NL Hafta

On this week’s episode, along with the regular Hafta gang of Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Anand Vardhan and Raman Kirpal, we’re joined by Sayani Dasgupta from New York who has been a Newslaundry subscriber for the past two years. The panel kicks off by discussing MJ Akbar’s resignation and his defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani. Sayani tells us how #MeToo has not reached industries which are not media-driven. Anand and Manisha believe there could be a backlash to this movement once the euphoria settles down. But on the positive side, it’s started a conversation and has brought men to behave. On Sabarimala, Raman tells us how the state government of Kerala has failed to maintain the law and order situation and has instead allowed a clear violation of the Supreme Court order. The panel also discusses female reporters being attacked and how it might affect the future of female reporters being sent to conflict zones. Moving on, the Hafta gang discusses whether it’s really a big deal to rename Allahabad to Prayagraj. Anand tells us the history of renaming cities and how it’s a part of appeasement politics. The team also talks about the recent drama at Hyatt Regency in Delhi. Raman and Anand tell us more on the normalised VIP culture and muscle show in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Listen up! There’s more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by stand-up artist Sanjay Rajoura, along with the usual Hafta gang comprising Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan. The discussion kicks off with a brief conversation on the resignation of the editor of New York Review of Books, over a Jian Ghomeshi article.The discussion then moves on to rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal's offer to step down as Bishop, followed by the fiasco between Star (Broadcaster) complaining to BCCI about Virat Kohli's absence from the Asia Cup. Also, the inevitable question that arises: should India play Pakistan?The panel also discusses Mohan Bhagwat's comments about Hindutva, Venkaiah Naidu's remarks calling the English language a disease and more.For more listen in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week of NL Hafta features our special guest Chetan Bhagat, a well-known writer, author, columnist and a motivational speaker, along with host Abhinandan Sekhri and in-house panellists Madhu Trehan, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan, to discuss the news of the week.The conversation starts with the murder case of an Apple Executive. Abhinandan discusses the possibility of this murder getting nationwide attention because it was an Apple Executive, as compared to Neha Dixit’s argument about the encounter killing experienced by poor people—which are either underreported or not debated at all. Abhinandan asks: “Is that problematic or is it an obvious outcome of a market-driver news culture?”Chetan Bhagat expressed: “It is also the age of virality on the internet.” Madhu Trehan shares her experience about the murder that happened near her house and how nothing was done about it. Manisha talks about The Indian Express articles which shed light on 21 encounters in Uttar Pradesh and the 21 copycat FIRs related to it.The discussion then moves towards the sacking of employees at the Press Trust of India where 297 out of 570 employees were fired. Manisha tells us that they fired people from three departments, namely, Transmissions, IT department, and Attendees and Messenger, as a lot of these jobs were cited as being redundant due to development of technology.Madhu adds: “If PTI is showing losses and they have to cut the excess expenditure which can be controlled, if they don’t do it, then the people who fired the others, their jobs would also go.”The conversation shifts to Ranjan Gogoi being appointed as the new Chief Justice of India. Madhu and Abhinandan discuss how all the Chief Justices and judges—no matter how noble they are—go through at least one scandal in their lifetimes. They also discuss the negative aspects of the Indian Judiciary system and the ways and means to change them.The panel converses about the farmer’s protest that happened in Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti. They discuss the reportage around the protest that took place, its importance, and the media coverage throughout all the previous protests that have taken place.Tune in to NL Hafta to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hafta gang is back with the news of the week. On this episode of NL Hafta, our host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Manisha Pande, and Raman Kirpal to discuss the news of the week.   