This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit.Avdhesh’s ground report from Sambhal raised questions about the veracity of claims made by two prominent newspapers about locals “fleeing” the violence-tensed region. Citing officials, the outlets reported that several locals “fled” over fear of arrest or police crackdown. However, on visiting Sambhal Avdhesh found this narrative to be misleading. Residents of houses mentioned as “locked” by the newspapers had a different tale to tell.Shivnarayan reported on Railway authorities’ unusual move of distributing cash to the victims of the tragic stampede at the New Delhi railway station. He explains how the move was not only insensitive but violated Railways’ guidelines on distribution of solatium amounts.He also discusses his report about the Central Pollution Control Board findings on the water quality of Ganga and Yamua during Mahakumbh. Not only the water in several ghats of Prayagraj was found to be unfit for bathing, the levels of faecal bacteria in some locations was over 13 times the permissible limit.He had previously also reported on how almost all of the air monitoring stations in Delhi violated CPCB norms. Out of the 25 stations he visited, at least 22 were either surrounded by dense vegetation or had obstacles blocking airflow in clear violation of the regulatory body’s guidelines.Tune in.<<<YOUTUBE EMBED>>>Timecodes00:00:00 – Introduction00:02:25 – Reality of locals ‘fleeing’ Sambhal00:12:50 – Stampede at New Delhi railway station00:26:00 – CPCB report on Mahakumbh’s waters00:41:03 – Delhi AQI monitors flouting norms00:47:08 – RecommendationsRecommendationsAvdheshChamcha YugGulamgiriShivnarayanDublinersAnmolThe PostProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Pratyush Deep is joined by Newslaundry reporters Avdhesh Kumar and Basant Kumar.Avdhesh reported on how voters in Delhi’s 12 reserved seats voted in the recent polls. He explains that despite the AAP’s massive defeat, a large section of Dalit voters continued to vote for the party.Basant was on the ground in Prayagraj reporting on the stampede at the Mahakumbh. He says the Uttar Pradesh government wasn’t being transparent about the actual death toll, and that it failed to manage the crowds that day. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:17 - Delhi’s reserved seats00:16:06 - Death toll in Kumbh00:38:57 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAvdheshDelhi के जेबकतरे कैमरे पर क्या बोले? सुनिए नशे और चोरी की कहानी, कैसे करते हैं पुलिस से डील?BasantSanam Teri KasamPratyushScam Inc from The EconomistJailed for ‘kidnapping’ her own child, a homeless woman’s long road to justiceProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by The Caravan’s Sunil Kashyap.Based on the learnings from his reportage on BJP’s strategy to make a comeback in Delhi, Kashyap underlines how in its campaign and outreach efforts, the saffron party foregrounded regional and caste identities in Delhi this time. The party pulled no stops to win over different communities and groups with targeted promises and tailored measures. On the other hand, he says the AAP seems to be losing shine among its own workers.Tune in.Timecode00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:35:12- BJP’s strategy for Delhi00:55:04:14 - RecommendationRecommendationsSunilMein Azaad HunSumedhaCan BJP pull the Valmikis away from AAP?Capital Gains: BJP’s strategy to unseat the AAP in DelhiProduced and edited by Hassan Bilal, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep and Basant Kumar.Pratyush profiled Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, digging into the curious growth of his small firm. Within six years, its revenue rose from Rs 45 lakh to over Rs 323 crore. He also sheds light on his journey from an engineer to a minister.Basant discusses his experiences reporting on the Delhi assembly polls. He explains what factors are working in favour of political parties and how leaders have changed the very functioning of elections over the past years. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:06:38 - Ashwini Vaishnaw00:15:37 - Delhi polls00:34:52 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantPaatal LokDelhi की रिजर्व सीटों पर विकास का हाल, दलित वोटरों का किस तरफ झुकाव | Ground Report | Delhi ElectionPratyushGeorge Soros vs. the Bank of EnglandAnmolBlack WarrantProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Ranchi-based independent journalist Anand Dutta and Newslaundry’s Drishti Choudhary.Anand talks about his IndiaSpend report for which he trekked for several hours in remote areas of Jharkhand to understand how it is like for vulnerable sections to access healthcare. Across India, people have to cover an average distance of 13.55 km to reach a community health centre, and the problem is not limited to Jharkhand.Drishti, meanwhile, spoke about her reportage on the Delhi elections, including her video report on what voters feel in Asia’s largest unauthorised colony of Sangam Vihar.