random thoughts

Journalists are supposed to be balanced, objective and fair. When a reporter reports a story, the facts are presented without adding their views. What is the norm when a journalist conducts a discussion with a panel on a controversial issue? The panelists obviously will put forward their views and perspectives, but what about the host? Should they take a stance, either overtly or covertly? Was watching Sreenivasan Jain on NDTV's Truth vs Hype tonight and what struck me, not surprisingly, was the clear stance throughout the discussion of the emerging political scene in India today by Sreenivasan Jain. Should he have been so biased against Nitish Kumar- the statement Sreenivasan made 'I really don't know Nitish anymore' in the context of CM Nitish Kumar switching  sides. We as the audience are interested in understanding the issue through the discussion among the panelists without the sarcastic remarks by the journalist. This again needs to be contextualized. Many feel...

NDTV 24x7 is waking up slowly and challenging the mainstream narrative. Last week they focused on the farmer protest led by Swaraj India's Yogendra Yadav and economist Jagadish Shettigar among others at Jantar Mantar to make India suicide-free. Today, they had a report on the discrepancy in the figures of MUDRA scheme, where a claim of 7 crore jobs in 2 years was made. Has this anything to do with the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate raids last month on NDTV's Prannoy Roy and wife Radhika Roy's office and homes? The job of a news organization is to report on all things important and in a fair and objective manner. Of course, the said two stories are not made up but emanated from real incidents. But, why these stories? The first story in question was not carried by other news channels but did appear in The Indian Express. The second is an investigative piece and obviously may be exclusive to NDTV. Do these two examples point to a subtle bias in the focus taken by NDT...

India is on the lookout for friends and strategic partners. In an ever changing and uncertain world, it is imperative that India partners with like-minded countries. India's foreign policy has undergone changes from time to time. We had a foreign policy based on equidistant from both the power blocs but ended up cozying up to the Soviet Union. By being non-aligned we kept out of the cold war implications. Today, we are moving close to USA but without breaking away from Russia. Why is that not possible with reference to West Asia? India's recent overtures to Israel have come for criticism from the left, who feel India is abandoning the Palestinian cause. What has India gained from its pro-Palestine and pro-Arab stand? Nothing really. Whenever the Arab nations had to take sides, they were pro-Pakistan. India spends huge resources and time in cultivating the Arab states with very little to show by way of concrete benefits.It is time to be self-centered and worry about India and ...