A Review Of #NLHafta from Nishant Jayaram, Ashu and Ayush Datta

Hey NL Hafta team,

I’m Nishant, a writer/editor at a sports news website, and a big fan of Newslaundry. I’ve been following the website closely for the past 2 years and I absolutely love your style of journalism.

I’ve had a few things in my head to vent out and get your opinion on various things related to journalism and the Indian political scenario.

The big news in the Indian media circles is Arnab’s return to our TVs. In your Hafta’s, I’ve noted that the entire panel despises Arnab, except Madhu, and I wonder why. Yes, the shrill, narcissistic and over-the-top reportage may not be from the ‘Television Journalism 101 Handbook’ but he does bring up issues that matter and pushes politicians/citizens to take a stand on. He also explicitly stresses on not being part of ‘Lutyens Delhi’ media, which is a good thing, right? There have been numerous stories about the Delhi media cabal and their cosiness with politicians/bureaucrats. 

An interesting thing from his numerous recent sales pitches (yes, he’s a travelling salesman-cum-journalist) is that his new venture, Republic, will not have sponsors and may be self-funded (a-la-Newslaundry). He also spoke about interacting more with the public and reporting stories from across India. I’d like to know the panel’s views on this and if this new venture will have any great impact on Indian TV journalism.

Another aspect of journalism that I wanted the views of the Hafta team is about negativity in Indian journalism. A recent Facebook post by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle (P.S. – You should bring Harsha on your NL Hafta. He’s a superb storyteller and an incredibly knowledgeable voice on cricket and other sports, as well) hit the nail on the head where he said, “I am increasingly worried these days that the obsession with negativity in our media will begin influencing a generation that has the opportunity, and the attitude, to make India an unstoppable force. By reporting negativity consistently, almost exclusively, we will start attracting people who become “newsworthy” for the wrong reasons. Worse, we will convert a wonderful generation into negativity.” 

I’m also of the belief that negativity sells and twisting stories to suit a newspaper/news channel’s agenda is also, in a way, negative journalism. I’m all for bringing out damning/hard-hitting stories, but could the media also showcase the good that is happening in the country (doesn’t have to praise the government or politician, as it would be perceived as being in friendly terms with politicians). Don’t feel good stories sell? Should journalism only be about being critical of governmental agencies, parties and politicians?

I’ll write in more in the future if this letter gets read 😛 

Keep up the great work and I hope that I could work with a news organisation like Newslaundry, some day.

Cheers!

Hello Team NL,

It’s the 3rd time I am writing to you guys and yes I am a subscriber.

I am writing to congratulate you guys & express my joy on the news of your paywall going up this month. It’s been few months since I have been a subscriber and was always saddened to hear about your financial deficit mentioned by Mr. Sekhri in the NLHafta. A thought which always crossed my mind was one of the reasons Newslaundry payed subscription numbers do not go up is as they do not come with any exclusivity in content access. In a subscription model one is expected to pay as a consumer but even when one pays for newslaundry subscription he/ she as an individual gain nothing in form of access (even a payment to Coke gives you that Co2 infused artificially flavored crap sugar water to consume). So eventually the NL’s model so far has been just expecting people to pay out of good heart or not being shameless enough to ignore constant badgering (for lack of better term) by Mr. Sekhri and being called mufatkhor.

It has been like offering food to people for free and then tell them they can pay for it if they feel like it or don’t want to be calledmufatkhor.

Some of your participant subscribers on NLHafta 100 also mentioned this that there has to be better ways to make people pay. I think the pay wall would be it (I am hoping you guys are not restricting the pay walls just to podcasts even certain new posts/ articles and video content should also be subscriber exclusive for initial 24-48 hours). The exclusive access to the content will definitely make newslaundry a news & media parallel to Netflix (though the canvas here is different).

There is no dearth of free content in the realms of news and media but what we all complain about and also genuinely lack is quality in today’s news content. Kind of quality newslaundry constantly delivers with a financially sustainable ad-free model you guys will be the goto portal for anyone seeking quality news/journalism.

Don’t get me wrong I am not being happy for you guys doing good or breaking even. I am happy because a new sustainable platform/ model for quality news & media will be present (and this is one of the most necessary components required in any progressive human society). 

Please do not worry about NLhaftas getting prolonged, it is one of the most important features of Newslaundry. In this era of 24-hour news channel some of which supply pure crap 24X7, your 120 minutes of awesomeness would be a ray of hope. 