Abhinandan starts the conversation by telling us about a journalist and critique of the Saudi royal family Jamal Khashoggi who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Now, Turkish officials claim that he was dismembered by a team of Saudi agents who were working under royal orders. Abhinandan says: “I am just blown away by the fact that stuff like this can happen in 2018.” The panel discusses this controversy further as well as the US pressure involved in the case.Madhu says: “America’s view on human rights is extremely convenient, they have supported dictatorship and brought it down themselves.”The discussion then moves towards the IT searches/surveys conducted at the house of media baron Raghav Bahl and The Quint’s office. Abhinandan says: “It is because of vocal utterances about the Prime Minister, trashing his demonetisation, and trashing his GST implementation.” The panel then discusses the politics behind the searches that were carried out on Thursday.Abhinandan goes on to shed light on the Gujarat rape backlash, a case wherein migrants—driven by fear of mobs who were seemingly angry over the rape of a fourteen-month-year-old infant by a migrant—were fleeing the state. He further asks the panel: “What can the media do about it, because if you report on it, you are in trouble, and if you don’t, you are still in trouble?” The panel talks about the ways and means by which the media reports on sensitive issues and how such things should be reported.The #MeToo movement in India has spurred many women to come out and share their experiences of sexual harassment. Alleged victims have used Twitter as a medium, to name and shame several public figures, accuse them of sexual assault, molestation, and harassment. This has kicked off a debate on whether airing such grievances online is considered a better alternative than following the due process—which includes approaching courts and internal committees.The panel talks about the pros and cons of the #MeToo movement and also the effect it has on society. “In all movements, collateral damage happens, so be it,” says Raman. Madhu says: “I laud this generation and I think they are lucky to come into this space where they won’t have to go through what we went through.” Cherry Agarwal, who is invited to join the panel, begs to differ with this statement and poses a counter-argument. The panel goes on to discuss the various reasons why people don’t come out and share their experiences.Cherry adds: “The power imbalance in regional spaces like Orrisa and Rajasthan are more severe as there is not much diversity in the newsrooms.” Raman Kirpal adds a different angle to the conversation by sharing a friend’s story.Listen to all this and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word 'objectivity' has garnered increasing usage in the world of journalism in recent years. Yet, its meaning remains elusive to many. For some, it represents a method that must be followed by those who claim to present the truth to the wider world, while for others, it's a mental skill that allows for impartial and balanced judgment.Speaking to several prominent journalists and writers, Abhinandan Sekhri tries to grapple with the various definitions and facets of objectivity—has the term always had a fixed meaning? Is it better suited for science than for journalism? Using thought experiments, literary allusions and big philosophical words, he seeks an answer to the ultimate question: is objectivity even desirable?Tune in to this episode of Let's Talk About to heard Abhinandan explore the many conundrums that objectivity presents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s edition of Reporters Without Orders features our host Cherry Agarwal, along with our special correspondent Amit Bhardwaj, Prateek Goyal, and our guest Somdutt Shastri, a senior journalist, who has formerly served as editor at Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran.The discussion starts off with Prateek talking about his exclusive story pertaining to an alleged illegal transfer of land involving Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. The land belonging to Polysac Industrial Cooperative Society was allegedly transferred in order to acquire a loan for a company owned by Gadkari's sons.The discussion progresses to the recent cut in the daily wages of DTC labourers by the Arvind Kejriwal government, with Amit weighing in on different aspects of the issue. Sanatan Sanstha's branding of two India Today reporters as “terrorists” was also discussed.The discussion then moves on to media's coverage in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, with senior journalist Somdutt Shastri weighing in on topics related to election campaigns in Madhya Pradesh.Subsequently, the panel discussed several issues that the media missed out in the last week. Here, Amit talks about the recent protest by Kashmiri students at Aligarh Muslim University, Prateek points out the attack on the Additional Sessions judge’s wife and son by his gunman, while Cherry discusses the desertion of Rohingya refugee camp in South24Parganas. This and more. Listen up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word 'objectivity' has garnered increasing usage in the world of journalism in recent years. Yet, its meaning remains elusive to many. For some, it represents a method that must be followed by those who claim to present the truth to the wider world, while for others, it's a mental skill that allows for impartial and balanced judgment.Speaking to several prominent journalists and writers, Abhinandan Sekhri tries to grapple with the various definitions and facets of objectivity—has the term always had a fixed meaning? Is it better suited for science than for journalism? Using thought experiments, literary allusions and big philosophical words, he seeks an answer to the ultimate question: is objectivity even desirable?Subscribe to Newslaundry at http://bit.ly/paytokeepnewsfree to catch the full episode here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/10/15/lets-talk-about-objectivity-in-journalism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

