Hi everyone,

It’s been a while since I have written into give any feedback. It felt weird last week when Abhinandan wasn’t there. Hafta got over so quickly. Madhu meant business and covered almost everything during the week and we were home free in 90 minutes.

But I do prefer our compulsive swearing host. It adds a bit of spice. Anyway, I write in to make a few points which have been bugging me.

One is that the new podcast series that are announced seem to be getting constantly delayed. There seems to be no timeframe within which they come out. Nor is there any intimation why it has been delayed or whether it has been suspended. I hope communicating with subscribers is taken more seriously rather than just a reminder about an expiring subscription. I am not really sure how to go about this but I’ll leave it to your, and the rest of the subscribers’ wisdom.

Also, I remember Abhinandan mentioning in one of the Haftas that you would come up with a mechanism of telling your subscribers how much money you need per year to be functional and pay your staff. If I am not wrong, he had also mentioned that this would show how much money is left to be raised. I wanted an update on that.

I like this crowdfunding model and the fact it allows you to do that beautiful story on Kaveri. I think there are so many stories that can be done on the people who live near our rivers and dams. I hope this continues.

There is also one more thing I wanted to point out. It’s about the argument that ensued during Hafta 126 on Ranga uncle’s data analysis on lynching. It did become 3 against 1, and come on. The poor guy was being lambasted on Twitter by random people. Even I had tweeted to him pointing out flaws in his analysis. Lay off on the shouting guys. I know it’s difficult when the subject is filled with emotion and passion. But remember this- your listeners have their earphones plugged in or are listening to Hafta on speakers. Rehm karo.

I am not a scientist but I know a little bit about data and analysis.

So I wanted to point out a fatal flaw in any kind of data analysis that one engages in based on official data, especially data on crime. This is in continuation of the point that I made to Ranga uncle on Twitter.

One can’t just concentrate on the data in front of us and arrive at conclusions. Why do I say that?

If the data collection and recording techniques are not up to the mark, any analysis that is done based on the data is inherently flawed. I would like to narrate a personal experience to buttress this point

A little over a year ago I was in North Karnataka in a district office to collect data about atrocities against Dalits in that district. We had to pull strings to even get the official data. A conversation ensued and the officials let us in on a lot of their processes. Apparently any case under the SC/ST atrocities law is monitored by the district headquarters. The official responsible for this takes regular meetings to find out what has happened to each case. Considering how our bureaucracy works, it wasn’t a surprise that the officials in the department were not really interested in such data. It was just a number and it had to be kept low. We got talking about a rape case against a Dalit lady and the officials said that these cases are mostly false. I spoke to people in various villages there and apparently most of the atrocity cases are suppressed. Only few get registered when people have strength to go through the process.

The point I am trying to make here is that any analysis that leaves out such germane details about the numbers that it’s using to put forward a conclusion, is inherently flawed.

It’s very difficult to arrive at a conclusion about societal problems with data, without actually speaking to people.

Reducing people just to a number leads to the fatal flaw of analysis: the black box. If garbage goes in, it may come out the same way. Data analysis has to stand on the robustness of the data collection process. And I am sorry to say, we don’t even have a standard data collection and recording standard in this country.

That’s why an analysis that doesn’t go to the root of how the data is collected is inherently flawed. I am not doubting the various data pieces that people do in the media and by Ranga uncle, but let’s not pat ourselves on the back without knowing the facts.

Should we really put our necks on the line based on flawed data? To each his own, but I as a journalist can never do that.

I have many such examples. I won’t take too much of your time but my suggestion to Ranga uncle is that table top analysis can only go so far. When human beings are involved, it’s disingenuous to arrive at a conclusion based on flawed data. Why not speak to the people who have suffered and then analyze? Whether Indiaspend normalized the data or not, they spoke to real people. That took the away some of the flaws I pointed out to before, but not all. Data analysis is a tough job and a few Google searches can never do justice to the situation at hand, especially something like violent behaviour.

And please try to make the subscription process easier. I don’t mind paying a higher subscription if it is monthly. But I can’t afford a one time payment for a year. You guys will have to fix this. Dealing with little problems like these can go a long way to sort out the funding issue.

Anyway… This has been a long email.

Cheers

Regards,

Vivek Ananth

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Greetings to Newslaundry Junta…

Just finished listening to this week’s Hafta with panelists making passionate arguments.

Was wondering if any of you has ever changed a strong viewpoint following a Hafta debate?

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Listening to your discussions, I was prompted to write what I think about conflating the various mob incidents in India with those happening against minorities, i.e, Muslims and Dalits, after beef politics has taken center stage.

