

[Darthcoder]

Now, A tape of Rajdeep Sardesai, Seriously WTF

http://outlookindia.com/audio/imp/Rajdeep-MMvisitsIBN-20090707-162552.wav

 

[guru]

@Darth!

Thanks for posting this here. atleast there will be a few folks that know a thing or two about how our "media" works. agree with you on Barkha. holier than thou beyatch.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

too bad . mainstream media isn't posting this story. can someone post links to the original tapes ?

 

[Arun1]

Hey DMK, we know Puratchi Thalaivi Amma is gonna kick your butt in next year's TN elections, might as well get used to having you out of power at the centre as well...

You try and make it sound like it was good news :-/

Both on the state and central level we have to make do with the lesser of the two evils.

 

[blr_p]

While I've been out of India for only a short while, I still consider going to a College out of my city (7 years ago), for my undergrad a big deal.. I was in a hostel and the only time the television was switched on was for watching sports... I basically gave up on watching television news with all its sensationalistic trappings back then. It might be just my opinion but I feel that our print media manages to maintain a much more mature face when dealing with big stories such as the one flying around right now. The only TV talk show I ever remember watching was Hard Talk, and that wasn't even Indian..

And i agree that print still does a better job for news. I only switch on the volume when they get the talking heads to discuss the leader subject. Take a look at the debate show thread. There's streams if you want to follow shows over the web.

Television does something to people.. It might seem that print journos probably have more power over people as compared to tele journos, given their reach and accessibility.. but at the end of the day, its the folks on the TV that the common man is going to be looking at.. it is their opinion that is going to be taken as gospel.

If you mean the lowest common denominator then yes. If TV is your only source for news then what the TV says is going to appear as gospel and thats a bad thing. They will get you worked up over the smallest of things and there is no background at all to assimilate it. TV news is good for stoking emotions, nothing more. The debates go a bit further.

I definitely don't see how I could possibly trust the opinion of someone like Sanghivi especially after he is openly shown to be fixing his interviews and going so far as to practice off camera so as to not make any mistakes..

Sure. Personnaly i'm not aware of sanghvi, as i dont get the HT. And its very important when you watch an interview or read a column that you get to learn about the topic rather than seeing an infomercial.

But my point in bringing up his rebuttal here is to show that he & barkha were mere messengers and nothing more.

Lobbying and journalism should never be mixed and I feel that these tapes have openly shown that, that is exactly what has been happening in our country. What credibility does a Vir Sanghvi have left after claiming that he would avoid touchy topics..

That's an interesting topic to discuss and i wanted to get johnnie's take on it as he put that tehelka article up. I think its ok provided the journalist states upfront that they have a vested interest. This way the audience can make an informed choice.

Otherwise its unethical and there is a clear conflict of interest, i'd say a journalists integrity would defnitely be compromised in this situation.

Why does a journalist have to agree to pass a message.. whatever be their political leanings.. what business do they have doing any of this? I don't care if Vir Sanghvi is a die hard BJP supporter.. The second he agreed to pass a message at the insistence of some random person (Radia), he completely loses any trappings to being objective/neutral.

hmm, this one is little bit grey for me. As he said in the process of researching a topic they get to meet many ppl. To get a better insight they are going to try and make themselves useful so they keep good realtions and increase the chances of getting a scoop for their network.

I'm unsure where the line rests in this case

PS - Are you sure these stories are old? If the contents of the tapes were known beforehand, does that not add another twist to this already tangled tale? Why didn't any of this become public knowledge much earlier? I'm talking about the contents of these tapes here.. not just the knowledge of their existence..

Barkha rubbished them in a twitter message in April of this year. So she's been aware of them for a good six months at least.

Also, does anyone have a link to someplace that actually discusses how these tapes came to be in the first place? I mean, stuff like who was investigating whom under what suspicion? Who authorized these investigations/recordings.. and stuff.

