Reporters Without Orders

In this edition, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and Supriti David.The trio first look back at the most bizarre headlines they came across this week. Supriti chooses an awful new TikTok craze, in which certain users dressed up as and pretend to be Holocaust victims, while Snigdha briefs us on U.S. President Donald Trump’s contentious trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where incidents of police brutality and vigilantism occurred this week.Prateek tells us about a story closer to home, wherein Times Now anchor Rahul Shivshankar berated a panelist who tried talking about India’s GDP slump instead of the frenzied media ‘investigation’ into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. This prompts a conversation about Rhea Chakraborty’s unending trial by media. As Supriti puts it, “The media, which is supposed to be the fourth pillar of democracy, has been adding fuel to fire.” Prateek spent a day observing reporters outside Chakraborty’s house, and describes what he saw in distressing detail.The media’s recent indifference to ethics extends far past Bollywood, Supriti explains. Her recent investigative piece details how in Assam, journalists are accused of driving a survivor of child rape to attempt suicide. Local reporters repeatedly evaded legal procedure and invaded the victim’s privacy.All this and a lot more as they talk about what made news this week, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have. Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayan Sharma and Nidhi Suresh. The episode begins with the trio sharing bizarre news stories. While Snigdha talks about an AYUSH Ministry secretary asking attendees of an online training session to leave if they did not know Hindi, Ayan shares the story of a 92-year-old Vietnamese man who never cut his hair, and Nidhi talks about Supreme Court’s peculiar advice to Prashant Bhushan during his contempt case hearing. Nidhi, who wrote a report on the hearing, explains the proceedings in detail. Then the trio moves on to discuss another report of Nidhi’s on Facebook’s stance on hate speech and human rights, and why it has always been ‘hypocritical’. She adds “Facebook always accepts it is guilty of all the charges they have ever been accused of, they never deflect from that. But they don’t take action against it either.” The world’s largest social network is facing tough questions regarding its soft approach to the regulation of hateful content, especially after the Wall Street Journal report. “From Myanmar to the Philippines, the internet giant’s record speaks volumes about its commitment, or the lack of it, to tackle hate speech and violence,” says Nidhi. The trio also discusses Maria Ressa’s case. Ressa has consistently been critical of Facebook, holding the social media giant responsible for the spread of disinformation and hatred.Then the discussion moves on to Ayan’s ground report on railway porters and their plight. When he spoke to them about how the pandemic has affected them, all of them had one thing to say--that nobody cared about their plight. The Railways has not provided any support to these porters, some of whom have been working at railway stations since generations. Ayan also highlights how “uncertain and clueless the railway officials” were when questioned them in this regard. “The porters need an answer from the government or the officials because they don’t know what is going to happen,” says Ayan. This and a lot more as they talk about what made news this week, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Akanksha Kumar and Basant Kumar.  The discussion begins with Akanksha’s report on the discourse over whether it was toxic TV news debates that resulted in the death of Congress spokesperson, Rajiv Tyagi. Discussing the manner in which debates are conducted on national television, Akanksha says, “Yes, TV debates are toxic, but linking them to Tyagi’s death has to stop.” She draws attention to how Tyagi made a space for himself as a TV commentator known for his theatrics and as the only person who could “take on BJP’s Sambit Patra.” Basant also points out how “Tyagi knew how TV debates are conducted, he knew what he was getting into.” The panel agrees that while it is about time we rethink the toxicity on display on news channels every night, it is unfair to blame the anchor Rohit Sardana or Sambit Patra for Tyagi’s untimely demise. The discussion then moves on to Basant’s report, a follow-up on the attack on Caravan journalists. A day after the attack, Basant attended a press conference by The Caravan team. The number of people who showed up speaks volumes on how much people actually care about journalists and press freedom in India, says Basant. Snigdha and Basant also bring up the statement issued by Editors Guild regarding the attack which they feel was “disappointing” to say the least. Basant also talks about his conversation with Arundhati Roy, who was present at the event, about the attack and the slow strangulation of dissent across the country. This and a lot more as they talk about what made news this week, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayush Tiwari and Basant Kumar. They discuss Ayush and Basant’s report about what happened in Northeast Delhi on the night of Bhoomi Pujan for the Ayodhya temple. “Residents told us that people at night were raising obscene slogans like ‘Mullo bahar jao’, ‘Suaron bahar jao’, they called them pigs,” Ayush says, adding that Muslim residents were scared and nervous. “All this sloganeering had set off a panic attack in the area.”  A lot of saffron flags were planted in the locality,” Basant adds. “A couple of the flags were removed by the police in the morning. The police said they removed the flags to avoid tension.” The trio also discusses the SHO’s response to the situation in Northeast Delhi. On being questioned about the flags, the SHO responded “why is there a problem in putting up flags? They weren’t put up on their homes.” “How can a police officer dismiss the fear and concern of the citizens,” says Ayush. They also discuss how a Hindu mob attacked three Caravan reporters, again in Northeast Delhi. The journalists were out reporting on the harassment of the neighbourhood’s Muslim women. They were “harassed” and “manhandled” by the mob. Basant and Ayush recount their own experiences reporting in Northeast Delhi. “I definitely felt a little uneasy there,”Ayush says.  