Views On News 22 december 2015

INDIAN
MEDIAPOLISRameshMenontracksthechangesthatare
rapidlyexpandingtheindustry’sspaceinto
anexcitingnewglobaldimension10
AJITH
PILLAI
TV news
hype over
nothing
30
SUDHA
J. TILAK
Ajith Kumar,
the new
Rajinikanth
26
DINESH
SHARMA
Murdoch’s
takeover of
NatGeo is
bad news 18
BIKRAM VOHRA
Letting stories
hang 22
VIEWSONNEWSDECEMBER 22, 2015 `50
THE CRITICAL EYE
www.viewsonnewsonline.com
f
GOVERNMENT FUMBLES
AS PUNJAB BURNS
By Vipin Pubby 50
WILL THE PARIS CLIMATE
SUMMIT CLEAN UP THE AIR?
By Papia Samajdar 38
Governance Section
THE CRITICAL EYE
f
INDIA, CANNY UNDERDOG
IN CLIMATE TALKS?
By Darryl D’Monte 44
WILL THE BIHAR
LIQUOR BAN WORK?
By Vipin Pubby 50
Governance Section
CNN, IBN RENEW
TIE-UP 33
TV REVIEW
Black-ish and the
race divide 38
Also

OUR COVER story this fortnight matches, as accurately
as it is editorially possible, the headline writer’s mind with
that of the journalistic thrust of the reporter’s story. Right
before our very own eyes, a dramatic transformation is
taking place which will lead this nation into yet uncharted
dimensions. Yes, indeed, we are watching the birth and
development of what our cover title picturesquely de-
scribes as a “mediapolis”.
The Indian media and entertainment space is growing
at breakneck speed, it is innovating, it is setting world tre-
nds in technology and innovation. And the business, be-
lieve it or not, in the midst of other dreary economic
statistics, is actually pretty good. Just consider these as-
tounding figures: The industry now valued at `1,15,000
crore has the potential to grow to `3,80,000 crore
by 2025.
This is good news for the economy. It is great tidings
for the communications and technology sector. And at the
macro level, it heralds the emergence of a segment of the
service economy that can be considered not only a part
of the national infrastructure but
be a driver and catalyst for all-
round infrastructural growth.
Ah, but can we handle and
make the best use of this new
tiger that has burst out of its ca-
ge? Are our government, media
and social planners equipped
with the mental vision and acuity
to create innovative policies to
manage and control and stabilize
the take-off?
For example, as Managing
Editor Ramesh Menon states,
that for the Indian media industry
to cross the $100 billion mark—
which a joint study by the Boston
Consulting Group and Confeder-
ation of Indian Industry says is
possible—the regulators need to come together to create
the most cohesive environment for growth. India needs to
invest in infrastructure, skills and “create a positive envi-
ronment for all stakeholders including government, regu-
lators, industry players, advertisers and consumers”.
Some of the fertile areas include animation, VFX,
sound mixing and post-production work. But for India to
become the preferred destination for these activities, it
needs to attract global investment through a friendly and
enabling policy infrastructure.
The tectonic shift in other areas, such as content, dis-
tribution, consumption, and advertising, is already on the
horizon. In another five years, estimates show, every sec-
ond Indian will have a personal media consumption de-
vice. “Imagine what it will do to change the scenario,”
comments the writer. Already, India has the largest base
of smartphone users in the world.
It is ironical that while the global media industry is
struggling and downsizing, India could be poised for a
consumption explosion. Again, consider the statistics:
India has 250 million digital screens including smart-
phones, tablets, laptops and personal computers which
are more than all the TV and film screens put together.
The focus is already shifting to digital technology and
development of the “integrated newsroom” concept. This
will require retraining of existing staff and recruitment of a
new, enhanced workforce with the right skills. This will be
the next challenge for the industry.
Our report emphasizes that the emergence of cheaper
content modes will challenge the premise that good con-
tent is expensive. But still, content will be the ace chario-
teer. Content will still be king. And that is a heartening note
in our story which is chock-full of information and analysis
for the general reader, businessmen and policy-makers.
CONTENT WILL
ALWAYS BE KING
EDITOR’SNOTE
3VIEWS ON NEWS December 22, 2015

C O N
LEDE
BoomTime Ahoy!
The media and entertainment industry is poised for a boom in India even as it is
collapsing globally. To make the most of this edge, the government must
attract the best minds and frame the right policies, says RAMESH MENON
Editor
Rajshri Rai
Managing Editor
Ramesh Menon
Deputy Managing Editor
Shobha John
Executive Editor
Ajith Pillai
Associate Editors
Meha Mathur, Sucheta Dasgupta
Deputy Editor
Prabir Biswas
Art Director
Anthony Lawrence
Deputy Art Editor
Amitava Sen
Graphic Designer
Lalit Khitoliya
Photographer
Anil Shakya
News Coordinator/Photo Researcher
Kh Manglembi Devi
Production
Pawan Kumar
Head Convergences Initiatives
Prasoon Parijat
Convergence Manager
Mohul Ghosh
Technical Executive (Social Media)
Sonu Kumar Sharma
Technical Executive
Anubhav Tyagi
OWNEDBYE.N.COMMUNICATIONSPVT.LTD.
NNOIDAHEADOFFICE: A-9,Sector-68,GautamBuddhNagar,NOIDA(U.P.) -201309
Phone:+91-0120-2471400-6127900;FFax:+91-0120-2471411
e-mail:editor@viewsonnewsonline.com,wwebsite:www.viewsonnewsonline.com
MUMBAI:ArshieComplex,B-3&B4,YariRoad,Versova,Andheri,Mumbai-400058
RANCHI:HouseNo.130/C,VidyalayaMarg,Ashoknagar,Ranchi-834002.
LUCKNOW:Firstfloor,21/32,A,WestView,TilakMarg,Hazratganj,Lucknow-226001.
ALLAHABAD:LeaderPress,9-A, EdmonstonRoad,CivilLines,Allahabad-211001.
For advertising & subscription queries
sales@viewsonnewsonline.com
VOLUME. IX ISSUE. 06
PublishedbyProfBaldevRajGuptaonbehalfofENCommunicationsPvtLtd
andprintedatAmarUjalaPublicationsLtd.,C-21&22,Sector-59,Noida.All
rightsreserved.Reproductionortranslationinanylanguageinwholeorin
partwithoutpermissionisprohibited.Requestsfor
permissionshouldbedirectedtoENCommunicationsPvtLtd.Opinionsof
writersinthemagazinearenotnecessarilyendorsedbyENCommunica-
tionsPvtLtd.ThePublisherassumesnoresponsibilityforthereturnof
unsolicitedmaterialorformateriallostordamagedintransit.All
correspondenceshouldbeaddressedtoENCommunicationsPvtLtd.
Chief Editorial Advisor
Inderjit Badhwar
CFO
Anand Raj Singh
VP (HR & General Administration)
Lokesh C Sharma
Circulation Manager
RS Tiwari
18
StormtoWeather
SCIENCE JOURNALISM
The takeover of
NatGeo by Rupert
Murdoch might just
have sounded the
death knell for
independent science
journalism, fears
DINESH C SHARMA
10
4 VIEWS ON NEWS December 22, 2015
T E N T S
R E G U L A R S
Cover design: Anthony Lawrence
Selfie-serving
Journalism 34
38
The rush by journos to take selfies
with powerful people has cast a
shadow on their reputation and
professionalism, observes
PAMELA PHILIPOSE
Governance
Climate of Change 44
The jury is out on whether India has
been slowing progress on talks while
batting for developing countries,
writes DARRYL D’MONTE
Watery Ban 50
Historically, prohibitions have failed,
resulting in a boost to bootleggers.
Nitish Kumar might keep that in mind,
cautions VIPIN PUBBY
EDITOR’S PICK
TV REVIEW
Edit..................................................03
Quotes.......................................06
Media-Go-Round...........................07
Grapevine........................................08
As the World Turns.........................36
Design Review................................40
Breaking News...............................42
Web-Crawler....................................49
Vonderful-English............................54
PROFILE
SPOTLIGHT
The Next
Rajinikanth 26
Tamil movie buffs are all set to crown
Ajith Kumar, the baby-faced hero
of Vedhalam, as the new king of
hearts, thanks to his box office suc-
cess and his“nice guy”image.
SUDHA G TILAK reports
Media Sludge 22
The Fourth Estate today decides what
people will see, read and hear. But this
information deluge is without any
follow-ups and accountability,
writes BIKRAM VOHRA
Black orWhite
A new sitcom, Black-ish, takes a fresh
look at race relations in America.
SHAILAJA PARAMATHMA’S review
SMALL SCREEN
UnbrokenTie-up 33
CNN has renewed its news-sharing
arrangement with IBN, putting to rest
doubts about the future of TV18.
AJITH PILLAI reports
Teasing the
Viewer 30TV news channels are hyping news
which is of no significance. This robs
the medium of its credibility and
insults the intelligence of the viewer.
AJITH PILLAI’S analysis