Do I feel the same level of outrage and shame about the mob crimes as I felt for Akhlaq and Junaid, for the ones against RSS activists in Kerala? NO, and unapolegetically NO. Do I support the killing of RSS activists since I think that it is a powerful organisation which has been functioning for a century with an agenda based on hatred, bigotry and “bull(or cow) shit”, ? NO, I DO NOT support their killing.

Do I feel outraged about lynchings in Kashmir, mutilations of Indian soldiers, and the ousting of Kashmiri Pandits from their homes? Yes, I do. Is it the same level as that for Junaid? NO.

Am I expected to step out on streets to protest against the happenings in Kashmir? If I do choose to protest, for what and whom am I protesting? Is a peoples protest in India going to change Pakistan which wields considerable power through propaganda, Islamization, money and muscle power in the valley. Or is a protest in the rest of India going to win over the Kashmiris who view India as the enemy?

But, I do expect my government, my politicians, and fellow citizens to hear my voice against communal killings, even if these protests were primarily against mob attacks on Muslims.

If there is a popular rising for a just cause, belitting the movement since there was no such upheaval for every other injustice, would mean that we will never succeed in bringing about a positive change.

In these times when cow is at its holiest best, I do not have to worry about my name, clothing or food. Being raised in a non-Dalit Hindu household, I can barely imagine what it feels to be the ‘despised other’ in this country.I think that this Hafta discussion would have been more relevant if you had  Muslim and Dalit panelists.

Your subscriber forever,

Indu

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Hello NL Team,

I’m a 22 year old subscriber writing from Vizag. I’m leaving to the US to complete a masters degree in Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania shortly, and this imminent shift caused an unexplainable need to understand India, the Indian identity, and my own place within it (Slightly pretentious, I know. ) I must say that this understanding has been furthered considerably over the last few months, and the two primary contributors to this understanding have been my reading of Nehru’s The Discovery of India, and more pertinently- my incessant devouring of Haftas since my subscription.

I find that media spaces that do not have adequate representation from the ‘other’ side, be it liberal or conservative, delve in a lot of alarmism and exaggeration, and in contrast, I’ve found that Newslaundry has far more grounded journalism that doesn’t indulge in sweeping generalisations or laments for the death of liberal or conservative causes. I think this is also reflected in Hafta, and for me personally (I consider myself liberal), I’ve been engaged far more by the conservative or right wing views put forth on Hafta by Anand Vardhan than the cacophony of the right in the television news space.

I think the Hafta regulars make for a great team, and everyone brings something irreplaceable to the table, and when someone’s not present, it really shows. When Abhinandan’s missing, I miss the humour and the abuse-laden liberal rants; When Madhu ma’am’s missing, I find that the historical context of certain issues being discussed is lacking, and I miss her anecdotal stories too. I find Manisha’s articles and views on Hafta really incisive and insightful, and her perspective as an on-ground journalist is invaluable at a time when big media is moving further away from facts and towards often ill-informed opinion. Deepanjana’s views are great to hear on Hafta, and I think her reviews of films have a certain Pauline Kael-esque irreverence to them, which is great.

Ranga uncle and the representation of the scientific perspective puts you guys in a league above the rest in my view because I haven’t seen anyone else do this in the media space, and it is appalling to retroactively reflect on how under-represented science is in mainstream media spaces and how over-represented raging ill-informed, agenda-driven opinion is.

Which brings me to a couple of gripes.

I do think that last hafta, the panelists jumped the gun a bit on Ranga uncle and his formulation of the lynching problem in terms of data, and I felt his perspective on looking at the lynchings and mob violence through a data lens is noteworthy, as data science can bring up previously unseen patterns and I see it permeating into the analysis of policies and problems in the future. I also think some things which I thought were of note last week didn’t come up as a result of the extended discussion on ‘lynchistan’. For example, I thought Arnab’s interview of Yogi Adityanath brought up some particularly worrying implications, especially in the conflating of the terms “Hindustan” and “Hindu Rashtra” and the way no follow-up questions were asked.

Another minor gripe I had is with the discussion of Baahubali in the Awful and Awesome podcast. I probably have a more favourable view of the movie as I watched it in Telugu, and I bet a lot gets lost in translation when it is dubbed. While I admire the cinema of Satyajit Ray, (particularly Devi), I thought there’s a certain amount of snobbery in comparing Baahubali to his works. I think the more apt domain for comparison would be modern day summer blockbusters- I for one think that despite its unsubtle tenor and its reinforcement of certain stereotypes, it does a better job of storytelling and character development than films like Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad.