In the end I would want to recommend this Netflix documentary Requiem for the American Dream which gives Naom Chomsky’s view of the American Dream and how the present day corporations are preventing us from pursuit of it.   

Thank you so much guys. Just be awesome! All the best for everything.

Cheers, 
Aashu 

Hey NL Hafta Team,

I’d like to begin by echoing statements made by other listeners in that NL Hafta has become a permanent fixture of my Saturday mornings; especially with the morning chai-sutta. I am a bonafide one year subscriber, and took great pleasure in deleting the TOI app from my phone in the process. Please keep up the work y’all are doing, and a special shoutout to the NL Sena who is ready to keep news free. 

I don’t want to waste your time by pseudo-psychoanalyzing each member of the team, so I’ll jump right to it.

At the beginning of your 101st episode, there was a lively but pertinent discussion regarding the Bangalore molestation case and the subsequent media spotlight on colorful, misogynistic and attention seeking remarks made by our esteemed representatives. Representatives, mind you, people who we have actually entrusted with a share of the state’s power.

I agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Trehan (I’m sorry, Madhu ma’am reminded me of my ICSE days and I’d rather forget them as quickly as possible) in that constantly screaming at politicians to take back their remarks, resign, be ashamed, think of the values they are imparting on children etc. etc. is simply a huge waste of time. I refuse to believe that people like Mulayam Singh Yadav (if memory serves me right, then he was the one who said Boys will be Boys regarding a gang rape in UP) but more pertinently Azmi make such remarks not because they are thoughtfully providing their points of view as members of a democracy, and are amenable to changing their opinions. They do it for the media glare, and our media loves to glare. 

But as for men in our society, I have always argued that it starts with the principal adults who are most responsible for their upbringing, their parents. If a mother, and especially the father, cannot inculcate in their boys from a young age that a girl or a woman is human and not a socket in the wall, then we are fighting a losing battle. Even in Canada, a country which is prized for its progressive PM, I have heard men make misogynistic and insensitive remarks about women. No amount of government intervention,  Girl Child Awareness Day, Women Parliaments and pleas by Akshay Kumar on Twitter will have the same effect as having the basic concept of respecting a woman as an equal incepted into their thought processes from a young age. At the same time we also have elements of mob frenzy and the thrill of doing something immoral with anonymity, but these are wider issues. 

I use the word respect, because in India respect is and always has been hierarchical and patriarchal. (In theory) You respect your superiors due to cultural conventions (like your parents, but still in a patrilineal format), but that respect is principally a power dynamic where the respect-or is weaker than the respect-ee. That is not the current western liberal definition of respect, which has in its basis, due to changes in history, a give and take relationship, but the socio-cultural understanding of the English word ‘respect’ in India.

In this sort of situation, how can women be respected as equal to men, when cultural conventions still teach us subliminally and overtly that she is inferior to him? From here we can branch out to issues of molestation because ‘she was dressed like she wanted it’, sexism because ‘the pressure would be too much on her’, and general discrimination. 

The Indian woman will be placed on a pedestal, worshiped for her ‘purity’, ‘chastity’ and ‘adherence to family values’, kept in a glass cage protected by the State and the all important Parivar ka Izzat. But, should she try to break beyond these bonds which constrain her, then she deserves what happens to her. It’s like the Lakshman Rekha of Indian culture and sanskar (have we even conceptually defined this??) which keeps her safe from the Ravanaa of Western culture (also not defined. Is Gujarat culture Western culture for us Bongs?) 

I’d like to end this rant by offering some prasad for thought:  

1. The conversion of Mirabai from a poet-singer who spoke out against oppressive familial practices way back in the 15-16th century, to the ideal, dutiful, family oriented woman who keeps her faith by always praying to Krishna, as epitomized in the widely available comic book version in Amar Chitra Katha. Basically saffron washing the original story so as to not corrupt young impressionable minds, but no please let them dance to chikni chameli on national tv because TRP. (I read a paper on this, but cannot link it for copyright reasons, definitely not because I feel too lazy to dig it up)

2. This fantastic video by Vogue starring Hema Malini, which still has some issues of its own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nj99epLFqg

Thanks, and here’s to more Hafta’s and more subscribers
Yours,
AD

[patokeep]