U O T E S
Salman Rushdie,
author
This admission just took 27
years, how many more before
‘mistake’is corrected. (on
Congress leader
P Chidambaram’s admission
that the ban on SatanicVerses
was wrong).
Amitabh Bachchan,
film star
Brilliance be with them that
have counter ready to face the
counter of the counter to their
tweet .. !!!
Imran Khan,
Pak politician
While PM Modi is a prisoner of
his extremist right wing
supporters, PM Sharif conveys a
deep-rooted fearfulness of the
Establishment.
Raveena Tandon,
actor
Lot of chestbeating happened
after mumbai floods.Then all
died down, trees being cut
everyday, national park full of
encroachments....
Shekhar Kapur,
actor-director
When Holy Ganga turns in2 a
seasonal river, alternatively
flooding or drying up, we will
wish we looked after our Glaciers
#climatechange.
Vir Sanghvi, senior
journalist
With ref to BJP setbacks in
Gujarat local polls-an ex Modi
fan there tells me:all PMs
phone-y. MMS was in Silent
mode. Modi is in Flight mode!
It is a question of putting the blame
always… the West did it. They may
have done it hundred years ago. India
is one of the main players destroying
the climate. We, China and Brazil are
the largest producers of methane.
—Maneka Gandhi, women and child develop-
ment minister, on the issue of responsibility of
developed and developing countries in curbing
carbon emission, on NDTV
I guess Allah decided to punish the
ruling clique in Turkey by
stripping them of their sanity. We
will remind them not once about
what they have done, and
they will feel sorry about it more
than once.
—Vladimir Putin, Russian President,
addressing the parliament, on Turkey
shooting down a Russian military plane
After doing politics all these years, I do
not see that we have the power to retrieve
that (PoK) or they (Pakistan) can
retrieve this (J-K)… So, we can trade, our
boys can marry girls from there and
their boys can marry girls from here....
That will settle many of prob-
lems of India and Pakistan.
—Farooq Abdullah, former Jammu &
Kashmir chief minister, on the need for
porous borders in J&K, in Outlook
Writers are not
responsible for riots.
Rioters are. Rioters
don’t read books.
—Taslima Nasreen, author,
at The Times LitFest
Senior Congress leader and former
finance minister P Chidambaram has
said that the decision of the erstwhile
Rajiv Gandhi government to ban Salman
Rushdie’s book, The Satanic Verses, was
wrong, reports The Indian Express.
“I have no hesitation in saying that the
ban on Salman Rushdie’s book was
wrong,” Chidambaram said during a
session titled “Is India a liberal republic?”
at the Times LitFest in New Delhi.
Chidambaram was the minister
of state for home in the Rajiv Gandhi
government from 1986-89.
The controversial book was banned
in October 1988.
“Banning SatanicVerses was wrong”
EDIA-GO-ROUND
Nepalese cable TV operators
have blocked all Indian channels
“indefinitely” to protest an unofficial
Indian “blockade of goods” into the
country, The Times of India reports.
The move comes in the backdrop of a
large-scale agitation by Nepal’s ethnic
Madhesi community, which has effec-
tively blocked the Indo-Nepal border,
leaving scores of goods-laden trucks
stranded on the border and preventing
fuel and essential items from entering
the country. The United Nations Chil-
dren’s Fund has warned that the result-
ant shortages of food, medicines and
vaccines are putting more than three
million infants at risk of death or
disease as winter begins in Nepal.
Nepal blocks
Indian channels
Jagannathan
switching job?
Has R Jagannathan, editor-in chief of
Firstpost, moved to Swarajya? If
social media is to be believed, then he
will be formally joining the magazine as
editorial director. Swarajya was
launched by noted freedom fighter C
Rajagopalachari in 1956 and stopped
publication in 1980. It was re-launched
last year in the print and digital format
as a “fiercely independent, big tent of
right liberal ideas”. Jagannathan, or
“Jaggi” as he is known as, headed
Network 18 publications, which also
owned the Firstpost portal. He earlier
edited The Financial Express, Business
Standard, Businessworld and DNA.
Muslim datato
be confidential
The Union Home Min-
istry has decided to
stop making information
about Muslims serving in
the police force public.
This practice had started
under the Vajpayee
dispensation, 16 years
ago. Muslims were the
only religious community
whose representation
was separately provided
in the annual report of
the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB).
“Records of police
strength and infrastruc-
ture are an administrative
issue and it has been
decided that the NCRB
will not compile this data.
The data is also compiled
by the Bureau of Police
Research and
Development (BPR&D)
and henceforth will be
done by it alone,”
Akhilesh Kumar, chief
statistical officer, NCRB,
told The Indian Express.
The BPR&D,
which also
functions under
the home min-
istry, said it has
no plan to col-
lect this infor-
mation or to
make it public.
Jawaharlal Nehru
University will introduce
Masters programs in Film
and Television, Art History
and Theatre.
According to JNU's
vice-chancellor SK Sopory,
the university will offer three
new MA programs from the
next academic session.
“The Board of Studies of the
School of Arts and Aesthet-
ics had recommended
introduction of the three
courses. The proposal was
mooted in July,” he said.
JNU offers
new MA courses
—Compiled by Shailaja
Paramathma

Grapevine
We know for sure now that
there is at least one minis-
ter who reads The Economic
Times. HRD Minister Smriti
Irani has been miffed with ET
journalists who write stories
that she doesn’t deny, but does
not like as they “tarnish”
her image.
Interestingly, the ET recently
reported that the HRD min-
ister cleared over 5,000 re-
quests for admission to
Kendriya Vidyalayas in the
current academic year, which
is over a four-fold jump from
the quota levels of her prede-
cessors. It was stated that “it
is the responsibility of the
government to respond to
poor families.” This must be
some privileged class of poor
families indeed.
ET scribeslosefavor
Tharoorpitchesinfornon-IASofficers
Officers of the non-IAS
services are a happy lot
these days. After a fillip from
the Seventh Pay Commission
recommendations, that ques-
tioned the sole rights of IAS
officers over top posts, non-
IAS officers have another
high-profile supporter. For-
mer Union minister Shashi
Tharoor in an article in DNA
stated: “Top posts in India
cannot be the monopoly of
the IAS. It is bad for the gov-
ernment and bad for the
wider public interest.” The
comments made Tharoor an
instant hero among non-IAS
officers. In fact, the allied
services offices enjoy the sup-
port of quite a few present
and former ministers, who
might not agree with Tharoor
on many issues but would
happily support him on
this issue.
Sudhir Kumar, a 1982
batch Bihar cadre IAS of-
ficer, brain behind the success
of Lalu Prasad Yadav as Rail-
way Minister, has a new job at
hand. He has been told to
mentor the new deputy CM of
Bihar, Lalu’s youngest son
Tejashwi Yadav. Set to retire
in March 2016, the Lalu
confidante has been made
principal secretary,
Road Construction,
with the rank of chief
secretary. As OSD to
Lalu in the Railways
Ministry, Kumar
scripted Lalu’s success,
and Lalu donned the
mantle of a “business
guru” at the elite Har-
vard Business School.
It now remains to be
seen how he is able to
guide Tejashwi.
CoachingTejashwi
After Har Har Modi, Ghar
Ghar Modi, Central
Board of Film Certification
(CBFC) board chairman
Pahlaj Nihalani has
brought out a new
glowing video tribute to
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, titled Mera desh hai
mahaan.
The 6.42-minute music
video is an ode to Modi’s
achievements, cheered by a
multi-cultural group. Inter-
estingly, all the “achieve-
ments” featured are outside
the country. Visuals of the
Tour De France, Moscow’s
International Business
Centre and the Dubai
Expressway are shown in
a montage as glimpses of
PM Modi’s India.
Comments on social
media have ripped
apart the video.
PahlajNihalanihaimahaan
Is it a coincidence
that the World
Toilet Day and the
International Men’s
Day are observed on
the same day every
year, 19th Novem-
ber? Whoever is
responsible for this
was the ultimate troll
as we know for sure
that the day was first
named Men’s Day
and the clubbing of
the Toilet Day was
only done recently.
Coincidence?
Illustrations: UdayShankar
—Compiled by Roshni Seth
Jabwemet
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his Pakistani
counterpart Nawaz Sharif
met during the climate
change conference in Paris.
First, it was “just a hand-
shake”. Then they had a
“longish” chat. It was noted
that Modi did most of the
“talking”. The news was
flashed by Pakistani TV
channels. Later, an Indian
channel had some inside
information, which was that
“the meeting lasted all of 120
seconds”. As several out-
standing issues remain pend-
ing between the two
countries, it is yet to be seen
when the ice melts.
Pollutedparadox
The Paris Climate Change Summit created
its own massive carbon footprint, with
emissions of about 300,000 tons of CO2.
Nearly 50,000 delegates and aides came from
195 nations. The average distance travelled
per person was 9,000 miles. About 27 mil-
lion gallons of jet fuel was burnt. Though the
goal of the conference was to keep the average
global temperature from rising by 2 degrees
C, it created a lot of hot air.
I&B’sownhometheatre
Every weekend, an auditorium of the
Films Division of the Ministry of I&B
hosts screenings of recent films from Bolly-
wood, films selected for festivals as well as
renowned foreign films. Often the cast and
crew are present at the screenings.
On the invite list are senior I&B bureau-
crats, their families as well as some lucky
politicians. Entry is strictly by “invitation
only”, and an identity card is required to
gain access. Wonder if the PM is aware of
this little privilege enjoyed by the bureaucrats
in Lutyen’s Delhi?

