Independent journalists Shweta Desai and Kashif Kakvi, along with Newslaundry journalist Basant Kumar, join host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit to discuss interesting topics. They touch upon Ayodhya's redevelopment, locals' fear and excitement over the Ram Mandir project, tension between Ramanandi akharas and the temple trust, false cases in Madhya Pradesh, and the negative impact of the Agnipath Yojna. Tune in for an engaging conversation!

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit.Basant reported on an ANI senior editor who allegedly “infiltrated” a dozen Indian army internal WhatsApp groups. He talks about how he stumbled upon the story and dug deep into the controversy of journalist Ajit Kumar Dubey entering these groups “by hiding his identity”. Shivnarayan talks about his report on Rohit Godara, the gangster who claimed the responsibility of the murder of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi and gang operations. He traces Godara’s journey from being a mobile technician to becoming a gangland godfather associated with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:59 - ANI’s ‘infiltrator’00:12:54 - Rohit Godara00:30:38 - RecommendationsRecommendationsShivnarayan96BasantThree of Us12th FailMrityu KathaSumedha​​The rise of Narendra ModiProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the last episode of Reporters Without Orders for the year, so we’ve got a special episode featuring an all-Newslaundry panel. Hosts Tanishka Sodhi and Basant Kumar are joined by Avdhesh Kumar, Pratyush Deep, Sumedha Mittal and Prateek Goyal to pick through their reportage in 2023 and discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what impact they had.The panellists share behind-the-scenes experiences from their time on the field. They also tell you exactly why independent media outlets are vital to India’s democracy today.Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:04:10 - Wrestlers’ protest00:07:09 - Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh 00:14:24 - Manipur violence00:22:35 - Sachin-Seema love story 00:32:50 - Controversy over flats for MPs00:39:49 - Manual scavenging in India00:44:14 - Changes at NDTV00:51:24 - Nuh violence00:54:29 - Balasore train accident00:59:21 - Real-life DunkiProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Avdhesh Kumar from Newslaundry and Ayush Tiwari from Scroll.Ayush reported on the impact of the Ram Mandir construction on Ayodhya’s residents. He says some residents were evicted with poor compensation while others had their homes demolished by authorities.Avdhesh talks about his report on NDTV’s shrinking digital viewership. Comparing data before and after the Adani takeover, he says “more than 50 percent of viewers” have moved on from NDTV.Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:36 - Ayodhya’s development00:15:14 - NDTV’s shrinking viewership00:29:25 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAyushAyodhya The Dark NightAvdheshUPSC Wala Love - Collector SahibaBasantTelgi: A Reporter's DiaryProduced by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Naresh Kumar, and edited by Samarendra K Dash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Basant Kumar from Newslaundry, and Astha Savyasachi and Tapasya from The Reporters’ Collective.Astha and Tapasya had reported on how the Haryana government turned the state pollution control board “into a body that serves the potential polluters” by including it in the Right to Service Act. They explain how Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar weakened the agency and regulations to stay on top of the centre’s ease of doing business rankings.Basant reported on operational changes at BBC India – it’s metamorphosis into a new firm called Collective Newsroom that will be wholly owned by Indian citizens. He tells the panel why this had to happen to conform with Indian FDI rules. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:19 - Haryana’s state pollution control board00:18:30 - Changes at BBC India00:27:27 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasant The inevitable evisceration of Sansad TVAsthaGandhi's Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of IndiaTapasyaPrincess MononokeTanishkaMasks are still being worn by some individuals—but not for health reasonsProduced by Saif Ali Ekram, edited by Umrav Singh Gurjar, and recorded by Naresh Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s 300 episodes of Reporters Without Orders! So it’s a full house this week, with hosts Sumedha Mittal and Basant Kumar being joined by Newslaundry’s editor-in-chief Raman Kirpal and Newslaundry reporters Prateek Goyal, Shivnarayan Rajpurohit, Pratyush Deep and Avdhesh Kumar.The panel talks about the ups and downs of reporting, the challenges and the