Basant points out that such attacks on journalists are not a new phenomenon. But what is surprising now is the response of the police.   This and a lot more as they talk about what made news this week, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have. Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Supriti David, a new recruit at Newslaundry and Jahnavi Uppuleti, an independent journalist who writes on caste, politics, and culture.  The episode begins with the trio sharing bizarre news stories. While Jahnavi talks about a repulsive story involving a sadhu and his saliva, and Supriti shares the story of a drug-smuggling cat, Snigdha talks about how her bizarre news story is about how bizarre news itself has become in India.  Following this, Jahnavi gives listeners a brief introduction to her report on the Dappu, a musical instrument that holds immense socio-political significance amongst not just the Madigas, but the Dalit community at large. Talking about how the Dappu is perceived as an ‘untouchable’s instrument’ that continues to be associated with ‘shame’ by other communities, she says, “Many avoid playing or acknowledging it in public, to avoid unnecessary stares and complications with upper caste communities.”  The discussion then moves on to Assam floods and Supriti’s article on the difference between the coverage of the calamity by mainstream media and local media. “Local papers and news channels gave the tragedy a human face,” she says.  This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have. Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayush Tiwari and Basant KumarThey delve into the second report of the NL Sena series by Ayush and Basant on the deadly communal carnage that engulfed the national capital in February this year. The new report deals with the murder of Shahid Alam on February 24 during the riots. The crime branch arrested six Muslim men for the murder based on eye-witness statements by three migrant workers, all of whom told Newslaundry that their statements are fabricated.The conversation begins with details of the statements of the arrested suspects and eyewitnesses and moves on to discuss the glaring discrepancies in the chargesheet. Basant tells Snigdha how the chargesheet says Mukesh, the primary eyewitness, had identified Raees Khan, but the case diary has no mention of the name. In fact, even Mukesh says he doesn’t know any Raees Khan or the suspects who were brought in front of him at the police station for identification. Ayush goes on to shed light on how the Delhi police have not been very responsive to Ayush and Basant’s questions.This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have. Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Basant Kumar, Ayush Tiwari and Ayan Sharma of Newslaundry. They begin with a discussion on Ayush and Basant’s report on the Delhi police’s investigation into February's communal carnage. They explain how the police allegedly fabricated and distorted witness statements to shield the Hindu killers of a Muslim electrician and how they stacked up vague evidence against four men Muslim arrested for the murder.Ayan talks about his report on the arrest of a journalist in Assam who had reported on timber and cattle smuggling rackets in the state.Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Revathi Pogadadanda, an independent journalist and former CEO of Mojo TV, and Newslaundry’s Anusuya Som.The episode begins with a discussion on the temporary but unexplained disappearance of Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, that fuelled the #WhereisKCR trend on Twitter. The episode revolves around Revathi’s report on the state’s perplexing response to the pandemic and the diminishing press freedom there. She talks about her own arrest post her eye-opening reports on the multiple student suicides in Telangana. Revathi brings up instances of journalists being threatened for questioning KCR government. She also talks about KCR’s hostile relationship with non-Telangana Rashtra Samithi-owned media.  They also discuss the continuous protests by healthcare workers in Telangana, mainly at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. The conversation ends with Anusuya’s recent report on the plight workers and businessmen at one of India’s most famous flea market, Sarojni Nagar.  Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayush Tiwari and Basant Kumar in a discussion dedicated entirely to the Delhi riots and the recent charge sheets filed by the Delhi Police.Ayush and Basant recently wrote a report titled: Delhi riots: Inside the ‘Kattar Hindu’ WhatsApp group that planned, executed murders. The duo speaks to Snigdha about their approach when it comes to reporting on an issue like this. They also discuss the background of the members of the group, and how hatred towards the minority community was a common denominator amongst them. This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma is joined by Newslaundry’s Ayan Sharma and Prateek Goyal.Prateek begins with a discussion about his four-part NL Sena series on the plight of Adivasis in Chhattisgarh. He describes the beautiful geography of Bastar and the many tribes that are indigenous to the area. In what can only be called a cruel irony, these inhabitants have been suffering the worst end of the never-ending struggle between security forces and Naxalites. Thousands of Adivasis have been arrested and thrown in jail, often without a trial, for years. Prateek talks about how little it takes for an Adivasi to be jailed. He also explains why the locals of Bastar are unhappy with security forces. The discussion then moves on to Ayan’s report on Delhi’s Covid catastrophe. Ayan explains the various factors that contributed to the situation getting out of hand in the capital, despite the lockdown. The trio also discusses the cooperation between the Centre and the Delhi government. Tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.