Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Akanksha Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar. The discussion begins with Avdhesh’s report on the wrestlers’ protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, and the late-night scuffle that broke out between the protesters and the Delhi police officials. In the conversation, Avdhesh reflects on his first-hand experience of covering the protest, also shedding light on the alarming prevalence of sexism and misogyny within the Indian wrestling landscape.Drawing parallels with the farmers protest that garnered worldwide attention, he says that the BJP government has repeatedly ignored voices of protest, and snubbed the concerns that deserve urgent attention.“Whether it’s the police or the authorities, their behaviour towards the protesters is as bad as it can be. This is not how you treat your heroes,” adds Avdhesh. This and a lot more, Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:02 - Wrestlers Protest00:23:08 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAvdhesh कैंसर और ज़िंदगी जीने की ज़िदAkankshaThe Marvelous Mrs. MaiselProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Saif Ali Ekram.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by The Quint’s reporter Himanshi Dahiya, founder of Main Media Tanzil Asif and senior journalist from ETV Bihar Umesh Pandey.  In view of the World Press Freedom Day, the panel discusses the state of media in India, and the challenges staring it. The conversation is stirred by an acknowledgement of the recent decline in India’s press freedom ranking and the government's subsequent denial on the subject. Himanshi takes us through her experiences as a mediaperson and emphasises that media spaces only have a faint presence of women, while men still dominate the landscape. “The male gaze and dominance are still pervasive in the media.” Tanzil shares his experience of doing hyper-local journalism, and its hazards in contrast with the mainstream media. He recounts the fears that accompany matters involving local representatives, who often pressure journalists. While Tanzil talks about the onslaught on press freedom, Umesh explains his circumstances as a local journalist in Bihar and how his ground reports led to the filing of FIRs against him. This and a lot more, Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:36 - Press Freedom 01:02:42 - RecommendationsRecommendationsHimanshiNCERT textbook revision: Why it happens every few years & what makes it controversialUmesh14 साल बाद भी 38 हजार घरों में नहीं पहुंचा शुद्ध गंगाजल, 2009 में ट्रीटमेंट प्लांट का हुआ था शिलान्यासTanzilबांग्ला भाषा का मतलब ‘घुसपैठ’ कैसे हो गया दैनिक जागरण?BasantDelhi riots: Inside the ‘Kattar Hindu’ WhatsApp group that planned, executed murdersUmar Khalid Arrested: What Delhi Riot Charge Sheets Say About HimNo Nation for Women: Journalist Priyanka Dubey on her searing reportage on rape in IndiaHow Varun Gandhi Silenced The SystemProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Akanksha Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Tanishka Sodhi. Tanishka’s story of the week was a deep-dive report on the journey of media mogul and Zee group founder Subhash Chandra Goenka. In the conversation, Tanishka revisits her excursion of gathering credible, exhaustive information on Mr Chandra and how he refused to speak to her directly as it wasn’t a “completely positive story”. Tanishka goes on to talk about the aspects of Mr Chandra’s character that led to his rise and an eventual fall from grace. She also spotlights his ventures that contributed to his debacle. “He is ambitious and loves a new challenge, but his impatience is the key factor in his downfall,” she says. This and a lot more, Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:24 - Subhash Chandra’s Profile00:36:26 - RecommendationsRecommendationsTanishkaThe DiplomatWFI’s ‘sexual harassment panel’ flouts POSH Act, headed by a man instead of a womanAkankshaIndia takes a distressing retreat from democracyIndia’s democratic backslidingIn Madhya Pradesh, 3 Muslim Academics Face Criminal Cases Filed By Hindu Right, Backed By State GovtProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal and Basant Kumar.Sumedha had interviewed journalists who witnessed the shooting of Atiq Ahmed and his brother in Prayagraj. They told her they still had to report on the story despite the horrors of what they went through. “I would have frozen and taken a backseat if a shootout took place in front of my eyes,” Sumedha says. “I would not have been able to report.”Basant’s story of the week was on how a cow was killed in Agra as part of a conspiracy to falsely implicate some Muslim men. “It would have been a big issue. There could have been riots in the area,” he says. “But because of the detailed and quick investigation by the police, no major incident took place.”Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:23 -  Cow slaughter in Agra00:14:04 - Atiq Ahmed shootout 00:25:27 - Recommendations RecommendationsSumedhaJubileeBasant Wah bhi koi desh hai maharajTanishka Sita sings the bluesProduced by P Madhu Kumar and Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Hasan Bilal.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Akanksha Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal. Sumedha’s recent story underlines the government’s hack of employing the CBSE to further Modi campaigns and widen the BJP’s voter base. She delves into how seeing a G20 logo on the admit cards of Class 10 and 12 CBSE students spiralled into a story idea. As she circled back to the years of 2013-14, she found that every time the Modi government released a campaign, the CBSE would plan an activity around it. “These schooling years are formative for the children. So, by pushing them to accept particular campaigns including the Modi campaigns, the schools are not allowing them to be critical at all,” says Sumedha. “As far as the government is concerned, Mr Modi has influenced his probable voters' mindset 10 years in advance, and that is very clever.” Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:45 - CBSE promoting Modi campaign00:25:27 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSumedhaBottle of LiesAkankshaWhy Men RapeHarlemProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and freelance journalist Snigdhendu Bhattacharya. Snigdhendu had reported on the Ram Navami violence in Howrah and how the Hindutva outfits that had organised rallies “went against the set guidelines” issued by the police. He says large-scale celebrations of this sort intensified in the state only in the last five or six years, coinciding with the rise of the RSS and BJP.Prateek then explains his report on how the Madhya Pradesh government skipped procedure to recruit people close to the RSS for government jobs. The authorities feigned ignorance, he says, even as the chief minister attended a training programme for these new recruits.Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:23 - Ram Navami violence in Bengal00:09:10 - Madhya Pradesh scam00:26:14 - Ram Navami violence in Bengal00:42:56 - RecommendationsRecommendationsPrateekCaught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket.SnigdhenduBells of Shangri-LaBasantMadhya Pradesh hired people close to RSS for govt jobs, skipping actual applicantsThe dreamers in danger at Gujarat’s gateway to USProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s an all-Newslaundry panel as host Akanksha Kumar is joined by Gurmehar Kaur and Sumedha Mittal. Gurmehar was in Punjab, reporting on the police’s manhunt for radical leader Amritpal Singh. She explains how Singh rose to prominence and the situation on the ground. Sumedha adds, “Punjab has seen so much since Partition that it has created a vacuum. And people like Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh act as the ones who will rescue the state and fill that void.”The discussion shifts to Sumedha’s story on suicides at IITs and how casteism plays out on campus.Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:50 - Search for Amritpal Singh00:25:50 - IIT suicides00:42:01 - RecommendationsRecommendationsGurmeharSmall Acts of FreedomYoung and the RestlessI’m Not a Monster, Season 2SumedhaSparshAkankshaThe Family Man - Season 2Every Woman Is A Potential WitchProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s an all-Newslaundry panel as host Basant Kumar is joined by Tanishka Sodhi and Anmol Pritam. Tanishka this week reported on women in India being denied access to vaginal ultrasounds if they’re unmarried. She explains how doctors are hesitant to perform these vital procedures due to patriarchal notions about sexual activity among young, unmarried women.The panel then discusses two stories by Anmol on two journalists struggling with very unique sets of circumstances. Tune in for more.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:40 - Women denied healthcare00:12:35 - Journalist’s poha stall00:27:05 - Journalist’s arrest00:35:43 - RecommendationsRecommendationsTanishkaSeven murders, one confession and missing evidence: The 'Ripper' storyAnmolInventing AnnaBasantCaught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricketज़ी न्यूज़ से निकाले जाने के बाद पत्रकार बेच रहा पोहा-जलेबी‘Are you married?’: Across India, unmarried women are denied access to an essential ultrasoundProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s an all-Newslaundry panel as host Akanksha Kumar is joined by Basant Kumar and Ashwine Kumar Singh. The discussion begins with Basant’s report on an auditing firm associated with the Adani Group that was flagged in the Hindenburg research report. Basant explains the timeline of events and how mainstream media, particularly television, has not fully covered the story.Ashwine talks about how the I&B ministry in 2002 gave permission to Doordarshan to build a TV tower in a village in Amritsar. Crores and decades later, the tower still hasn’t come up. “It’s a classic example of corruption and delay of government projects,” Ashwine says.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:57 - Hindenburg report00:19:12 - Amritsar’s DD tower00:30:18 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantPatrakarita ka Andha yugAshwineThe Night ManagerAkankshaBorgen - Power & GlorySecret CityProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s an all-Newslaundry panel as Basant Kumar is joined by Avdhesh Kumar and Anmol Pritam.  The discussion begins with Avdhesh’s report on a cobbler from Delhi’s Mayur Vihar who has been allegedly pressured by a lawyer to change his surname to a word decreed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Avdhesh points to caste discrimination and how the “emotional as well as financial trauma faced by this person is huge”. The conversation moves to Anmol’s report about two residents of Mewat allegedly set afire by cow vigilantes. He talks about how these vigilantes were working in collaboration with the local police and how such activities are illegal according to court observations. He says there is a nexus between the Gau Raksha Dal and the Haryana Police, and the police work with bias against a particular community.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:06:52 - Cow vigilantism 00:24:02 - Caste-based discrimination  00:42:17 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAnmolHouse of CardsAvdheshThe Night ManagerBasantBanjare Ki ChitthiyaanPatrakarita Ka Andha Yug Produced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.