India’s media and entertainment industry which is worth `1,15,500 crore has
the potential to grow to `3,80,000 crore by 2025. But great imagination is
needed to create infrastructure and policies for it to take off
BY RAMESH MENON
More Gold
Waiting to be Mined
LedeMedia and Entertainment Industry
NDIA’S media and entertain-
ment industry is at another tur-
ning point. In another de-cade,
this industry will be redefined.
Currently valued at `1,15,500
crore, it will see a tectonic shift as far as content,
distribution, consumption and advertising is con-
cerned. In another five years, estimates show that
every second Indian will have a personal media
consumption device. Imagine what it will do to
change the scenario. Already, India has the largest
base of smartphone users in the world.
Ironically, the media industry globally is wit-
nessing a rough patch with digital eating into tra-
ditional media revenues. Further, subscription has
fallen and advertising revenue is collapsing for
traditional media due to the shift to digital media
which is more effective.
A seminal report by Boston Consulting Group
and Confederation of Indian Industry—“Shaping
the industry at a time of disruption”—details how
the Indian media and entertainment industry can
be made into a $100-billion one. For this to hap-
pen, it says: “While macro factors like growing
economic activity and consumer demand are pro-
viding the right tailwinds, the industry and the
regulators need to come together to create the
most cohesive environment for growth. India
needs to invest in infrastructure, skills and create
a positive environment for all stakeholders includ-
ing the government, regulators, industry players,
advertisers and consumers.”
The report says that India can achieve the
$100-billion vision by shaping the industry to
leverage consumer and digital trends.
India needs to attract global investment and
that is only going to happen if it has an enabling
policy infrastructure. India must be seen as the
destination for animation, VFX, sound mixing
and post production work, says the report.
If government initiatives like Make in India
and Digital India take off, it will help India emerge
as the global nerve center of media and entertain-
ment. But then, it has to move beyond slogans to
performance and delivery. Also, let us not forget
that the consumption of media is directly propor-
tional to the level of economic prosperity in India.
B
oth these pet projects of Modi can take
off if India emerges stronger. But then, it
has to be seen as a production hub that is
also attracting global investment. It also needs to
come clear on IPR policy and enhancing the ease
of doing business. Currently, India is ranked
142nd out of 189 economies by the World Bank
in this regard.
The government needs to attract India’s bright-
est minds among the stakeholders to help policy-
makers get it right. And in this regard, it must
realize that people like Pahlaj Nihalani who heads
the Censor Board and Gajendra Chauhan, chair-
man of the Film and Television Institute of India,
cannot do much to improve the image or the
working of the crucial institutions they head.
India has the third largest TV audience and is
today the largest producer of films in the world.
You cannot fritter away this advantage.
I

India’s media and entertainment industry is
throbbing with activity and promise as the market
is largely unsaturated. In contrast, it is struggling
in the West. If the Indian economy grows, adver-
tising is bound to expand. Right now, the output
of Indian advertising is only 0.33 percent of its
GDP, while the global average is 0.64 percent.
Is there a consumption explosion for the in-
dustry in India? It seems so. India has 250 million
digital screens like smartphones, tablets, laptops
and personal computers which are more than the
number of TV and film screens put together. It is
estimated that it might catapult to nearly 600 mil-
lion in another five years.
The future will see users making primetime re-
dundant as they will look at content on personal
devices. It will also create fragmented audiences,
as consumers will selectively opt for niche content
depending on their interest.
As the focus shifts to digital technology
and implementation of the Integrated
Newsroom concept, re-skilling of existing
staff and recruitment of new, enhanced
workforce with the right skills will be the
next challenge for the print industry.
Also, cheaper content modes will
emerge, challenging the premise that good
content is expensive. It was heartening to
see that the report underlined that content
would continue to be king and it would
help to pay heed to developing it.
T
he moot point is whether all this
growth can be monetized. It cer-
tainly can by tapping into the la-
tent needs of the Indian media consumer as
digital TV is available for as less as `200 a month
and newspapers are also priced pretty low. This is
probably why players who want to ride the media
and entertainment wave will invest heavily in con-
tent as it is ultimately the only way to make a dent
and stand out in the crowd.
With the media and entertainment industry
standing at about `1,15,500 core, it is easily one of
the best performing sectors. It accounts for nearly
1.7 percent of the country’s GDP, apart from pro-
viding employment to nearly five million people.
It is quite clear though that this sector has under-
performed. India has one of the lowest per capital
spends in this area.
There are also regulatory issues related to pric-
ing and taxation that have to be addressed to cre-
ate a balanced tax regime that could emerge as a
winner for the industry, government and the con-
sumers. Let us admit it—there is a serious skills
India’s media and entertainment industry provides
employment opportunities for 5 million people.
India’s TV audience is the third
largest in the world.
gap in the industry. And there is a strong need for
professionally trained personnel to bring some
sheen and sparkle as well as professionalism.
As media consumption grows, economic
growth and content generation will continue. This
will help the industry grow from the current
`1,15,000 crore to `3,80,000 crore by 2025. This
could well happen as many Indian regions have
still not been penetrated. Only 65 percent of In-
dian households have a TV, making that about 172
million households. If this increases substantially,
which it certainly will, then advertising and sub-
scription will grow. That is good news for the
media and entertainment industry. With the
growth of broadband, the industry can expect to
touch `5,00,000 crore by 2025.
Digital has arrived. A digital mindset will ul-
timately be the bedrock of a strategy fit for a dig-
ital age. It would do well if companies see the
writing on the wall and forge ahead with
confidence, speed and agility as it will also
stimulate innovation.
O
perators have spent as much as
90 percent of industry revenue
on the last two spectrums. They
are expected to spend more than $30 billion
over the next two to three years. This is ex-
pected to exponentially increase the num-
ber of connections and also improve
network speed.
Presently, the consumption gap is wide.
Indians spend around 37 hours a week con-
suming various kinds of media. That, inci-
dentally, is the lowest in the world. In the
US and the UK, it is around 64-68 hours
“Different
genres and
experiments will
happen now. We
are already seeing
some amazing plot
lines emerging in
the television and
entertainment
arena as they are
seeing what is
happening
globally and they
are learning to
compete.”
— Abhinandan Sekhri,
co-founder,
Newslaundry
India produces the largest number
of films in the world.
Piracy obstructs growth; more than half of Indian internet users
access unlicensed services causing revenue loss to the industry.

a week. China stands at 44 hours and Russia at 47
hours. India needs to at least come closer to
China.
As programs can be recorded, viewing pat-
terns will result in changing behavior. News is
now available on the go and that is why prime
time ratings have in the past few years drastically
declined. In 1970, prime time was the most im-
portant slot. But in 2014, the gap between prime
and non-prime was narrowing and will continue
to do so.
When consumption behavior changes, there
could be polarization of content. Mid-tier and
generic content might become unattractive as top-
rated and niche content is well sought after in-
stead. The changing scenario shows how myths
are breaking. One of them is that good content is
expensive. Social media is now competing with
traditional media.
A survey done by the Boston Con-
sulting Group of 6,300 consumers shows
that Facebook and chatapps are sources
for the first news people read or see. It is
also cheaper as it costs about 1/100th of
traditional broadcast models.
N
ew players are now integrated
online and offline to create a
“river of content” style where
online becomes the first source for
breaking news. After that, digital com-
ments across social media are integrated
with editorial opinion, creating the final
story. So, social media, news-wires, re-
porters, audio and video content are
married together slowly, letting the river
Only 65 percent of Indian households have a TV today; that is
about 172 million households.
Facebook, Google and Yahoo attract more than 50 percent of the
digital display advertising revenue in the US.
“The media and
entertainment
industry has a
bright future. The
thing to watch is the
digital space as it
has tremendous
opportunity. The
challenge today is
to work towards
blending digital
and conventional
media.”
— Bhupendra Chaubey,
executive editor, CNN-IBN
of content grow from a narrow tribu-
tary to a large swathe where all kinds
of information and background mate-
rial are seamlessly woven together.
Data analysis is finally helping ad-
vertisers to measure ad exposure and
what it leads to. It helps them strategize
better as well as plan better. They can
do sharper advertising campaigns.
Finally, Indian content is gaining
global acceptance. Nearly 35 percent of
the box office collection of Bollywood’s
top ten films came from outside India.
Indian artists and performers are in-
creasingly being recognized abroad. A
growing media and entertainment in-
dustry can benefit from a large growing
youthful workforce, IT professionals
and engineering graduates.
The report points out that those thinking big
turn out to be winners. “YouTube is not a video-
sharing website, it is a seemingly unstoppable jug-
gernaut illustrative of the vast size and rapid
growth of free online video consumption. Today,
YouTube is a global phenomenon with over one
billion unique monthly users, one billion video
views per day, one million advertisers and
channels with over one million subscribers,” the
report says.
Rising literacy will drive the growth of news-
papers, particularly Hindi and vernacular ones,
which account for 80 percent of the circulation.
Surveys done by the Boston Consultancy Group
have shown that news consumption increases
with the time spent online. It has also shown that
classifieds and real estate have seen a significant
It is estimated that 2/3 of Indians will afford
smartphones in the next three years.
India has the largest base of smartphone
users in the world.
“When 4G and 5G
comes in, youngsters
will not be watching TV.
TV will have to reinvent
itself and concentrate
on programming for the
web. TV behaves as if it
is patronizing the web.
The scale of destruction
for TV will be huge
when the web grows
and takes over.”
— Aniruddha Bahal, author
and editor of Cobrapost.com

