I’ve finally managed to get through the Arnab Goswami Chatgate pdf. Everyone has already highlighted those portions that needed highlighting. I have a slightly different tack.

1. The messages tell me that news is a carefully constructed consumer product.

This is something we all already know but it’s nice to see confirmation. Events are presented in the high-decibel manner that has become the standard because the product is crying for attention.

2. These folks don’t care about what has actually happened and to whom. They’re
callous about it. Their eye is firmly on the ratings. There is no empathy in their conversation. The empathy on screen is constructed.

3. Overall the chats reveal varying degrees of competition between channels to get real close to those in office. One thing that stood out
is reference to the PMO asking who leaked a particular story. Even the state doesn’t have control over its disinformation. Power centers within the state seem to be disseminating different info to their preferred reporters or channels.
This was fully flagged in an old piece I had co-authored on Pulwama in 2019. How there was so much contradictory information about one singular incident.

4. The real issue then is what about journalism. Is this even journalism or should we be calling it something else?
5. There’s a lot I didn’t know about how organizations function. I knew TRPs are important. I guess I didn’t know just how important they are. And the other thing that stood out is how nasty this whole business about “getting ahead” of the competition is.
6. This tells me that more than ever we need independent bodies that can fact-check and hold news corporations accountable. I don’t think I would trust these channels on anything after reading those chats.

7. If news is produced as consumer product solely based on the state
and what it wants to say, we need a new business model that can undercut this collaborative and propagandist model.

8. Also PMO seems to keep a sharp eye on local channels. Is this how they’re getting their political positions?

9. There is a discussion about sabarimala in
the chats where they talk about an RSS funder for a local channel Janam. The channel gained viewers because it took a “pro devotee” stand. So there is no fairness here. Conservative values here are editorially mobilized for viewership.

In short who can we trust?
10. The thing that really got to me is how nationalism and the armed forces are also commodified for ratings. They more the mayhem, the better these channels do. It’s a shame. They won’t work towards lack of bias because that doesn’t bring in ratings and revenue.
I don’t see these folks as journalists anymore. I will be calling them “corporate news workers.”
Last year some people who quit Republic had talked about how they were told to film “chase sequences”. And we all saw the hyperventilating young reporter following what was alleged to be Deepika Padukone‘a car. That’s complete manufacturing and yet we all watched it.
Even the whole Justice for SSR trend was done to make inroads into viewership in mofussil towns and cities in specific states. And we know why some states are ignored. According to the chats a whole army of reporters went to Kashmir to report on the abrogation of 370.
They came back with not a single credible story. They participated in the production of that episode of mass incarceration and backed it on national TV.
If like me you’ve gone through the chats you can see that there isn’t a single discussion on facts. They’re not really talking about what has happened and how they feel about it (unless it affects them directly). It’s all business.
The thing is if news is now just another dodgy product on a shelf, you can choose to not buy it anymore because it affects your health.

More from India

Some readers have been asking what #India2030 is all about.
Here’s a chapter-by-chapter thread on the 20 forecasts by 20 thought leaders on 20 themes that will define India in the 2020s.
1/n


Chapter 20 of #India2030 by @davidfrawleyved talks about how the Civilizational Resurgence of India will reconnect its ancient past to ride into a dharmic future
2/n

Chapter 19 of #India2030 by @devdip tells us what the new idea of Nationalism in the 2020s will be — an integral union of the nation with the self
3/n

Chapter 18 of #India2030 by @sandipanthedeb examines how ideologies and technologies will intrude into and redefine Friendships
4/n

Chapter 17 of #India2030 by @authoramish studies the Soft Power of India and says its global influence will be through the confluence of materialism and spiritualism
5/n
Many are upset at the bus attacks & Red Fort events during #FarmersProtest.
But have you paused to think what has brought about this situation? While magnifying impulsive actions by some protesters, do you miss to see State's systematic violence and erosion of rule of law?


If you are a believer in Constitution and legitimate processes, then the manner in which the Centre pushed the #FarmLaws & handled the #FarmersProstests should leave you distressed.

First, Centre brings these laws as Ordinances on subjects which are apparently in state list, through a colorable use of concurrent list. Principle of federalism negated, at least in spirit, if not in letter.

Then, bills are passed in Parliament without effective discussions.

No one can say for sure if the bills were actually passed in vote in Rajya Sabha. The whole process was brazenly dubious. The live telecast was stopped amid protests. Really shameful events.

So, lawful processes to address dissent undermined.
#FarmersProtest
#FarmLaws

Then some farm groups approach the Supreme Court raising some pertinent questions on constitutionality. Instead of considering legality, court ventures into political thicket by attempting mediation, that too with a hand-picked committee having only members supporting #FarmLaws .

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दधीचि ऋषि को मनाही थी कि वह अश्विनी कुमारों को किसी भी अवस्था में ब्रह्मविद्या का उपदेश नहीं दें। ये आदेश देवराज इन्द्र का था।वह नहीं चाहते थे कि उनके सिंहासन को प्रत्यक्ष या परोक्ष रुप से कोई भी खतरा हो।मगर जब अश्विनी कुमारों ने सहृदय प्रार्थना की तो महर्षि सहर्ष मान गए।


और उन्होनें ब्रह्मविद्या का ज्ञान अश्विनि कुमारों को दे दिया। गुप्तचरों के माध्यम से जब खबर इन्द्रदेव तक पहुंची तो वे क्रोध में खड़ग ले कर गए और महर्षि दधीचि का सर धड़ से अलग कर दिया।मगर अश्विनी कुमार भी कहां चुप बैठने वाले थे।उन्होने तुरंत एक अश्व का सिर महर्षि के धड़ पे...


...प्रत्यारोपित कर उन्हें जीवित रख लिया।उस दिन के पश्चात महर्षि दधीचि अश्वशिरा भी कहलाए जाने लगे।अब आगे सुनिये की किस प्रकार महर्षि दधीचि का सर काटने वाले इन्द्र कैसे अपनी रक्षा हेतु उनके आगे गिड़गिड़ाए ।

एक बार देवराज इन्द्र अपनी सभा में बैठे थे, तो उन्हे खुद पर अभिमान हो आया।


वे सोचने लगे कि हम तीनों लोकों के स्वामी हैं। ब्राह्मण हमें यज्ञ में आहुति देते हैं और हमारी उपासना करते हैं। फिर हम सामान्य ब्राह्मण बृहस्पति से क्यों डरते हैं ?उनके आने पर क्यों खड़े हो जाते हैं?वे तो हमारी जीविका से पलते हैं। देवर्षि बृहस्पति देवताओं के गुरु थे।

अभिमान के कारण ऋषि बृहस्पति के पधारने पर न तो इन्द्र ही खड़े हुए और न ही अन्य देवों को खड़े होने दिया।देवगुरु बृहस्पति इन्द्र का ये कठोर दुर्व्यवहार देख कर चुप चाप वहां से लौट गए।कुछ देर पश्चात जब देवराज का मद उतरा तो उन्हे अपनी गलती का एहसास हुआ।