इस बार की एनएल चर्चा बाकी एपीसोड से अलग रही. पूरी चर्चा सिर्फ कामकाजी महिलाओं का दफ्तरों, या कार्यस्थलों में होने वाला शोषण पर केंद्रित रही. #MeToo आंदोलन में उठी आवाजें, भारतीय मीडिया में इस अभियान से मची उथल-पुथल, एमजे अकबर, आलोक नाथ जैसे बड़े नामों का नाम आना इस हफ्ते की प्रमुख चर्चा रही. लिहाजा इसके अलग-अलग पहलुओं तथा महिलाओं से जुड़े विषयों पर आधारित रही इस बार की न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री चर्चा.इस बार की चर्चा में मीडिया में काम करने वाली कुछ महिलाओं ने हिस्सा लिया. लेखिका एवं वरिष्ठ पत्रकार गीताश्री, बीबीसी हिन्दी की पत्रकार सर्वप्रिया सांगवान तथा न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री की सबएडिटर चेरी अग्रवाल उपस्थित रही. इस चर्चा का संचालन न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के सहायक संपादक राहुल कोटियाल ने किया.चर्चा की शुरुआत करते हुए राहुल ने #MeToo आंदोलन के इतिहास पर रोशनी डाली और बताया कि इसे भारत का #MeToo आंदोलन कहा जा रहा है. राहुल ने कहा, “हालांकि यह अभियान अभी यह बहुत सीमित तबके के बीच है और उन्हीं की आवाज़ें हम तक पहुंच रही हैं.”इसके जवाब में गीताश्री ने कहा कि स्त्रियों के लिए दुनिया तो सिर्फ 20 साल पहले ही खुली है कि वह अपना करियर बना सकी, एजुकेशन में आ सकी. उन्होंने आगे जोड़ा, “हम (महिलाएं) अपनी दुनिया को उस समय एक्सप्लोर नहीं कर पाये थे, अभी जिस वक़्त में हम लोग जी रहे हैं, हमने अपनी दुनिया को एक्सप्लोर कर लिया है और अब चुप रहना मुश्किल है.”सर्वप्रिया सांगवान ने इसी विषय को आगे बढ़ाते हुए मीडिया के दफ्तरों में महिलाओं की मौजूदगी पर अपनी राय रखी. उन्होंने कहा, “टीवी मीडिया के अंदर बहुत सारी लड़कियां काम कर रही हैं, एंकर्स भी हैं. लेकिन रिपोर्टर्स तो बहुत ही कम हैं. जहां पर एक्चुअल में पत्रकारिता का काम करना है, वहां नहीं हैं. वह काम पुरुषों के लिए ही ज्यादा मुफीद माना जाता है. लेकिन एंकर के तौर पर बहुत सारी लड़कियां हैं क्योंकि वहां पर आपको सुंदर चेहरे चाहिए होते है. दिखाना होता है ताकि लोग एक बार रुक जाएं. आखिर कौन लोग हैं जो चेहरा देखकर रुक जाते हैं.”चेरी अग्रवाल ने इसे लड़कियों की सामाजिक पृष्ठभूमि और व्यावहारिकता से जोड़ा. उन्होंने कहा, “अगर मैं या मेरे जैसी बहुत सारी लड़कियां अपने घर पर बताएं कि उनका सेक्सुअल हरासमेंट हुआ है तो पहली बात वो बोलेंगे की बेटा आप वापस आ जाओ. और यह एक बड़ी भूमिका निभाता है.” #MeToo मामले में मीडिया की स्थिति पर बात करते हुए चेरी ने कहा कि ऐसा नहीं है कि आवाज केवल एक सीमित तबके की ही आ रही है, बल्कि ये मीडिया है जो अपनी भूमिका एक सीमित दायरे तक सीमित रखे हुए है.राहुल कोटियाल ने वर्कप्लेस पर सेक्सुअल हरासमेंट को कम करने के ऊपर कहा कि अगर हम ये कोशिश करें कि सेक्सुअल हरासमेंट को लेकर जो अप्रोच है, सोच है, उसका कोई एक उपाय हो सकता है तो यह संभव नहीं है. जिस तरह से हम नए कर्मचारी को बता सकते हैं कि क्या-क्या करें उसी तरह की एक ट्रेनिंग पुरुषों के लिए हो सकती है, इसको अनलर्न करने के लिए. और यही छोटे-छोटे फैक्टर हैं, जो लॉन्ग टर्म में चीजों को एक दिशा में ले जाते हैं. जैसे यह अभियान चल रहा है तो ये भी कहीं न कहीं उस अनलर्निंग की दिशा में अपनी भूमिका अदा कर रहा है.पैनल की विस्तृत राय जानने के लिए सुनें पूरी चर्चा. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode. On this episode of NL Hafta, our host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Manisha Pande, and Raman Kirpal to discuss the news of the week. The panel starts by discussing the case of a journalist and critique of the Saudi royal family Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials now claim was dismembered by a team of Saudi agents who were working under royal orders. They then discuss the IT searches/surveys conducted at the house of media baron Raghav Bahl and The Quint’s office, as well as the Gujarat rape backlash, a case wherein migrants—driven by fear of mobs who were seemingly angry over the rape of a fourteen-month-year-old infant by a migrant—were fleeing the state.Coming to the #MeToo movement, the panel talks about the pros and cons of the movement and also the effect it has on society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, we have Aarti Tikoo Singh, senior assistant editor at The Times of India, joining Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan and Manisha Pande. Abhinandan kicks off the podcast with a discussion about Kashmiri Pandits, and their association with Kashmir. The conversation then moves to Vijay Mallya, and his recent claims of an alleged meeting with the Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley. The panel talks about the credibility of his claims, and implications of such a meeting. Manisha then brings up The Indian Express’ interview with Maoist leader Pahad Singh, and Madhu asks what a journalist must keep in mind while interviewing someone in police custody. She shares her experience of interviewing Yakub Memon, and how she went about getting the interview with him. The panel also discusses the Kerala nun’s rape case, and why the bishop accused of committing the crime hasn’t been arrested yet. In addition, the team talks about faith, discusses how statements can be considered sacrilegious, and why Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh wants to pass a ‘blasphemy law’ that would convict people who make fun of religion or religious sentiments. The controversial US Open women’s final was also debated. The panel discussed whether Serena Williams stole Naomi Osaka’s moment by alleging sexism and unfair treatment by the umpire. The panel also talks about the controversial cartoon by Mark Knight. Weighing in, Aarti says that the artist is entitled to his own views and his depiction of Serena isn’t racist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.