shift to digital with 90 percent of con-
sumers indicating a preference for the
digital medium in these categories.
The digital has hit cinema too. In-
dians may have the lowest screen den-
sity in the world, but Indians love
cinema. The Indian film industry is
estimated to be worth `13,000 crore
and is growing at about 13 percent.
Single screen theatres have been converted into
multiple screen complexes, giving a wider cho-ice
to a wider audience.
C
ontent-driven films have become money
grossers. New genres are erupting. So are
experiments. Technology is getting a
new traction with films like Bahubali: The
Beginning. There are estimates that the film indus-
try will gross around `22-24,000 crore in another
five years.
Radio in India is currently valued at `2,300
crore. Radio as a medium has soared as private
FM channels and mobile phones with in-built FM
services in smartphones have increased. There are
250-300 million radio users today, which inciden-
tally, are more than internet users. Radio greatly
benefitted from election ads recently and e-com-
merce has turned out to be a major advertiser.
But radio needs to experiment with different
formats other than music. It is boringly repetitive
and does not have the freshness of programming
that radio in London has, where it is vibrant and
informative. In another five years, Indian radio is
expected to touch `5-6,000 crore. Also, with
smartphones and tablets increasing, the gaming
sector too is fast emerging as a promising source
of revenue for the industry.
It will take a perceptive government with a vi-
sion to ensure that the potential for the media and
entertainment industry is tapped and exploited
with proper infrastructure and policies. Whether
we will see it in this regime is a moot question.
C
ross-ownership of the media in
India has always been a sticky
issue and has been debated
for decades. Last year, TRAI, the tele-
com regulator, said it was time for India
to impose cross-media restrictions, fol-
lowing the lead in countries like the US
and the UK, in order to ensure “a num-
ber of independently-owned media
voices in the market”.
India’s media is largely held by a
handful of players and the danger is
that they can significantly sway public
opinion. TRAI’s stand has been that
cross-media ownership rules should
be restricted only to the news and cur-
rent affairs genre, including business
and financial news, and not radio and
internet. The concern about a few
media houses controlling the industry
has increased among independent
media analysts and observers. This is
because paid news and private treaties
with advertisers and organizations
have diluted the essence and value of
journalism. (Private treaties are agree-
ments between a media company and
a non-media entity in which the latter
transfers shares of the company to the
former in lieu of advertisements, space
and favorable coverage.)
The idea is not for the government
to regulate the media but for the media
to come up with a self-regulatory body
of eminent non-media personalities
who will see that this independence is
not tampered or watered down by
mere commercial interests. This will
ensure that the industry grows in a
healthy atmosphere and performs the
duties that consumers expect it to.
Aniruddha Bahal, who founded Cobra-
post.com which specialized in inves-
tigative journalism, says that today
consumers should be given diversity of
choice rather than be stuck with a lim-
ited service controlled by a handful of
players. “Monopoly is not healthy both
for the vendors and the consumers,”
he says.
News anchor Bhupendra Chaubey,
who heads CNN-IBN, says: “There
should be a disclosure of who runs the
media and there must be transparency
of ownership. For example, everyone
knows today that Reliance owns Net-
work 18. Laws have been created to
ensure that they do not do that and
that is why media players function
under different entities. Basically, what
is worrying is that the government
wants to control the media.”
Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder,
Newslaundry, says: “Cross-ownership
is a problem area in India and there is
no law to fix it presently. The distinction
between radio, print and television has
now blurred with consolidated news-
rooms coming in with the advent of
the internet. But we have to figure
out a sensible way to deal with
cross-ownership.”
MediaControl

A $725-million deal
between Murdoch’s
21st Century Fox and
National
Geographic Society
could be the
beginning of science
journalism getting
compromised
BY DINESH C SHARMA
Climate Change at
National Geographic
HE placid world of science
journalism was stirred up just
before the world began an-
other round of negotiations on
one of the hottest topics
in science—climate change. A self-proclaimed
non-believer in the science of climate change
wrested control of a news organization known for
its impeccable and fiercely independent science
journalism, particularly relating to global warming
and climate change.
On November 16, 21st Century Fox and Na-
Science Journalism
T
National Geographic Partners
tional Geographic Society announced that they have
completed a transaction to form a new entity,
National Geographic Partners. This concludes the
takeover of media-related business of the 127-year
old National Geographic Society by media mogul
Rupert Murdoch through a $725 million deal first
announced in September this year. The new entity
will be owned 73 percent by 21st Century Fox and
27 percent by The National Geographic Society. The
transaction was followed by top-level management
changes that saw Fox executives moving over to
National Geographic Partners and contracts of lead-
ing journalists being terminated.
EDITORIAL CONTENT
Mergers, takeovers and changes in management of
top media companies in America and elsewhere are
commonplace and are rarely a matter of concern for
readers and other sections of society. However, the
takeover of National Geographic magazines, Na-
tional Geographic television channels and other
media platforms owned by the National Geographic
Society has raised doubts over the independence of
editorial content.
First, National Geographic Society is a non-
profit entity engaged in science, education and ex-
ploration, while the new Fox-controlled company,
National Geographic Partners, will be for profit and
will report to shareholders. The very character of
National Geographic media properties has changed
with this deal.
The second point of concern is that Murdoch
is a known denier of climate change. He is on the
same side of the climate debate as the fossil fuel
lobby which believes that climate change is not
man-made and that it is a phenomenon that has
been occurring over centuries and millennia. Mur-
doch himself has acknowledged that he is a climate
skeptic, but not a denier.
Murdoch has often rubbished climate change
science as nonsense. On August 26, 2015, he
tweeted in the context of the UN summit on sus-
tainable development goals: “A climate change skep-
tic not a denier. Sept UN meets in NY with endless
alarmist nonsense from u know whom! Pessimists
always seen as sages.” In a television interview in July
2014, Murdoch said: “We should approach climate
change with great skepticism. Climate change has
been going on as long as the planet is here, and there
will always be a little bit of it. At the moment the
North Pole is melting, but the South Pole is getting
bigger.” These are the same lines that climate
“We should approach climate change with
great skepticism. Climate change has been
going on as long as the planet is here, and
there will always be a little bit of it. At the
moment the North Pole is melting, but the
South Pole is getting bigger.”
—Rupert Murdoch, CEO, 21st Century Fox

