This week, host Gurmehar Kaur is joined by Newslaundry’s Anmol Pritam and Pratyush Deep. They delve into the details of two cases of “love jihad”, a Hindutva conspiracy theory, that gained traction in the media.The first was the abduction of a minor girl from Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, and the second was in connection with the murder of BJP leader Jonali Nath in Assam.Pratyush and Anmol explain how they developed sources, discovered narratives, and the perils of reporting from the ground. They also point to the eerie similarity with which cases are given a communal spin and the media’s role here. As Pratyush says, “The victim’s family suffers the most.”Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:32 - Uttarakhand communal tension00:10:08 - Assam murder case turned into love jihad00:38:35 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAnmolHow the ‘love jihad’ fuse was lit in UttarakhandPratyushScoopGurmeharDerry GirlsProduced by Tehreem Roshan and Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Samrendra K Dash.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Shwet Pandey and independent journalist Saurav Das. Saurav this week reported on how the government “blocks” requests for information and how a case filed by satirist Tanul Thakur might change this. “If the judgement is in favour of Tanul Thakur, then it could change censorship practices in India,” he says.Shwet, who wrote on the three-year anniversary of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, explains the media frenzy surrounding the case. The assembly election was held in Rajput’s home state of Bihar soon after his death, and Shwet says, “Five percent of the political vote bank is the Rajput community. So it was a very effective ploy to politicise his death for their own agenda.”The panel discusses nepotism, mental health awareness, self-censorship among journalists, and a lot more. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:28 - Government censorship00:09:36 - SSR’s three-year death anniversary 00:40:52 - Law Commission's sedition report00:45:10 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSauravThe Indian Conservative: A History of Indian Right-wing ThoughtShwetKai Po Che!SonchiriyaPKTanishkaSurviving a media trial: The story of Disha Salian’s familyProduced by Tehreem Roshan and Saif Ali Ekram, 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 Basant Kumar, who went to Odisha to cover the horrific three-train accident of June 2. The official death toll is 288, but Basant says his experience on the ground suggests the toll might be much higher.“The Odisha government is handling the aftermath of this crisis rather well,” he says. “I remember the Balasore district magistrate was present all night.”Tanishka and Basant also discuss the communal misinformation that spread on social media about the accident, and why journalists must report sensitively during times of tragedy.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:48 - Odisha train accident00:33:58 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantबालासोर ट्रेन हादसा: हिंदू-मुस्लिम रंग देने की कोशिश, पड़ताल में पाया गया झूठओडिशा ट्रेन हादसा: शवों का ढेर, मेरे अंकल का नंबर 72 है, बॉडी नहीं मिल रहीओडिशा ट्रेन हादसा: 'हमारा कोच खचाखच भरा था... हम सिर्फ 6 ही बचे!’ओडिशा ट्रेन हादसा: “जिनमें सांस थी उन्हें पहले निकाला गया ताकि वो जिंदा बच सकें”बालासोर ट्रेन हादसे में मरने वाले ज्यादातर बिहार और बंगाल के, अब डीएनए के जरिए होगी अज्ञात शवों की पहचानTanishkaScoopNL Interview: Hansal Mehta, Karishma Tanna on Scoop, Indian newsrooms and the real vs reelProduced by Tehreem Roshan and Saif Ali Ekram, 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 Newslaundry’s Tanishka Sodhi and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit. Tanishka’s story of the week investigated the online trolling of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud from January to April this year. It involved morphed photos and accusations of being “anti-Hindu”. Tanishka explains the significant role played by digital influencers in driving this social media discourse.Shivnarayan talks about his interview with Jamngaihkim Gangte, a 20-year-old from Manipur who lost her mother and brother to the ongoing violence in the state. On mainstream media coverage of Manipur, Shiv says, “With a few notable exceptions, there haven’t been any genuine stories produced in contrast to the stories about the Delhi riots that have received sufficient coverage.”Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:18 - Manipur violence00:07:47 - Online trolling of CJI00:35:42 - RecommendationsRecommendationsTanishkaJailed, suspended, fired: How teachers in UP have paid a price for Hindutva campaigns against a songShivnarayan‘Can still feel the blows...Imphal murdered my family’: Manipur violence survivor recalls escapeBasantAnti-Hindu, woke feminist: Inside the unprecedented online trolling of CJI ChandrachudSophie Ka Sansarजहरीली शराब से हुई मौतों पर एनएचआरसी का दोहरा रवैयाProduced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Naresh Kumar, and edited by Saif Ali Ekram.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and Sumedha Mittal. The discussion begins with Prateek’s story on Sonu Mansuri, a 21-year-old law intern in Madhya Pradesh, who was accused of being a “PFI agent”  and spent 50 days in jail on cheating charges. Prateek recounts his interview with Sonu, in which she described her ordeal and opened up about the line of questioning during the interrogations. He delves into the timeline of events that led to her arrest and the impact of one-sided media coverage. “The media portrayed her as a ‘terrorist’, while all she was doing was her job as an intern and learning things,” Prateek says. He also spotlights how she was targeted because of her religious identity. The conversation then moves to Sumedha’s experience of reporting from poll-bound Karnataka and her understanding of electoral politics. She talks about the good and the bad of reporting on the high-stake elections in the southern state. “Language was the biggest hurdle,” she says, shedding light on how she overcame it. This and a lot more, Tune in! Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:30 - Sonu Mansuri’s story00:10:50 - Karnataka Elections 202300:32:26 - RecommendationsRecommendationsPrateekViduthalai: Part 1SumedhaSubhash Chandra’s collapsing house of cardsTanishkaIs Therapy-Speak Making Us Selfish?Produced 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 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.