I wouldn’t normally gripe, but since I find Newslaundry admirably democratic and transparent, I’ve taken the liberty to do so. I must also add that I’ve discovered a lot of great stuff due to your interviews and your hafta recommendations. Politics for me was confined to Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert before. After watching the Ramchandra Guha interview on Newslaundry and googling him subsequently, I got my hands on a copy of ‘India after Gandhi’, and now, I’m reading transcripts of the constituent assembly debates online.

All in all, I think I’m more informed thanks to you guys. And I’m glad to pay to keep news free. I promise I’ll upgrade my subscription once I get employed in some capacity.  Cheers.

With Regards,

Sagar

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Dear Newslaundry Team,

I request you not to reveal my identity.

I am a long time subscriber of newslaundry and this is probably my first letter this year. I will try to keep it concise since Abhinandan doesn’t read lengthy letters.

This will probably feel like a rant, I apologize in advance.

Manisha and Abhinandan, brace yourselves.

Last week’s hafta was amazing, loved Ranga Uncle’s factual rebuttals to what can only be described as virtue signaling by all other panelists. For those of you who don’t know, virtue signaling is defined as “the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue. It can be described as the platitudinous, empty, or superficial support of certain political views, and also used within groups to criticize their own members for valuing outward appearance over substantive action.” What you guys were trying to imply was people who made factual and objective decisions are somehow bad human beings, or at least not as empathetic as you are. What a load of crap! We all feel sad about what happened to Junaid, no need to virtue signal us about it again and again in the course of a debate. It is fallacious.

I think it was Abhinandan who said, “data doesn’t matter”. I mean what the fuck, data is the only thing that matters. Data and statistics tell you the truth, emotions don’t. Emotions brings fallacies into an argument. Policies and decisions should be made after carefully analyzing the data. “Argumentum ad passions” or appeal to emotion is a logical fallacy. I would advise Abhinandan and Manisha to go through the list of logical fallacies at the end of this mail and avoid making them in future. Regarding Abhinandan’s arguments about the statements made by party spokespeople, well, if statistically, the violence doesn’t increase irrespective of what the spokesperson said, it means what they say didn’t matter. It is preposterous to believe that the people who murdered Junaid did it because Sambit Patra said something on the TV. Abhinandan, you keep on saying people can represent data any way they like, if you sincerely believe that, then please post your detailed rebuttal to Anand’s research. Saying something with certainty doesn’t make it right, you have to back it up with an explanation.Since you accuse Anand of misrepresenting the data, why don’t you go ahead and represent it properly.

Abhinandan was very disappointed with Modi’s speech. Seriously? What did you expect him to say? “Jo Beef curry enjoy karna chahe, parathe aur pulao ke saath kare”? Please, have realistic expectations.

Coming to Manisha, who was shaken to the core by Junaid’s murder, probably because it was a hate crime and against a teenager. I agree, it was a hate crime and the punishment should be strictest. But I fail to understand why does the same sympathy not extend to the atheist Farook, who was lynched for merely being an atheist. Atheists are one of the most prosecuted people in the world, and voices are only raised in our support in India if perpetrators of the crimes are Hindus. Somehow criticizing Muslims is considered anti-secular. I still remember the agitated response from Manisha when Anand asked her about the lynching done by Muslims. “No, I don’t trust your data”, she says. I wonder if this lack of trust was rational. Is it considered taboo for journalists to call out the violent elements in the Islamic community? I urge you to seriously stop having different standards for judging Hindus and Muslims. Hindus should be fine if someone sings “sexy radha bai” but we should respect the religious sentiments of the Muslims. Being an atheist, I personally have no problem with people criticizing, mocking or appropriating fictional beings and ideas, however I do have a problem with selective outrage and hypocrisy.

Also, what did you guys say about the protest not being anti-Modi? Of course it was, we all saw the anti-modi and “stop Hindu Terrorism” posters. Unless that was fake news, stop lying. Manisha, your meeting with one Modi supporter in the crowd of hundreds doesn’t mean it wasn’t an anti-Modi protest. All the usual suspects were there.

Madhu mam, I have utmost respect for you and your views, however I have observed that you have recently started to shout at fellow panelists to shut them up. Please don’t act like Anu Malik’s, “Iss Cheez ke upar nai bolne ka saarrr”. It doesn’t look good. Your arguments are generally persuasive enough, you don’t need to shout others down. I am referring to your argument with Manisha a few weeks back. By the way, you are one of my favorites on the panel.

Finally, Ranga uncle, love your work. Your discussion with other panelists last week reminded me of Christopher Hitchens’ debate with four Christians, in the end people thought they needed more Christians to have a balanced debate.

Suggestion: Please give us an option to donate less than 10000 for NL Sena projects.

Thank you for reading my email and apologies for being rude.

List of logical fallacies here.

Thanks and Regards,

A sincere subscriber.