change deniers funded by Big Oil have
been mouthing for a long time now.
With Murdoch owning a majority
stake in the highly influential National
Geographic media platforms, will these
outlets also start reflecting Murdoch’s
line on climate change? If one goes by
past experience, the chances of science
journalism getting compromised are very high.
DENIAL OF SCIENCE
An analysis of the editorial tilt of media companies
owned by Murdoch, done in a study by David McK-
night, media researcher at the University of New
South Wales, found that newspapers and television
stations owned by News Corporation largely denied
the science of climate change and dismissed those
who were concerned about it. The study, from 1997
to 2007, was based on editorials, columns and com-
mentaries in these media outlets. While the inten-
sity of commentary and editorials about climate
change varied between media outlets owned by
News Corporation in the US, Britain and Australia,
its corporate view framed the issue as one of politi-
cal correctness rather than science. “Scientific
knowledge was portrayed as an orthodoxy and its
own stance—and that of ‘climate sceptics’—por-
trayed as one of courageous dissent,” McKnight con-
cluded in his study published in Journalism in 2010.
Such pronouncements of Murdoch and new
ones have got activists and citizens worried. An
online petition on website SumofUs demanding that
the National Geographic board appoint a Public
Editor has already been signed by over 1,49,000
people. “We may not be able to stop the deal from
going through, but together with our allies at
ClimateTruth.org we can stop Murdoch from med-
dling if we put enough pressure on the board. Top
publications enforce editorial independence by ap-
pointing Public Editors who represent the public
and investigate complaints of editorial interference,”
the petition says.
Fox CEO James Murdoch has said that he has
no interest in the editorial affairs at Nat Geo, but his
father Rupert has a well-documented history of
editorial meddling, it noted. “From interfering in
MOOT QUESTION
Will the takeover of
NatGeo by Fox lead to
watering down of
scientific work on
climate change by its
expert team?
While Fox CEO James Murdoch
(right) claims to have no interest in
the editorial affairs at NatGeo, his
father Rupert has a well-documented
history of editorial meddling.
Science Journalism
National Geographic Partners
elections to hacking the phones of murdered
teenage girls, Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has
shown time and again that it will do anything for
profit and power. But his most dangerous legacy by
far will be his scientific illiteracy—and his quest to
ensure that human-caused global warming is dis-
missed as a conspiracy,” the petition has warned.
RIGHTWING PERSPECTIVE
Jeff Cohen, founding director of the Park Center for
Independent Media at Ithaca College, New York,
and a long-time expert on Murdoch, pointed out
that “Murdoch’s Fox News Channel has been a font
of ignorance and fear on global issues from climate
change to refugees, unlike National Geographic.
And, going back decades (before there was a Fox
News Channel), Rupert was never shy about im-
printing his rightwing and corporate perspectives
on news outlets that he owned.” However, he said
that rightwing imprint has never been dominant in
Murdoch’s entertainment companies in Hollywood.
“Only time will tell which of the two fates awaits the
legendary National Geographic.”
Climate change communication is vital for shap-
ing public perception about real threats and chal-
lenges of climate change and is also a great
influencer on policy-makers. Research has shown a
strong link between political perspective of a media
company and its stand on climate change.
For instance, the supposedly left-leaning
Guardian reports extensively on climate change and
plays down skeptical opinions, while right-leaning
Daily Mail leads the climate denier brigade. The
Wall Street Journal too is far more likely to publish
skeptical opinion pieces and editorials. Media
“exaggeration” of climate change is also an area of
concern in climate change reporting.
A study by the Oxford Reuters Institute for the
Study of Journalism, which examined reporting of
climate change skepticism in six countries, found
that such voices were much more likely to be
reported in the UK and the US than in Brazil,
China, India and France. Climate change reporting
should be based on scientific evidence and not torn
between deniers and skeptics. The Nat Geo takeover
has provided an opportunity to introspect.
— The writer is Fellow, Centre for Media
Studies, New Delhi
“WE should approach
climate change with great
skepticism. Climate change
has been going on as long as
the planet is here, and there
will always be a little
bit of it.”
“… we are all environmen-
talists, we all want clean air.
But in terms of the world’s
temperature going up, the
worst, the most alarmist
things have said ... 3°C in
100 years.
“What it means is if the sea
level rises 6 inches, that’s a
big deal... we can’t mitigate
that, we can’t stop it. We’ve
just got to stop building vast
houses on seashores and go
back a little bit.”
“The world has been
changing for thousands and
thousands of years, its just a
lot more complicated today
because we are so much
more advanced.”
“Climatechangewillalwaysbethere”
PITTED AGAINSTTHE
POWERFUL
An online petition on
SumofUS which de-
mands that the NatGeo
board appoint a public
editor, has
garnered about 1.49
lakh signatures
Rupert Murdoch expressed his views in an interview to Sky News in 2014

Spotlight
HAT news is made by
the media and it de-
cides what should be
given publicity and
what should be ignored
is now a given. The fact
is the yardstick is arbitrary and intrinsically dan-
gerous. It also corrals the reader into a mental
stockade and reduces him to a severely limited
feed of pap and pre-conceived but vivid imagery.
That this restriction comes at a time when infor-
mation flow is a deluge and there is so much
choice is a paradox but underscores how much of
a bog the Fourth Estate has become.
There are four reasons for this collapse of in-
tegrity. Much of it is initiated by greed, intrigue,
willfulness and arrogance by its practitioners.
T
The Fourth Estate is so filled with power that
it decides what the audience should read
and hear. It zaps them with high-pitched and
mind-numbing sludge without any
follow-ups or accountability
BY BIKRAM VOHRA
TheGreat
NewsDeluge
Anthony Lawrence
Business of News
Since we now decide the news, its level of impor-
tance and what you should think, it is the media
that makes the menu. Heck, if horror, terror and
the blood and gore of caste, color and creed sells,
sell it. Add to it dollops of prejudice, hatred, mis-
ery and fear and you are home free.
SHRILL MEDIA
To a great extent, journalism and its six pillars of
wisdom (why, when, who, which, where, what)
have moved into the realm of “agenda advocacy”.
We push towards a designated and specific goal
and not go where the truth takes us. Mass com-
munications is just that...sapping the end-user’s
stamina by zapping him with bullet points and
abbreviated pre-digested pap. Over time, his ca-
pacity to absorb data is severely restricted to
stunted sentences. The quick fix is all. This suits
us immensely because he has now been “tasered”
into submission. Even when he questions us, it is
according to our diktat. Today’s media is neither
the voice of the people, the keeper at the gate or
the watchdog of propriety. It is just a business sell-
ing high-pitched sludge set to a shrill decibel.
Remember the time when we had three
choices for ice-cream: vanilla, strawberry and
chocolate. They sufficed for years. Now, the list is
long, confusing and absurd. Who eats pumpkin
ice-cream or frozen sesame seed or mulberry?
Much the same occurs with the dispensation of
news. It comes in all shapes and sizes and has
breached the banks of conventional journalism
what with opinion and reportage mingling in
muddy eddies until the sanctity of both has been
destroyed. There is so much information flung at
the reader/viewer that he has switched off and his
relationship with the news is desultory at best. He
skates over it because in-depth, ironically, has
sunk. One can even say that advertising and news
are now not so strange bedfellows and the first
commands the second. As garishly marketed
“masscomm” grabs the stage, the factual has be-
come dull by comparison.
The second element segues seamlessly into
the third. The immediacy demanded by radio,
TV and news websites and their channels of com-
munication make a pastiche of the news and
function on pure guesswork. It multiplies every
day. Take the Paris blasts. The casualty figures
bounced up and down depending on what news
frequency a person was switched into, as was the
hunt for the killers. News now comes in staccato
bursts packaged in contradictions. This bom-
bardment compels the reader to just give up on it
and make his own figures and stats. Ergo, one
more lie to the pile. So we end with X opinions,
all based on false premises.
NO RESEARCH
The frenetic pace of sending information and the
need to maintain circulation, TRPs, eyeballs and
hits has made the “investigative” element and the
painstaking research that went with it laughably
redundant. Where you once spent a month fine-
tuning a story, now you spend five minutes. And
where checking facts are concerned, the devil take
the hindmost. There are no follow-ups, no end of
the story revelations, just half-spun clods of sen-
sation often conjured out of thin air and left
PURE GUESSWORK
The Paris attacks toll
bounced up and down
as one switched
between TV channels

