Hafta letters: Attacks on minorities, right-wing media, Covid in universities

Hi NL team, love your work. We need more such news organisations.

I have two requests/questions:

1) Can you do a report on PFAS (forever chemicals) use and regulation in India? As of now, no regulation exists. They are quite toxic and can cause serious damage to the human body. It is also the main subject of the movie Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo and the book Exposure which the movie is based on. PFAS are used in food packaging, waterproof cosmetics, non-stick pans etc. Countries in the EU have already started regulating them.

2_ Following is controversial so please omit or reframe it entirely if needed. Is it possible that the vitriol being spewed currently is not for extremist Hindus but extremist Muslims, so that they would do something horrible and then in retaliation things get even worse? Case in point Mumbai 1992.

Aksh

***

Hello everyone,

We as a Muslim community now for sure know that all these things (Sulli Deals, Bulli Deals, Haridwar genocide call, stopping of Friday namaz, lynching, love/xyz jihad, etc) are all backed by the state.

But one thing hurts us: the silence of the majority which nourishes these goons and endorses their evil ideology. The bare minimum they should do is stand with us and at least second our truth. All of the above is being done in the name of saving Hinduism. Is the above allowed in Hinduism? If not, then why don’t Hindus come forward and outcast them and say that these goons are non-Hindus? I mean, nothing, from the community of 100 crore followers is being done and we see this clearly.

When ISIS and their brutality was at its peak, mostly all Muslims (celebrities, politicians, etc) across the world denounced, outcasted, fought and eventually defeated them. At every masjid pulpit by every Islamic scholar, ISIS was condemned.

Is expecting at least the above, too much for the majority?

Saquib Shaikh

***

Hello everyone,

I sporadically pay for the Newslaundry subscription because I love the Awful and Awesome podcast and it's fun asking stuff from Abhinandan and Rajyasree. Unlike most of your subscribers, I'm not paying for independent media, if you read everyone's emails, I wouldn't pay.

I am in the top one percent (though at the very bottom of the top one percent) in India based on the data from Credit Suisse and the world inequality report. Most of your regular subscribers must at least be in the top two to three percent because the rest can't really afford to buy your subscription. The wealth of the top two to three percent is based on oppressing the poor. It is not possible for us to be so wealthy in a more humane and fair world. Providing good free education only means more competition for our children. Everything Newslaundry stands for is a threat to the top two to three percent and yet these people pay you.

What does this mean? Are these people delusional or are you not a real threat to the systems of oppression that keep people like me rich?

N

***

Hi guys,

Fox News makes more money than CNN or MSNBC. Same applies to the right-wing channels in India. So there is a big market for right-wing commentators. Arnab is completely sold out and may be worth close to a thousand crores. He also seems to have lost weight so selling your soul doesn't seem to have any negative consequences. Do you think Anand Ranganathan just saw an opportunity to make money and abandoned all his principles? I didn't know that he studied at Cambridge on a scholarship. He is obviously intelligent. Do you think a lot more people, especially the young people, who may have leftist and liberal leanings will just cosplay as right wingers because that's a better career path. How much has this happened already?

***

Hi Abhinandan, I was watching your interview with Manoj Tiwari before Delhi election in 2020. During the interview, he had offered to do a long form interview with you. Did you guys try to set that up and did it ever happen? If not, can you please share why not?

***

Naresh Fernandes' comment about attacks against Indian Christians happening on the margins requires a bit of context regarding who exactly is on the margins of the Indian Christian community. He - and I, for that matter - are Catholics from the Konkan. We have tremendous privilege in numbers, wealth, established communities and social support. At under five percent of the Indian Christian community, we, however, are the fringe. A fringe with privilege and a voice but still the fringe. The majority of Indian Christians are not Catholics, do not live in cities and are spread thin across the country. His and my experiences from the tiny confines of Bandra are not representative of the broader Indian Christian community and I don't think we are able to do justice to the issue.

Eldrich Rebello

***

Really like the weekly discussion by the eminent people at Hafta.

I've been hearing a lot about the success of Ivermectin in UP from some "controversial" medical professionals on Joe Rogan's podcast. They always mention the huge success UP had with Ivermectin and defeated Covid with that. I can't recall seeing something like that on Indian media, have you heard about this success anywhere?

Faizan

***

Hi, first of all, well done team for the stuff you do at Newslaundry. Wish you all a happy new year.

In reference to the last Hafta, I wish you explored a little more about what Jammi said about professional responsibility. This goes to the heart of the malice in Indian culture. This in turn is rooted in the caste system which is not much explored by your reporting.

The EWS reservation has had a fair share in the Tamil press. Not just the EWS, but also NEET, the changes to reservation, etc. Is that because there have been caste based progressive ideas in Tamil society? If that is a yes, don't media digital and legacy have a responsibility to highlight the caste issue and spread progressive ideas?

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Devi

***

Hi NL Team,

I love your work. I wanted to say that your ground reports are really great. But I think a lot of people still don't know that NL does ground reports also. I mean, your shows like Newsance and Tippani and podcasts, people know about them. Many people in my friend circle know about Newslaundry through podcasts and shows but they didn't know that you guys do reporting as well. Maybe you should focus on promoting that a bit more.

Also wanted to know how you decide who produces what? Like does it depend on what they are interested in more and their knowledge in certain areas or is it just a random decision?

Also, it would be great to hear your team for a change on podcasts. Like your producers and editors. I know the reporters have a podcast, but what about the producers? What do they do? How do they produce shows and do they also have opinions about the topics discussed on the podcasts/shows they produce? (I am studying filmmaking and production, so just wanted to know the producers' POV.)

***

Hi NL team!

As the end semester exam approaches, Covid cases are on rise but the university has declared the schedule and is conducting examination offline, ensuring that all the Covid protocols will be followed, which is a joke in itself. I don't understand why can't they conduct it online as they've done in previous semesters and why do they want to sacrifice us in this fire of daily rapid rising cases? Can you guys do a story covering the plight of students in this extant pandemic situation?

And in the previous Hafta, where Abhinandan talked about "cowardice becoming a virtue", it was spot on and very thought-provoking. Personally I feel it all starts from elementary level. I have seen many parents and teachers playing a part in that. I feel some of them kinda embrace it, like their favourite dialogue; that you're turning your seltzer into admittedly delicious but totally unnecessary wine. (A joke after my long rant 😭)

Your thoughts on this ?

Love your work,

More power to you all!

Harsh

***

Why is the latest Hafta only 30 minutes? As a new subscriber, I am very disappointed. This was the main reason for my subscription…to emerge in front of the paywall😀

Savithri Lakshmanan