opportunities. Raman talks about how the field has changed over the decades, the ethical issues that crop up, and why it’s hard to be a good reporter today.Tune in!Produced by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Samarendra Kumar Dash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Shivnarayan Rajpurohit and Pratyush Deep.Shiv talks about the experience of reporting from Rajasthan on the assembly elections. He compares strategies used by the BJP and Congress to influence voters, from Gehlot’s welfarism plank to the BJP’s sprawling WhatsApp enterprise. Pratyush then explains his report on Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar – his controversies and his tussles with the AAP government. Pratyush says the AAP has a litany of woes against Kumar, though Kumar himself says these allegations are “false”.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:03 - Rajasthan assembly polls 00:22:22 - Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar00:36:11 - RecommendationsRecommendationsPratyushEditor Missing: The Media in Today's IndiaShivnarayanA thorn in Kejriwal’s side: The controversies of Chief Secretary Naresh KumarSumedhaFacing pressure in India, Netflix and Amazon back down on daring filmsProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Sukriti Vats from Land Conflict Watch and E Bhavani from The News Minute.Sukriti talks about her report on land acquisition in Jharkhand for coal mining, and how even 22 years on, many are running from pillar-to-post for land compensation. She discusses that bureaucratic incompetence and a tussle between the centre and the state have resulted in the displacement of nearly 87,000 people in Jharkhand since 1973.Bhavani delves into her report on Dalit-centred schemes introduced by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, and their poor implementation which might work against him in the assembly polls. She talks about the political undercurrent among the Dalit activists of the state.  Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:05:05 - KCR’s unfulfilled promises00:13:53 - Land acquisition in Jharkhand00:29:52 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSukritiThe Fall of the House of UsherBhavaniA movie on Razakars’ violent history in BJP's arsenal for TelanganaTanishkaWhy Mumbai’s shoeshine workers are fighting the railways in courtProduced by Saif Ali Ekram, edited by Umrav Singh Gurjar, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and The Mooknayak’s Satya Prakash Bharti and Ankit Pachauri.Satya talks about his report on women collecting oil left over in lakhs of lamps lit in Ayodhya by the UP government on Diwali to “make a Guinness World Record”. He says at least over 30,000 litres of oil were left at the site, which many marginalised women were collecting to use for cooking and other household chores.Basant shares his experience of reporting from Chhattisgarh. He sheds light on the BJP’s purported communal experiment to make its way into the state. In Saja constituency, the party fielded a labourer who lost his son in a communal clash against a seven-time Congress MLA.Meanwhile, Ankit delves into his report on Adivasis living in remote areas of Madhya Pradesh. He says incidents of malnutrition are rising among tribals as government schemes are not working on the ground. He also highlights the lack of other basic necessities such as water, roads, and electricity in tribal villages.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:08 - Diyas in Ayodhya00:10:04 - Chattisgarh Politics00:13:30 - Adivasis in MP00:35:58 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantNo power, roads in villages of MP rural minister’s constituency despite ‘Rs 22,000 cr’ spendingDear ZindagiAnkitJeevan Mein SamvidhanAnmolHow to Become a TyrantProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Naresh Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar, Tanishka Sodhi and Anmol Pritam.Basant and Tanishka were reporting on the assembly elections scheduled in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram, respectively. Basant explains what farmers want in the state and their issues with paddy prices. Tanishka says Mizoram is not quite like any other election state, with parties having an intriguing set of “dos and don’ts” that they follow.Anmol then talks about that old bugbear at this time of year – Delhi’s worsening air and how it impacts residents.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:38 - Chhattisgarh election00:10:08 - Mizoram election00:30:45 - Air pollution in Delhi00:39:36 - RecommendationsRecommendationsTanishka SodhiYellowfaceAnmol PritamBreaking BadThe Trial of the Chicago 7Sumedha MittalAir pollution raises risk of type 2 diabetes, says landmark Indian studyProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.