TheseriesofrapesinIndiaand
thewaythemediahasgiven
prominencetohigh-profile
politicianswhohavegivenIndi-
ansmoralsciencelessonswitha
differenceistangibleproofofits
negativeroleinpropellingmen-
talgarbage.
Whereareallthosewhorapedlittlechildren,some
whoarenotevena yearold?Dothearrestedevergoon
trial?Doesanyonechasethestory?DidanyoneindictMP
MinisterKailashVijay-
vargiyaforthisdisplayof
brillianceonrape?Hesaid:
"Onehastoabidebycer-
tainmorallimits.Ifyou
crossthislimityouwillbe
punished,justlikeSitawas
abductedbyRavana."
AndhraPradeshCongresspresidentBotsaSatyanarayana
describedNirbhaya’sgangrapeasa"smallincident".Noac-
tionistakenagainstthem,nopressureput.Notkeentobe
Take Geeta
(right), the
girl from
Pakistan.
Is anyone
bothered if
she has gone
back, is in a
home or is
with her mum
and dad? We
have decided
it is now a
non-story and
has run its
course.
The
Rape of
Common
Sense Kailash Vijayvargiya Banwari Lal Singhal
solutely no relevance.
Even the feeding frenzy accompanying In-
drani Mukerjea has lost its steam and no one
knows where the case against her stands. Even the
arrest of her husband caused nary a ripple; this
story has run its course. Chhota Rajan could be
back in Indonesia and no one would know. Nary
a peep about him when, at one time, we were get-
ting updates by the hour.
We made such a song and dance over OROP
and our bravehearts and when 2,000 of them got
together to give back their medals (not one was
burnt contrary to reports) recently, the media de-
cided ho hum these guys have canteen facilities
and keep getting pension reviews, this story won’t
sell, spoilt bunch, drop it.
Also remember the dainty lady minister in
MP who kicked a 10-year-old beggar? What was
the aftermath? No clue.
OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENTS
The desire to be in the news is so overwhelming
that making outrageous statements is now a le-
gitimate option. The fact that no one is held re-
sponsible or made to explain why action should
not be taken for creating unrest, causing hurt or
stoking sexist, communal and caste dissension
only makes these areas the first choice for
provocative commentary.
This time round, Mani Shankar Aiyar and
Salman Khurshid have a third challenger. Let’s
unfinished. So heavy is the deluge that there is no
space left for accountability. This approach has
wiped out the thinker in the pack and left a ma-
jority target audience on whom nothing really
sticks... it is all transient.
Why would it stick? It has no adhesive of au-
thenticity to back it. Take Geeta, the girl from
Pakistan. Is anyone bothered if she has gone back,
is in a home or is with her mumsie and dad? We
have decided it is now a non-story and has run its
course. And it was just recently that the highest
in the land was pouncing about wanting to be
photographed with this lady. Now she is of ab-
Spotlight
Business of News
take the case of the governor of Tripura, Tathagata
Roy and dissect his words of wisdom as the per-
fect example of lunacy. He says that the fight
against intolerance will only be balanced when
Muslims have pork in the open. By his logic, we
also accept that intolerance will be given a pat on
the back if Hindus eat beef out in the open. Jains
should have onions and garlic in a picnic spot.
Catholics should have meat on Friday, especially
through Lent, right on the beach. Mormons
should start coffee and tea open houses. Yazidis
should remove the ban on lettuce, cabbage and
butter beans because they cause gas. As if there
isn’t enough gas any way.
This is a sitting governor enjoying the privi-
leges of his office, having crores wasted in
maintaining his lifestyle in the finest real estate
in Tripura. Cars, servants, monogrammed
silverware, manicured gardens, flags, security,
salutes, the whole pomp and splendor. He also
has an official responsibility and this drivel is his
public viewpoint. And after he has babbled on
about it, this country lets it pass as just
another VIP saying what he feels. Has he been
asked by New Delhi what the heck he thinks he
was saying and what was the basis for his genius?
Not a peep.
Did Rahul Gandhi become a British citizen?
No comment. Has any action been taken either
by the Congress or the administrative machin-
ery against Khurshid and Aiyar for sitting in
Pakistan and badmouthing the prime minister?
Not that we know about.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY?
In this lies the flaw. There are so many people say-
ing so many stupid things that they are cancelling
each other out and getting away with it.
And the trickle of nonsense that was leaked
by various gurus and out-of-work politicians at
one time has now become the equivalent of a
mental dengue epidemic. Those exhibiting symp-
toms grow by the hour. Think of it. Every day
there is some mind-numbing nonsense spewed
by people in high places. Either there is some in-
fection in the air or the lure of the media has be-
come a junkie’s fix and these people deliberately
court controversy.
It is inconceivable that pork and beef should
become the central subject of discussion in a
country beset with the largest problem of all: the
lack of employment for educated youth and the
rage and restlessness in their ranks.
Read their writing on the wall. When 2.3 mil-
lion men and women apply for 368 jobs as office
boys (peons), forget about what’s for dinner and
worry about tomorrow.
“People can have
beef in the open,
even though I
personally
consider it
gross. People
have the right to
eat what they
want but the
scales would be
even when
Muslims come
out and have
pork in the
open. And that
day, we can
really call it
war against
intolerance.”
– Tathagata Roy,
Tripura governor
leftbehindinthisbizarredispatchofmoralwisdom,
BanwariLalSinghal,BJPlegislatorfromRajasthan,
workedoutallbyhimselfthatwearingskirtsin
schoolsledtosexualharassment.Cananyonerecall
thatincandescentgeniusandKhappanchayat
leaderJitenderChhatarwhotoldusthatconsump-
tionoffastfoodcontributestosuchincidents.
Chowmeinleadstohormonalimbalanceevokingan
urgetoindulgeinsuchacts.
Allgonedowninhistory,courtesymediaasvi-
gnettesofdeepwisdom.
PIB

Profile
The hero of Tamil hit,
Vedhalam, is being hailed
as the next Rajinikanth
and the star to watch out
for. It helps that he has an
image of being Mr Nice
Guy, both on and
off screen
BY SUDHA G TILAK
N the world of Tamil cinema,
there exists the biscuit test. It ex-
plains why certain heroes are
hailed as successful stars. It boils
down to their wholesome good-
ness factor and image. “The
popular impression is that he is good,” is what is
often repeated when Chennai-based film critics,
avid movie-goers, friends and family talk about
Ajith Kumar, 44, the hero of the monster hit, Ved-
halam. Bad boys being human like Salman Khan
are suited better for Bollywood. In Tamil
moviedom, the humane guy scores. In crores.
Social media platforms erupted with thunder
Kollywood’sNew
SUPERSTAR
I
ACTORTO EMULATE
Ajith in Vedhalam
Ajith Kumar
and noise this Deepavali, hailing Ajith or Thala
(The Head as he’s called after his eponymous role
as the leader of a band of thugs in Dheena, 2001)
as the next Tamil superstar after Rajinikanth. The
movie’s mighty opening in over 500 screens and
its collections which ushered it into the `100-crore
club has made the buzz over Ajith louder. Ra-
jinikanth in an interview said he “admired Ajith’s
honesty and frankspeak”.
In a state where hero worship and hyperbole
is an expression of affection for a movie star or a
politician, Ajith is the next object for mass adula-
tion. He may personally be uncomfortable with it,
as he has often expressed in his interviews, but the
uneasy crown has been plonked on his head. The
superstar in Tamil Nadu gets his stature not just
from box office success but from winning a place
in the hearts of people. And then, he will be foisted
on the pantheon of cult heroes.
“Ajith is fair and has a pleasant-looking face
on screen which, discomfiting as it’s politically
incorrect, has a huge constituency in the state.
He loves his racing bikes and cars—the girls love
that—and people love him as a person for being
gracious and generous, a responsible citizen and
a committed family man,” says Chennai-based
writer Janaki Venkataraman.
T
he film, Vedhalam (Crafty Vampire), fol-
lows the life of a good and guileless Tamil
taxi driver in Kolkata (who dances in Ka-
lighat to the chant of Ganpati Bappa Morya and
whose “fair” complexion regularly gets vocal ap-
proval in the film) who dotes on his artist sister.
However, the baby-faced hero was once a nasty
thug in Chennai whose stone heart melted before
the kindness of a young woman and her parents.
He adoptsherashissisteraftersheloseshermem-
ory following a murderous assault, and wrecks
righteous vengeance on a dreaded gang of baddies
who harmed her.
As far as storytelling, acting or aesthetics go,
the film leaves much to be desired. It does not
even play up the kitsch well or offer entertaining
moments. However, what seems to have worked
in making the film a big hit is the tried and
tested template of hero worship and image
building in Tamil cinema of the hero, Ajith. He
may lack the superior acting chops of a Kamal
Haasan or the celluloid charisma of a
SAME MOULD?
Ajith is being hailed as
the next Tamil superstar
after Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth, but Ajith is a star who tries very
hard to break the cookie cutter image (lacking
originality) and that attempt is received gener-
ously. His contemporary, actor Surya, said, “He’s
bold and wants to try something new.”
Ever since the success of his Tamil film Aasai
(Desire) in 1995, Ajith has shown a yen for playing
a variety of roles. From grey and villainous roles
as inVaali (1999), to an effeminate Bharatanatyam
dancer (Varalaru, 2005), the remake of Ra-
jinikanth starrer Billa in 2007 (a remake of Hindi
Don, 1978), Aarambham and Yennai Arindhal
(2013, thriller), Ajith has played a variety of char-
acters. “I am the only star who has delivered more
flops than hits,” he once said in an interview.
Explaining Vedhalam’s success, Baradwaj Ran-
gan, film critic, The Hindu, says: “The director has
thrown in a lot of ‘fan’ moments.” These include
crowd-pleasers such as the hero saying never to
stalk women or when he delivers a line about
being good. Rangan says the movie brought in
families as well as fans. What went in Ajith’s favor
is how he delivered a “monster hit in an era where
there are so many entertainment options”.
T
he history of Tamil cinema and its super-
stars has shown that its megastars are
born in the hearts of fans and are prod-
ucts of carefully cultivated images. Artistry and
craft have little to do with it. It explains how in the
past, matinee idol and long-time chief minister
MG Ramachandran was a winner despite his lack
of acting chops. He was fair, an uneasy qualifier in
Dravidian land and always acted as the golden-
hearted, generous soul in his films. Outside of
movies, his political image was also crafted as a
charitable person with a philanthropic bent.
Sivaji Ganesan, his contemporary, had the act-
ing qualifiers, had played grey and negative roles
but never enjoyed the adulation that MGR did. In
the following generation, the world embraced grey
characters and both Kamal Haasan and Ra-
jinikanth played villainous roles. But once Rajni’s
popularity as a superstar was made, he acted
mostly in righteous roles.
History is now repeating itself. Ajith and his
contemporary, Vijay, who always never toys with
roles or his image, are now pitted against each
other and Vedhalam’s success notwithstanding,
Ajith’s stock seems higher in the popularity charts.
In his defense, Ajith has notched more acting
awards (three Filmfare and state awards) and ex-
perimented with his looks and roles than Vijay.
“In the midst of other stars who give the image of
being virtuous, it's fun to see someone do bad
things on screen. I think this speaks to the youth
of today, who like an edge to their heroes,” explains
Rangan. And off screen too, Ajith continues to
win approval.
Aditya Shrikrishna, a film writer, says in The
New Indian Express that Ajith may play grey char-
acters on screen but the real dichotomy is “Ajith’s
anti-hero screen image and the universal opinion
“Ajith has
a huge
constituency in
the state. He
loves his racing
bikes and
cars—the girls
love that—and
people love him
as a person for
being gracious
and generous, a
responsible
citizen and a
committed
family man.”
— Janaki
Venkataraman,
writer
Profile
Ajith Kumar
of him being this ultra-nice guy off screen—to his
fans, to people in the industry, to the crew and
anyone in general.”
T
here are reports of him cooking meals for
the crew, making concerned enquires
about the junior-most person on the sets
and his philanthropy. “His persona as a good fam-
ily man whose romance with actress Shalini led to
a happy family life and his charitable nature have
won hearts,” says Venkataraman. He dissuades
pandering and prefers that fans lead purposeful
lives than latch themselves to fandom. In a rare
televised interview, he said he owed his success to
his “fans’ unconditional love” but they should “not
lose their self-respect” and go about their business
“responsibly and in an informed manner”.
Ajith is the middle of three brothers born to a
Palakkadu Tamilian and a Sindhi mother. He said
his upbringing was like a regular Mandavelli boy
who went to an English medium school. But he
soon dropped out even as his brothers went on to
pick up white collar careers abroad. Ajith worked
as a merchandiser at a Chennai garment company
and was picking up tips to become a businessman
when modeling beckoned and soon movies.
“It was destiny or fate that I became an actor,”
he says. And while he enjoys his success in the
movie world, Ajith is refreshing as compared to
other self-obsessed actors. He pursues hobbies
outside the movies and loves football and cricket.
He is a professional bike- and car-racer and has
fond memories of his father taking him and his
brothers to the Sholavaram race track, near
Madras, for motor races. Social media regularly
erupts with images of him whizzing on a new
BMW, Ducati or Hayabusa bike. In 2010, he took
a break from movies to train and participate in the
international FIA Formula 2 Asia Championship.
Obviously, speeding down the tracks to suc-
cess comes easy to Ajith and his fans would prefer
to crown this hero a king of hearts.
IDEAL FIGURE
Ajith’s reputation as a
good family man has
bolstered his image