All i know is they were authorised by the I-T office so thats how they got Radia on record and anyone else she spoke with. Apparently its legal to tap phones in India if there is a suspicion of tax evasion. They leaked from there out into the wild

 

[arrow004]

lol!! I am not surprised.And this may not be the only time she or NDTV entered into an understanding with dubious characters to promote thier own interests. It's no coincidence that the pro-paki NDTV and hindu were the obnly publications allowed in pakistan during general pervs era as paki president. The same pro-paki bias continues even today.

 

[blr_p]

Again, i have to say this to you... The people in the tapes aren't talking in codes are in any gang language. The conversations are casual and easy to understand. Vir and barkha are busted. In their defensive, they talk about being polite? Barkha instructing congress on the future course of action wrt k-nidhi is supposed to be "polite"? Preventing a footage from being aired is "polite"? Meeting azad privately and giving a brief on the other parties wishes is "polite"?

Acting as a messenger, nothing more.

Free speech is free speech. But does that change the fact that the indian media and congress are in cahoots?

IF NDA was in power we would be hearing how BJP are in cahoots with the media. Face it, the ruling party is always going to attract more interest from the media than the opposition.

Sacked? SACKED? They should be behind bars! Lallu should be behind bars. Kamal nath should have been behind bars. Don't you get it? The coalition will never do the right thing because they still need lallu. They still need nath and they still need chavan and raja to keep the coalition intact. They are not sacking them! They are simply changing their portfolios. This is india. Everyone walks in circles.

Well jaya had some interesting things to say last week to Arnab about how she could find the 18 MP's to fill in the DMK's slots. That's the only reason they let Raja go. How far will it go ? let's see, Raja is being investigated atm , when does that report come out.

Barkha dutt planning to file defamation cases again

Bah, I don't believe in defamation anyway

 

[broadway]

Acting as a messenger, nothing more.

I cannot argue with an uppity comment like that.

IF NDA was in power we would be hearing how BJP are in cahoots with the media.

What kind of argument is that?

Face it, the ruling party is always going to attract more interest from the media than the opposition.

Then clearly it is not neutral. So why are you arguing in defence of something which it is not?

Raja is being investigated atm , when does that report come out.

So what about it? A lot of things are under investigation. As old as bofors. Reports keep coming and going. So fu%king what?

Bah, I don't believe in defamation anyway

One name - Chyetanya kunte

 

[blr_p]

I cannot argue with an uppity comment like that.

You believe she was more than that ? Because that impression was left hanging here right from the start, that's why i got pissed off. My hunch was right.

Then clearly it is not neutral. So why are you arguing in defence of something which it is not?

They never are neutral and its realistic to expect so as they are private networks. Surely, you will agree.

So what about it? A lot of things are under investigation. As old as bofors. Reports keeping coming and going. So fu%king what?

To put him in jail requires a body with the power to do so, is such a body investigating him or not ? I hear CBI cases can be 'managed'. Let's see.

What's your impression ? Is the 2G scam somehow different than previous ones, there seems to be a lot more public rage about it. It certainly is the biggest to date. Will there be something concrete at the end of it ?

Until it runs its course nobody can say. Raja is not the only one, there are many others behind the scenes. I agree its not sufficient to let somebody resign and then let them retire with enough for the next several generations. Because then nothing has changed.

One name - Chyetanya kunte

I meant more on a philosophical level. One's reputation isn't the same as a property right say. Suing to protect it is spurious.

Good, your blog agrees with me here

 

[Emil]

There was a time when I liked Barkha Dutt. But that was before the 26/11 coverage. On that day she fell off my esteem. My wife and my mother both still adore her because of her poise and self-assuredness as she goes about her job.

I have no illusion that journos are unbiased. That is simply not true. Every one of them carries a bias. Only, just as in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies. AFAIK that is what blr_p was implying. It is likely that in a short while Barkha Dutt and Manu Joseph may become great pals again.

What I hope is that this debate doesn't cause a wide rift among our members here. I would hate to see TE turning into two factions with DC, broadway, et al on one side and blr_p on the other. Debate this issue but remain friends.

You know what I think? I hate the Radia dame but I think she would have done a great job if they gave her charge of the CWG instead of Kalmadi. What a fixer. To my mind, BD and VS were just pawns in her game.

