-NaN:NaN:NaN
For a better listening experience, download the Newslaundry app
South Central 27: India-Pakistan tensions, and the theatre of TV news
The podcast that delves into the stories shaping southern India.
In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the India-Pakistan ceasefire following Operation Sindoor and examine the role of the media during moments of military escalation. The panel is joined by defence expert Sushant Singh and senior journalist Prem Panicker.
On the role of the United States in brokering the ceasefire, Sushant says, “Without the US, this would not have happened. The deal, even the DGMO calls, would not have happened but for the United States… That made sure that the two DGMOs eventually came out and spoke to each other. So they acted as a kind of an interlocutor, a kind of a facilitator.”
Prem reflects on what the ceasefire reveals about India’s long-term approach to terrorism, “We have Balakot, which is supposed to have ended the threat of terrorism. Now we have Pahalgam and other operations. In all these intervening years, what was the government doing in order to end terrorism? Are we just going to be a reactive country?”
On the misreporting of madrasa teacher Qari Mohammad Iqbal from Poonch, Dhanya says, “We have spoken to local journalists who work for all these channels and what they have told us is that they only said that the madrasa teacher had died in a shelling by Pakistanis… By the time the next day, that man had been branded a terrorist. And the local journalists are really shocked.”
Prem explains how TV news turns hate into content: “News has become a match for Muslims. Every day, we need a Muslim, because we have created a concept. Who’s the audience? Who’s the audience you’re playing to? People who have been drip-fed hate 24/7. To keep that audience captive, we need to keep providing hate objects, we need to keep giving them reasons to hate, we need to point them at people and say, okay, this is your target for today.”
On the failure of newspapers to upload journalistic standards, Sushant says, “Some of the newspapers seen as very reputed, I think, are essentially doing stenography. And I have a huge problem with that. That is not journalism at all. There is no context. There is no questioning. There is nothing. Actually, essentially, it is just ‘sources told me this’ and ‘sources told me that’ and that makes everything in the newspaper. That’s not what the business or job of a newspaper is.”
Tune in.
Listen & follow on Apple
Listen & follow on Spotify
Once a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.com
Send your thoughts, suggestions and criticism as well.
Audio Timecodes
00:00:00- Introduction
00:01:58 - Announcements
00:02:38- Headlines
00:12:50 - India-Pakistan
00:41:25- Role of Media
1:12:34 - Letters
1:18:08 - Recommendations
1:24:18 - Support TNM
References
Hafta x South Central feat. @KunalKamra: A crossover episode on free speech
What is the Pollachi sexual assault case: A detailed explainer
‘Shelling is our reality’: Evacuees in Jammu camps on attacks, bunkers, and livelihoods
Gautam Adani met YS Jagan in 2021, promised bribe of $200 million, says SEC
Allegations on Adani solar deal: Why Jagan Reddy’s defences don’t hold up
Tycoon profited after India relaxed border security rules for energy park
The injustice after death: How Delhi TV studios framed a teacher as terrorist
‘Killed within minutes of each other’: Family of twins killed in Poonch speak to TNM-NL
BBC’s response to Indian govt’s objection of Pahalgam coverage | Powertrip #100
Recommendations
Sushant Singh
The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
Prem Panicker
Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War
Leena Reghunath
War and Peace in Modern India: A Strategic History of the Nehru Years
India's War: The Making Of Modern South
Pooja Prasanna
What's Your Ism? Ep 38 ft. Anand Neelakantan
Dhanya Rajendran
Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali.
For now, this podcast is outside the paywall. We hope you listen, enjoy and send it to a friend. And remember, we have a host of other work too: news reports, podcasts, video stories and interviews, all exclusively for subscribers. Click here to subscribe for quality journalism that is truly in public interest.