In the race to grab eyeballs,TV news channels are hyping news that has
virtually no significance.This tabloidization of news lends no credibility to
the TV channel and viewers can see through it
BY AJITH PILLAI
OW often have we been
led to believe that a
story hyped on prime-
time by TV news chan-
nels is the burning issue
of the day only to re-
alise that it finds scant mention in the newspapers
the following morning. Is it because what can
lend itself to a lively or even a heated debate may
not be significant vis-a-vis news? Or is it, as
David Brinkley who co-anchored the NBC
Nightly News from the 70s to the 90s, famously
put it: “Television news is like a lightning flash. It
makes a loud noise, lights up everything around
it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is
suddenly gone.”
Last fortnight, we had a newsbreak on India
Today TV which exactly fitted the bill that Brink-
ley was talking about. Since it was a newsbreak,
it had to have the nine-letter “exclusive” tag at-
H
What a
story tease!
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
The story about Rahul
Gandhi’s trip taken earlier
this year did not merit all the
hoo-ha that preceded it
Small Screen
Hyping News
tached to it. The story, admittedly, was decent
enough and the reporter had done a good job
sourcing information. But the manner in which
it was hyped on the channel raised expectations
sky-high on primetime.
RAHUL MYSTERY
You couldn’t blame the viewer for sitting glued to
one channel and forgetting all about the remote.
After all, who wouldn’t want to know where
Rahul Gandhi disappeared for 56 days (India
Today revealed it was actually for 60 days) from
February 16 to April 16 this year. His mysterious
disappearance had let to considerable speculation
in the media since it happened ahead of a crucial
budget session in parliament.
Clueless Congress spokespersons came to TV
studios and failed to provide any details about
where the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family had
vanished. This further added to the mystery. Now
India Today, we were promised, would tell us ex-
actly where the Congress vice-president had gone
and what he was up to during the 60 days.
The teasers before the newsbreak seemed to
obliquely suggest that the “tell-all” story may per-
haps reveal some saucy gossip about the trip.
Who accompanied Rahul on it and what did he
do? Was it only to “introspect” on the future of
the Congress as party spokespersons had sug-
gested or was there something more to the holi-
day which was kept a top secret?
When the story finally rolled out, it made
mincemeat of the hype that preceded it. We were
told “exclusively” that Rahul Gandhi visited four
South East Asian countries, namely Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Further en-
lightenment dawned when it said that these
countries were known for their Hindu-Buddhist
culture and exotic cuisine.
NO EXCLUSIVITY
Viewers were also made wiser about the fact that
Rahul stayed 21 days in Myanmar, 15 days in
Cambodia, 12 days in Vietnam, 11 days in Cam-
bodia and one day in transit. And pray, who did
Rahul go on his foreign sojourn with? Those who
were waiting for some exclusive details relating to
a budding romance would have been disap-
pointed. Rahul was accompanied by Sameer
Sharma, son of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Satish
Sharma, a family friend of the Nehru-Gandhis.
He flew from London to Bangkok to accompany
Rahul on his secret holiday.
There was nothing to discuss about the story.
The only sticking point was that Rahul left his
SPG security at Bangkok before travelling to
Clueless Congress spokespersons came to
TV studios and failed to provide any
details about where the scion of the
Nehru-Gandhi family had vanished. This
further added to the mystery.

the drama that was enacted on TV when under-
world operator Chhota Rajan was arrested in Bali.
We had exclusive “first view” from several chan-
nels of Chhota Rajan — a shaky, long shot of the
balding pate of the man in a T-shirt surrounded
by Indonesian police. Then we had the “world ex-
clusive” interview of the don mumbling, “I want
to go back to India.” Ironically, it was telecast si-
multaneously on several channels, all claiming it
was “exclusive”.
The Sheena Bora murder saga saw similar hype
with the media selling so-called exclusive details
of virtually no significance, such as Indrani Muk-
erjea, her mother, going to a beauty parlour, and
Vidhie, her half-sister, eating a sandwich in court.
Some would dismiss this lightly as the logical out-
come of the tabloidization of news. But there is a
lesson to be learnt about hyping news that does
not deserve that kind of push — it takes away from
the credibility of the news organization indulging
in this exercise.
With the profusion of news channels, the com-
petition for TRPs is understandably intense. But
that does not mean that one should accord a story
prominence that it doesn’t deserve. It would be a
gross injustice and perhaps an embarrassment for
all those associated with it. As for viewers, they
will soon see through the hype.
these countries. That, many would say, was a se-
curity risk. Beyond that, a private holiday had no
other revelation of any political significance.
A decent enough story had been done in by
the “tell-all” and “revealed for the first time” hype.
To be fair, India Today is not the only TV channel
guilty of indulging in hype. Viewers would recall
INTEGRITYUNDER CLOUD
Channels simultaneously
aired Chhota Rajan’s
interview as an “exclusive”
Small Screen
Hyping News
Views on News had
already carried the
details on Rahul’s visit
in its April 7, 2015 issue
(see screenshot). The
magazine had full
information on the
matter. The fact
highlighted in the news
item that Rahul had
gone on a medical
break was not denied
by the Gandhi family.
NothingNew!
It was perceived
that with the
change of guard
at the center,
CNN may
be looking
for a new
partnership.
This is why Zee
was seen as a
possible choice.
With the ten-year contract between these two brands due to expire in January
2016,speculation was rife about IBN’s future.But the partnership continues
BY AJITH PILLAI
Small Screen
Collaboration
FTER months of speculation,
CNN formally announced in
the first week of December that
it will continue its collaboration
with TV18 network’s news
channel, IBN. This effectively
meansthatIBN will continue to use the CNN brand
name in its logo after its ten-year contract expires
in January 2016. The new terms of the contract
have not been specified but it comes as a shot in the
arm for IBN which can continue its news sharing
arrangement and association with the Turner
Broadcasting Inc’s channel with an international
network and imprint.
The announcement puts to rest conjecture in
media circles that CNN was considering a tie-up
with the Zee News network. A meeting between
representatives of the two channels followed by a
visit of a CNN team to the offices of the Zee Net-
work was seen as confirmation that a tie-up was on
the anvil.
Announcing the renewal of the contract, Adil
Zainulbhai,chairman,Network18,saidthatthecol-
laboration will usher in a new and improved CNN-
IBN. “We are delighted to announce the renewal of
this extremely cherished partnership between two
most respected brands in journalism….In this sec-
ond term of our collaboration we aim to present a
brandnewCNN-IBNthatwillbringnewswitheven
greater speed, accuracy, clarity and keep viewers
tuned in to the latest news and developments much
ahead of others. We intend to cut through the noise
thatiscurrentlypresentintheIndiantelevisionnews
space and offer best practices of journalism that will
lead to better understanding of issues.”
DOUBTS RAISED
It was in June this year that the TV18 management
formally announced that its arrangement with
CNN would not be continued after the contract ex-
pired in January 2016. In a formal notice to the
Bombay Stock Exchange, TV 18 Broadcast Ltd had
then declared that it will be “successfully conclud-
ing their ten year brand licensing and news services
arrangement for use of the CNN brand and CNN
news content in January 2016”.
It was then perceived in media circles that with
the change of government at the center, CNN may
be looking for a new partnership close to the ruling
dispensation. This is why Zee was seen as a
possible choice.
However, IBN has been spot on with its cover-
age of various events, including the recently con-
cluded Bihar assembly polls. This, say IBN insiders,
may have swung things in favor of the renewal of
the collaboration.
CNN-IBN Tie-up Renewed
A

