In the last episode of Hafta, in the section about US elections, I did not hear anything about one very important issue because of which Trump might have won and that was the damage done by woke. Damaging artwork, blocking highways, inventing pronouns and all the other self-damage done by woke is also partly to be blamed in my opinion.
I have one question for Raman Kirpal. In one of the podcasts, he spoke about a specific section of The Hindu that he reads regularly, I can’t remember what it was, was it “Data Point”?
Dheeraj
In reference to Hafta 511 global migrant topic:
Everyone – media, politicians, judges etc – is discussing the problem without offering solutions. The solution is how the West dealt with racism and colonialism and, of course, it’s not all great but the West has truly progressed from those identity issues. The reason they appealed to a supra identity – which is that of being human, in India we need to strengthen the Indian identity so it subsumes the religious/statism/languagism – I have no idea how to do it, it includes more use of soft power, and it’s a gradual process which will take time.
In our country, where humans have existed for 9,000+ years, the Indian identity came along just three or four generations ago. This takes time for a diverse population – it takes generations to assimilate, it can’t be done just because we shared the same oppressor (the British) for a brief period of time.
Manan
Anand’s opinions on issues are becoming increasingly contrarian just for the sake of it. Often these opinions are pro-government and pro-polarisation. His responses in Hafta are just becoming word salads. For example, his response to attacks on outsiders in Jharkhand described the exploitation of Adivasis well but forgot to mention that the BJP’s attack is focused on Muslims, not on the people who exploited Adivasis which include many of their members. This is a part of the party’s strategy of villainising Muslims in every election. Manisha clearly got it but Anand always wants to defend BJP indirectly.
When talking about Justice Chandrachud, he’s citing Shekhar Gupta who’s not a lawyer and not the sharpest journalist around. Many of the criticisms of Justice Chandrachud include critiques of his judgments based on law and his decisions on the admin side. Also to label lawyers as activists and non-activists is lazy. Criticise what people write. No need to comment on their activism.
Anonymous
Hello, Team NL. I am a student and a new subscriber although I have been following Newslaundry content for the past two years. I came across two articles written by Abhinandan sir:
https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/05/31/why-dont-we-have-a-newslaundry-editorial-position
I loved both these articles a lot and sort of compelled me to subscribe. The second article should perhaps be read by everyone since there are people these days saying things like “there is always another side” to completely condemnable acts like murders. Also, Trump getting elected again is a concerning sign since there are people (even highly educated) saying “it is debatable” when asked who is better between Kamala and Trump – one of them being a convicted criminal.
Pushkar
Hi NL team,
Very specific question to Jayashree. A mirror, really, because I generally agree with most things you say!
I am a Kannadiga. In Karnataka, you can survive speaking (1) Hindi, (2) Kannada, (3) Tamil, (4) Telugu and (5) English. Can you survive in Chennai if you did not know Tamil? Unless things have changed in Chennai. I mean arey yaar Hindi main do shabd boliye Jayashreeji. I really felt the way you put it on in the last Hafta being very high-brow, as though Chennai is so non-partisan. I mean, Tamil Nadu paved the way in the south for such sentiments, basically Dravidian movements.
Now, let me also say this – all this is politically motivated BS. And I tell my very Kannada friends that if they hold this sentiment, then they better speak Tulu in coastal Karnataka and Kodagu badge when in Coorg or Marathi in north Karnataka. And then the bell tolls in their heads as to how stupid the concept is.
Ok, rant over! Tamil Kannadiga bhai behen.
Dhiraj
Dear NL team,
Although the NL Sena fund serves to complete many reports/stories, I wonder if it can also be used to steer the reports or stories you choose in the future. For instance, I have observed that election coverage or legal funds are often easily topped up as opposed to other stories, and more recently the international ones, therefore, steering your decision to choose an NL Sena which is more feasible.
Another concern that I believe might impact your organisation is a large-scale systematic fund linking your organisation to be portrayed as polarised. For instance, imagine a large organisation with multiple NL accounts capable of topping up your fund by more than 50 percent (equivalent to lobbying). Upon “investigation”, it is revealed that you received “funds” from a particular organisation. Could this be a potential for those “tax surveys”? Is there a way to mitigate such instances?
Sandeep
Hi NL team, want to recommend the Manipur story by Samdish. I really liked it and slap the government’s face. History will see it as a big dark mark on Modi’s legacy.
Want to create a controversy. A month before, there was a discussion on Lady Justice. What if Yamaraj or Chitragupt were proposed as symbols of justice rather than a Greek goddess? What is your take on this?
