Reporters Without Orders Ep 169: Six months of farmer protests and rural UP's dubious Covid data

In this episode, host Basant Kumar is joined by freelance journalists Mandeep Punia and Ranvijay Singh.

Mandeep begins with the farmer protests, which marked six months at Delhi’s borders this week. Explaining the role of the youth and women, he says that despite all odds, “this protest has become a process for intensifying what is right”. Mandeep and Ranvijay both criticise how legacy media has highlighted the protest, and the impact of Covid.

Ranvijay explains how Covid has been “mismanaged” in rural Uttar Pradesh, pointing out how local bodies are hiding the true numbers. Comparing reports submitted by regional management committees with the ground reality, he says the healthcare system has collapsed. “Without any testing, how can we expect cases to be detected?” he says.

This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.

Tune in.

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Produced by Aditya Varier, edited by Samarendra K Dash.