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00:00 - Introduction00:04:30:00 - Jharkhand’s Healthcare Access Report00:23:31:09 - Delhi Elections Reports00:32:44:18 - RecommendationsRecommendationsDrishtiThe Midas touch of Ashwini VaishnawBasantWhat a four-hour trek reveals about Jharkhand’s healthcare accessAnandDavanal: Maovad Se Jung by Nandini SundarProduced by Hassan Bilal, edited by Samarendra Kumar, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have.NL TeamThis week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Sumedha Mittal.Sumedha’s series for Newslaundry, Broken Ballots, tracked curious deletions and additions of voters to the electoral rolls. Based on data and fieldwork, she found an odd pattern, which she says places a question mark on the Election Commission. She also cautions that this could be “used as exploitation”, regardless of whoever is in power. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:18 - The Broken Ballots series00:50:20 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSumedhaA day with AAP volunteers who reflect the party’s convoluted social-justice politicsShivnarayanVajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924–1977Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November last year, there were a flurry of reports in the Indian media on a waste-to-energy plant in Delhi’s Okhla that causes significant health risks to people living nearby. All these reports cited the same source – an investigative piece in The New York Times by journalist Maria Abi-Habib. Currently based in Mexico, Maria spent five years, between 2019 and 2024, to report on the story. She found the plant, operated by a subsidiary of the Jindal Group, pumps “as much as 10 times the legal amount of dioxins” into Delhi’s skies, and that its workers say it was “never regulated”. In this special episode of Reporters Without Orders, Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep talks to Maria about how she stumbled upon this story. Her husband had been working on a series on air pollution in India – what Maria describes as “the biggest topic of concern, or should be, for most families and the government”. During the course of it, he met residents of Sukhdev Vihar, where the plant is located.“They said they have been living there for a while and once the plant started, that is when their health problems started,” Maria says. “So, we decided to take a look and what we found was pretty incredible and also a little bit horrifying.”Maria also explains the challenges she faced in reporting the story, and why she thinks Delhi’s air pollution crisis persists. “It is up to the government to take a look at the story and say why this plant is continuing to get the permission to expand its operations, why this Jindal family subsidiary continues to get more plants,” she says, adding that the group has “seven across the nation”. “If they can’t responsibly manage this plant, then why should they be given others?”Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the New Year special episode with all the Newslaundry reporters in the studio. They talk about the best stories of 2024 and what happened behind the scenes during those assignments.Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by The Caravan’s Sagar.Sagar talks about his report on Network18 shifting from public interest journalism to what he describes as appeasing the government. He explains how Network18 changed after Ambani took over and how journalists were asked to defend the prime minister. This led to the resignation, even firing, of several journalists, he explained. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:38 - Network18 and Ambani00:49:18 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSagarThe In-depth History of Reservation System| Creamy Layer| Subcategorization Ft. SagarSumedhaUnreliable News How Reliance hollowed out Asia’s largest media conglomerateProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by independent journalist Akanksha Kumar and the Caravan’s Amrita Singh.Akanksha reported on the alleged fake encounter of one Bhalchandra Yadav by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force. She delves into the workings of the UP STF, the state of law and order in UP, and a purportedly normalised trend of police encounters in the state.Amrita’s report was a deep dive on Nita Ambani, wife of billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, her life, and her quest for the public eye. She talks about Nita’s involvement in Reliance-Jio World’s major operations and her PR team’s efforts in her positive branding.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:07:37 - ‘Fake encounter’ by UP STF00:29:06 - Nita Ambani00:55:17 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAmritaJoylandAkankshaSeharTanishka‘Trying a different route’: The new path and ‘positivity’ of Shehla RashidProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.