China has invaded and occupied over 1,000 sq km of Indian territory, approximately the size of Delhi, right under the nose of a “strong man”, without so much as a squeak from pseudo-patriots. But the government’s public response is as befits an acknowledged “soft power”. A ban on Chinese apps for starters, to make sure…
Tag Archives: Press Trust of India
“A preposterous, unacceptable demolition exercise by a government lackey, mimicking features of a dictatorship”: Press Club of India tears into Prasar Bharti’s bid to throttle PTI
The following is the full text of the statement issued by the Press Club of India against Prasar Bharati Corporation intimidatory attack on Press Trust of India. *** “The government gives the impression of working for the dismemberment of the Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s premier news agency which has established a name for…
“Ironic that government has chosen to crack down on PTI, hours after marking the 45th anniversary of Emergency”: women journalists show the mirror to Narendra Modi
Below is the full text of the statement issued by the Indian Women’s Press Corps and Press Association on Prasar Bharati’s motivated threat to suspend its subscription to the news agency Press Trust of India for its “anti-national” reporting. *** The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) and Press Association express their deep concern over the…
Nidhi Razdan says (maybe) it was a mistake to throw Sambit Patra out of her NDTV show ‘Left, Right & Centre’
Nidhi Razdan, the NDTV anchor who famously sent BJP spokesman Sambit Swaraj out of her 9 pm show Left, Right and Centre when he accused the channel of having an “agenda” three years ago, says she would not do it were it to happen again. In an interview with the writer and columnist Amit Varma…
President speaks of paid news, dumbing down
The following is the full text of the speech delivered by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, at the inauguration of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in New Delhi on Thursday, 27 February 2014: *** By PRANAB MUKHERJEE “Seventy-five years ago, the world was a very different place. Our country…
If the Press Trust of India (PTI) had a newspaper
All manner of media enterprises take flight in the run-up to an election and this, here, is the front page of volume 1, issue 1 of Dynamic Times, “India’s national weekly newspaper” as its tagline affirms. All 132 stories in the 24-page broadsheet published from New Delhi are sourced from the news agency Press Trust…
POLL: Should FDI in media be enhanced?
With the economic downturn threatening to turn into a full-blown recession and with the finance minister reduced to going around the world with a hat in hand, the Congress-led UPA government last week increased foreign direct investment (FDI) in telecom, defence, petroleum refining, etc, but… But, not the media. On the issue of enhancing FDI…
India, Pakistan and the foreign correspondents
From Delhi Confidential, the gossip column in The Indian Express: “There is never a dull moment in India-Pakistan relations. Just when it seemed that a positive environment was on the horizon, comes the news that there might not be any Indian journalist based in Pakistan after this month. “The only two journalists that are allowed,…
Thankfully, TOI calls S.M.A Kazmi a journalist
S. M. A. Kazmi, the Urdu and Persian language journalist arrested in March this year for his alleged involvement in the attack on the car of an Israeli embassy official in New Delhi in February, has been ordered by the Supreme Court of India to be released after seven long months in custody. Not surprisingly,…
Brajesh Mishra, Outlook, Indian Express and DD
The passing away of the former national security advisor and former foreign service officer Brajesh Mishra last week has resulted in a welter of tributes, many very mushy, a few critical, but almost all of them throwing light on the uncomfortable influence that the Vajpayee aide held over the media—and the chummy friendship that some…
Press Trust of India strike for Majithia wage board
Press Trust of India (PTI) employees are going on strike tomorrow demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Majithia wage board. Below is the full take of the PTI news advisory to subscribers. *** ZCZC PRI COM ECO ENT GEN NAT SPO .NEWDEL DEL31 ADVISORY Attn: All Subscribers PTI news and photo services are…
At 7, Race Course Road, this is Pankaj Pachauri
In what is perhaps the first acknowledgement of the fact that the UPA government could do with slightly better media schmoozing, Pankaj Pachauri, the host of NDTV Profit’s magazine show, Money Mantra, has been roped in as communications advisor at the prime minister’s office. Pachauri, 48, has previously worked at The Sunday Observer, India Today…
Assam journalists plea to PM on detained journos
Two journalists of the newly launched (and rather awkwardly named) northeast daily, Seven Sister’s Post, are missing after they went into Burma on a story and one of their colleagues reportedly put up a Facebook status update that they had gone in search of the ULFA founder Paresh Baruah. What initially seemed like good publicity…
What they don’t teach you in journalism schools
To the long list of infirmities journalists are justly notorious for—roving eyes, loose tongues, failing lungs, pot bellies, bad livers, body odour, etc—it is time to add another, uncouth behaviour. Young or old, male or female, upmarket or downmarket, journalists now chew gum, jarda, etc as if they are all trying to disprove the 36th US president Lyndon…
PTI reporter has a kiss with death at Delhi HC
A Press Trust of India (PTI) reporter had a narrow escape when the deadly bomb went off outside gate number 5 of Delhi high court today, shortly after he had picked up his entry pass. The news agency’s legal reporter Upmanyu Trivedi had collected his pass from the reception counter and was moving towards the…
The saplings Usha Rai planted on our Fleet Street
Delhi is celebrating its centenary as the capital of India, and a number of newspapers led by the Hindustan Times have been using the opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane. The Hindu Business Line too is running a series, and the sports journalist Norris Pritam (left) turned his eyes on the Fleet Street of India—Bahadurshah…
BBC Hindi Service gets a fresh lease of life
The protests and signature campaigns have borne fruit: BBC’s Hindi Service has been saved from closure. British foreign secretary William Hague has announced an additional 2.2 million pounds for the BBC World Service over the next three years, which will enable continuation of the Hindi and Arabic services. Hague’s statement confirms chairman of BBC Trust…
Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria gets Padma Bhushan
Fareed Zakaria, the Bombay-born editor of Newsweek International and the host of CNN’s GPS, has been decorated with India’s third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan. Zakaria’s name finds mention in the annual Republic Day honours’ list released by the ministry of home affairs. Zakaria, whose mother Fatma Zakaria was one of the stellar names…
“Accused” Chawla is now “Investigator” Chawla
Ankur Chawla, the son of India Today editor Prabhu Chawla*, who was named in a bribery case concerning the Hindi newspaper Amar Ujala 10 days ago, has had a “status update”. Chawla junior, a Supreme Court advocate, has now been inducted into the CBI team probing the bribery case involving the acting head of the…
Prabhu Chawla’s son named in media bribery case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named advocate Ankur Chawla, son of Prabhu Chawla, editor of the leading English newsweekly India Today*, for allegedly acting as a conduit to pay a bribe to a quasi-judicial official for “a favourable verdict in a case concerning a media house”. The Hindustan Times reports that junior Chawla…
IJR 