Vipin Pubby, former Resident Editor of the Indian Express in Chandigarh, joins us to shed some light on the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab that led to violence in the state; why the mainstream media didn’t pay much attention to it; and how the Punjab government has handled the situation. We then discuss whether Newslaundry should carry articles under pseudonyms. We then move on to discussing the pros and cons of basing outcomes of complex social and political issues on data alone. FInally other interesting stories that we read/watched/heard in the last one week.

For Reference:

1. Vipin Pubby’s piece on Newslaundry: The anger and confusion in Punjab: Who tore pages from Guru Granth Sahib?
2. Abhinandan’s piece: Why Newslaundry is averse to the idea of carrying pieces by anonymous authors
3. Rain Man’s piece: In defense of pseudonyms: Why news organisations should allow people to write under pen names
4. Rupa Subramanya’s piece on Newslaundry: Think India has become more communal under Modi? The numbers will disappoint you
5. Madhu’s piece in response to Rupa’s piece: Can communal riots be addressed with statistics?
6. Sandipan Baksi and Aravindhan Nagarajan’s piece: This isn’t how you use data: A data-backed response to Rupa Subramanya
7. NYT piece: Police Killings of Blacks: Here Is What the Data Say
8. Radio Open Source with Christopher Lydon: Conversation: Paul Theroux in Zimbabwe, USA
9. Barkha’ interview with Lalu Yadav.
10. The Intercept: The Drone Papers
11. Newslaundry: The Secret Olympic Diaries
12. Slate’s piece on online harassment: Why Does Hate Thrive Online?
13. Frontline cover story: Personal laws: A reality check
14. Caravan’s piece on Quora: Colonising Force
15. Arunabh’s piece on beef: The trials and tribulations of eating and serving beef in Delhi
16. Karan Thapar’s interview with Sam Pitroda.
17. Abhinandan’s piece: Why I Agree With Bill Maher’s Views On Islam
18. Anand’s Piece: Of Chanakya, Vir & Trust
19. Bombay Through Its Film Songs

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