Why have journalists become punching bags for politicians? And why are some scribes choosing to remain silent on this? Ravish Kumar of NDTV India joins us on Hafta this week. Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan and Manisha Pande and our guest talk about Rahul Gandhi’s claim of evidence against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “personal corruption”. Should news media take him seriously? The panel discusses the idea of moral equivalence in journalism: Are there always two sides to a story? There are also discussions on the arrests that have followed the Supreme Court’s National Anthem order, Aleppo, cyclone Vardah and Jet Airways’ defamation suits against investigative journalist Josy Joseph.

In the end, there’s a very special song dedication for some very special people.

For references:

1. A Review of #NL Hafta from Ankur Poddar & Shaunak Kulkarni
2. ABP News: Dhanda Hai Par Manda Hai
3. Newslaundry: Babies, Brains And The Pelvis: A Story Of Evolution
4. Newslaundry: What’s Evolution Got To Do With C-sections?
5. NPR Planet Money: Burnout
6. The Atlantic: My President Was Black
7. Independent: The Heartbreaking Story of Aleppo
8. Signed Lionel Messi shirt makes Afghan child’s dreams come true
9. The Heartbreaking Side of Being Santa Claus
10. Santa Claus Who Says Boy Died in His Arms Stands by Story Amid Doubts

Listen to NL Hafta on iTunes here and Stitcher here