In last week’s Hafta, a gram panchayat’s name was taken by news channels and other leaders. From a legal standpoint, can’t she sue them for defamation? If so, are there legal NGOs that are working on issues like this?
Sarath
Hi NL Hafta,
With the recent serious incidents in Manipur – taking women and children hostage, releasing their pictures, killing them including an eight-month infant by Kukis, imposition of AFSPA, etc – can we have someone from Manipur on Hafta to discuss this issue, and who would have a neutral viewpoint?
We have enough coverage/interviews on the voices of Kukis. And I have to point out that neither the legacy media nor the liberal/left media cover sufficiently what Meiteis go through in this conflict. And even if there is, most of the time Meiteis are on the firing line just because of their religion, and being a majority community in their state.
We also have heard enough of Patricia Mukhim,and others, and I find there is always a soft spot for the minority community.
Can we have journalists from Manipur (like Pradip Phanjoubam) who could be invited? Just a suggestion. Thank you.
Anonymous
Hi NL team, great work. A request to end all Newsance episodes with “haan, hum bure patrikar hain” along with a collage of all Godi media anchors. Keep up the good work.
Fahad
Manisha, posting or not posting on X/Twitter matters because user content and user engagement is what makes advertising money for the service. Indian news channels produce their own content, which you skewer so well in Newsance every week, but on X/Twitter it's the users that generate the content.
NL/TNM team, congratulations on the great start to South Central. The discussion on the outgoing CJI was enlightening. I don’t personally find any value in releasing the show on a Friday because I watch the video rather than listening to it, and that's a weekend activity.
Abhijeet
Please correct me if it doesn't make sense. When I click on Hindi on the home tab of the NL website, I’m diverted to another website. Is it possible to get an option to translate it in English? (My guess is that it was targeted for the Hindi heartland audience.)
I can read Hindi but I’m very slow which kinda ruins the reading experience. I understand translating podcasts can be tedious but the articles and website shouldn’t be too difficult. My browser allows me to translate it but I’ve noticed some meaning is lost in translation. I’m sure it would help the people who can’t read Hindi well and many NRIs too.
Also why isn’t Charcha’s full video available like Hafta’s?
PS: Keep up the great work and ground reports! South Central is a really great initiative and I’m loving it. Will contribute to the NL Sena too once I’m more stable financially!
Sumanth
Assuming that the topic of discussion would revolve around the air pollution in Delhi NCR and the Adani indictment.
First of all, I do wonder why everyone fixates on Delhi but forgets the “NCR” bit, especially since Ghaziabad more often than not has worse AQI than Delhi.
Secondly, pardon my language, but ghanta kuch ni hone wala in either of the cases. Whether Adani is in Modi’s pocket or vice versa, it’s a hopeless situation. By the time Modi’s era is done, we would have sold the entire country to this oligarch, most of the country’s creamy layer would have migrated abroad.
Regarding the pollution situation, I mean, who are we kidding? It’s been this since 2016 and brainless bigots would still claim “ab humari immunity ban gayi hai” and vote for the same people. We’ve regressed from a country that questioned leaders in 2013 to brown-nosing them a decade later. And this time it’s irreversible because Gen Z could not be more Islamophobic right now.
Anonymous
Hey team,
What are your views on the “assisted dying” in the UK? I believe it’s quite a progressive bill and the UK passing it has the ability to shake things, it’s already there in three European countries but the UK is a big economy.
There are ways of misusing it socially/politically, but that’s true of everything, no? I wonder – should a right to live include a right not to live? Another consideration but be given how easy it is to forge medical records (especially in India) if that’s all it takes. But then if someone really doesn’t want to continue, why force someone to? The irony is that the people who are waging wars left, right and centre are the ones standing against it.
Would like to hear your views on it.
Shivam
After a year of an ongoing genocide in Palestine, the media in the West has shown itself to be partisan and quite simply, racist. The Guardian has been exposed by its own journalists for its bias in favour of Israel.
For the Guardian to piously ‘abstain’ from Twitter now citing blah reasons is nothing but virtue signalling that nobody is buying. (Also looking at you, NYT, for your bogus beheaded children story written by an IDF soldier in which not a single child/parent has been named/cited, WaPo, Reuters, CNN, MSNBC, even the Pulitzer!)
My question to all you guys is, now that the so-called reliable publications have been shown to be thoroughly corrupt, where will we look for the truth?
Anupama
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