 

[kippu]

broadway and others , you can as well hang up your boots and go home rather than argue it to blr p , if he has made up his mind , he will never ever budge ,rather talk in circles and questions and begin to question to your sanity and this thread will reach up 10 pages and other people will never get what tapes and whose tapes , so just let it go , he has made his mind that b.dutt and other journalists are holier than thou , and these tapes are just some dirty linen that has nothing new to talk about

 

[broadway]

You believe she was more than that ? Because that impression was left hanging here right from the start, that's why i got pissed off. My hunch was right.

I have always argued with you that the media is in cahoots with the congress. I've never been able to support that case. But now i do and i've corrected the transcripts and posted a summary on it. So far i've seen you argue over squabbles with other members and none over the transcripts. Im all for free speech. But saying that NDTV and IBN are "neutral" sets off my temper. That's a lie.

They never are neutral and its realistic to expect so as they are private networks. Surely, you will agree.

I agree. But they are not simply "biased". They have an agenda. They should be be labelled under the "tabloid and entertainment" section. A "gossip" channel owned by the followers of a particular political party. Not a news channel. No.

To put him in jail requires a body with the power to do so, is such a body investigating him or not ? I hear CBI cases can be 'managed'. Let's see.

CBI is a puppet under the authority of the centre. The "coalition" is the priority. The coalition cannot act against it's allies.

What's your impression ? Is the 2G scam somehow different than previous ones, there seems to be a lot more public rage about it. It certainly is the biggest to date. Will there be something concrete at the end of it ?

Congress never puts it's relations with it's allies in "complete" jeopardy. That is why, lallu is still free because they might need him in the future. They have a similar relation with the left. Nobody is going to get booked. The several ongoing investigations are an eyewash. Even mallegoan. This gives them control over the BJP.

Until it runs its course nobody can say. Raja is not the only one, there are many others behind the scenes. I agree its not sufficient to let somebody resign and then let them retire with enough for the next several generations. Because then nothing has changed.

This will give an understanding of how congress has been able to rule the country for around 5 decades. They eat, drink and breath politics. They are several times better than BJP in this particular field.

 

[blr_p]

Im all for free speech. But saying that NDTV and IBN are "neutral" sets off my temper. That's a lie.

Of course, and i've never implied such.

I agree. But they are not simply "biased". They have an agenda. They should be be labelled under the "tabloid and entertainment" section. A "gossip" channel owned by the followers of a particular political party. Not a news channel. No.

Ahh, yeah, Barkha would be a natural on some gossip show.

Look, i'm not a barka supporter, neither am I a Barkha hater. I have a neutral position about her, as i've said earlier I don't find her as effective as other journalists when it comes to helping me understand a serious topic. Too much to & fro, she's just not enough of a b**ch to get more out of her guests.

CBI is a puppet under the authority of the centre. The "coalition" is the priority. The coalition cannot act against it's allies.

Then the time has come to have an independent investigating body that will not be pliant to the ruling adminstrations whims. Because it does not matter who is in power, we can go on attacking supporters of the other party but the reality is those who are in power indulge in corruption and get away with it.

Congress never puts it's relations with it's allies in "complete" jeopardy. That is why, lallu is still free because they might need him in the future. They have a similar relation with the left. Nobody is going to get booked. The several ongoing investigations are an eyewash. Even mallegoan. This gives them control over the BJP.

This is just how the system works

This will give an understanding of how congress has been able to rule the country for around 5 decades. They eat, drink and breath politics. They are several times better than BJP in this particular field.

But they were challenged by the BJP once, and do not own every state. This is why i say the health of democracy in a country is only so good as the strength of the opposition. If they can realistically put the rulers out of power, then there is more pressure to act.

 

[broadway]

lol a comment from youtube

Yaar, I dont know why Arnab is not reporting..

but HT owns a stake in IBN and Vir Sanghavi is editor of IBN

Same with AAjtak : There is a tape between Prabhu Chawla and Radiya

Saaley sab chor hai! India TV waala bhi nahi dikhayega