INGRATIATING
MOB
PM Modi
poses for a
selfie with a
journalist at
the BJP office
in New Delhi
Framed at BJP’s Diwali milan:A frontal view of servility to authority
VON brings in each issue,
the best written commentary
on any subject.The following
write-up, from The Indian
Express has been picked
by our team of editors and
reproduced for our readers
as the best in the fortnight.
But it was a chase with a twist — this was not about
achieving self-made journalism but becoming selfie-
made journalists.
When we, the crème de la crème of Indian journalism,
media professionals privileged to be operating from Lu-
tyens Delhi, the envy of our peers located across the coun-
try, surrender childlike to the enchantment of getting
intimate with power embodied in the persona of the PM,
it raises eyebrows — and questions.
F we believe that good journalists
must be prepared to devote every
fibre of their being to get to their
news source, then the tight knot of
news men and women that formed
around Prime Minister Narendra
Modi during the Diwali milan held by his party on No-
vember28shouldgladdeneverydemocraticIndianheart.
Here, indeed, was a stirring chase for breaking news.
I
Editors’ Pick
Pamela Philipose
Selfie-Made
Journalism
book and tweet or Instagram them furiously, spreading
images of government benignity across the world, even
as we eagerly bide our time for the harvest of “likes” and
“retweets” to come our way.
To be sure, there were many within the fraternity who
had red-flagged these selfie pursuits. An anchor even
tweeted from the venue, “Appalled with journos making
a spectacle of themselves scrambling for selfies with PM.
Your job is to ask tough question not click pictures”. The
poor man was promptly inundated by a barrage of com-
ments about how many hard questions he had actually
asked, but that’s another story.
Speaking at the 75th anniversary celebrations of the
Assam Tribune at Guwahati last year, Modi is reported to
have said: “Journalism should be like honeybee and not
housefly, as housefly sits on filth and spreads it around
but bee sits on flowers and produces honey.” Wonder if
the PM was really talking from his heart on that occasion.
Does he really want us to be honeybees? Surely, houseflies
are so much more comforting. They don’t sting and are
housetrained to boot. All they need is an occasional swat
(or even a selfie) and they leave you alone.
— The writer is senior fellow at the Indian Council of
Social Science Research, Delhi
How seriously do we take ourselves as professional
journalists? How deeply do we understand what journal-
ism is about? There have been reams written about how
the fourth estate must necessarily firewall itself from the
other three estates of the executive, judiciary and legisla-
ture in order to hold them to account for the sake of a vi-
brant, functioning democracy, and yet, here the only
thing we are holding up, it seems, is a smartphone. Which
anticipates the most important question of all: Can we
who fail to achieve such a firewall demonstrate a capacity
for independent reportage based on the courage to
question the most powerful, who are sometimes the
most silent?
Ultimately, is it the case that we who decide what is
newsworthy for the world are in search of our own news-
worthiness; we who invest through the magic wand of
public recognition an incandescent power upon those we
make visible through our work are secretly hankering for
some of this power to rub off on ourselves?
Captured in the selfie is not just the smiling visage of
oneself and that of the Eminent Leader but a frontal view
of servility to authority. The government, which came to
power cheered on by a great deal of fawning media cov-
erage, now shows an inordinate appetite for controlling
that very media—not just at home but abroad as well,
going by the recent revelations of a staff writer for the
Washington Post. It banishes us from the corridors of
power, denies us access to any real information and
disallows its senior ministers and bureaucrats from
briefing us.
It has not granted us one decent, unrehearsed, un-
choreographed interview with the PM. Even the few press
conferences of an earlier dispensation are no longer on
the menu, instead we are treated to the pakora-kulfis of
Diwali milans.
Such hospitality should, of course, be acknowledged,
not disdained. It must be said that the present govern-
ment is not mean. It doesn’t grudge us our 15 seconds of
fame but takes the time and effort from its busy schedule
to allow us to undertake the mission of creating our own
personal histories through our miracle mobile apps. We
can then rush to upload the resultant pictures on Face-
ETTU, BARKHA?
NDTV’s Barkha
Dutt was
among those
who were
framed with PM
Modi during
last year’s
Diwali Milan

S THE WORLD TURNS
Trump denies
mocking disabled
reporter
Two prominent Turkish journalists
were arrested on charges of assist-
ing terrorists after they published
footage that reportedly showed the state
intelligence agency helping to send
weapons to Syria, CNN reported.
A Turkish court ordered the arrest of
the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, Can
Dundar, and the newspaper’s Ankara
correspondent, Erdem Gul, the television
channel said. Turkish media reports said
the two faced a number of charges in-
cluding membership of an armed terror-
ist organization and publishing of
material in violation of state security fol-
lowing the release of the footage in May.
European diplomats are measured in
their criticism of media freedom in
Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Er-
dogan’s rule, recognizing that the West
needs Ankara’s help on the migrant cri-
sis and as an ally in the US-led coalition
against the Islamic State.
Nikkei Inc has acquired Financial Times
from Pearson, the UK-based education
and publishing giant, becoming the
world's largest business media group,
reports The Japan Times.
Nikkei had agreed to buy Financial
Times from the Pearson Group for $1.3
billion. Best known in Japan for
its flagship newspaper, Nikkei,
with the acquisition of Financial
Times, it grabs a combined
circulation of about 2.97 million.
This is more than double of The
Wall Street Journal.
Financial Times is known for
its extensive global coverage of
economic news. A majority of its
subscribers are in the US and
Europe. It has been a pioneer
in digital media.
Turkey arrests
two journalists for
“terrorism”
Republican presidential contender Donald
Trump has denied mocking a disabled New
York Times reporter during a campaign address
earlier this week, reported ABC News.
Trump flailed his arms while referring to an
article written by Serge Kovaleski, who has a
congenital joint condition. The billionaire prop-
erty tycoon used a 2001 article by Kovaleski,
who at that time worked for The Washington
Post, to back up his own widely disputed claims
that “thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey
celebrated the 9/11 attacks in the US.
However, the politician insisted he did not
know what the reporter looked like. “I was
very expressive in saying it, and they said that
I was mocking him,” Trump said. “I would
never mock a person that has difficulty. I
would never do that. I’m telling you, I would
never do it.”
BBC Newsnight’sStratton joins ITV
Newsnight’s political editor is leaving
BBC and joining ITV News
as national editor, reports the
Press Gazette.
Allegra Stratton’s departure follows
in the footsteps of BBC’s economics
editor Robert Peston, who was poached
by the rival broadcaster last month.
Stratton has been with Newsnight for
four years. Before that, she was The
Guardian’s political correspondent.
The former BBC producer, who will
take up her new role beginning next
year, said she was “thrilled” to join
ITV News.
“It will be a pleasure and a privilege
to work alongside such a strong team
and I can't wait to get started,” she said.
Nikkei Group
acquires Financial
Times
Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dundar
(right) and correspondent Erdem Gul
—Compiled by Anuj Raina
THE CRITICAL EYE
GOVERNMENT FUMBLES
AS PUNJAB BURNS
By Vipin Pubby 50
WILL THE PARIS CLIMATE
SUMMIT CLEAN UP THE AIR?
By Papia Samajdar 38
AJITH
PILLAI
Exit Bihar
polls
16
SHAILAJA
PARAMATHMA
Javed Akhtar’s
poetry show
30
STILL
PAYING
DIVIDENDS?
RajshriRai’sonthespot
analysisofthePM’sfirst
visittotheUK
SSTTIILLLLSSTTIILLLL
MODI’SFOREIGNVISITS
12
PMsNPMsNarePMsNarePMsNarePMsNarePMsNarePMsNareP sN ndraModraModndraModndraModaModndraModraMondraModnd iandiandiandiandaiannnand
David CDavid CDavid CDavid CDavid CDaaavid Cameronaameronaameronaameronameronat10Dowt10Dowt10Dow10Dowt10Dow0DowningStrningStrningStningStrningStrggSningStreeeeeteeteeteetteeteet
PRASOON
PARIJAT
Prashant
Kishor,
India’s
buzzman 24
Governance Section
=PT)0VT)BTg)
0SSaTbb)

2Xch)BcPcT)?X])
?W^]TATb)UUXRT)TPX[)
4]R[^bTS332WT`dT=^)3PcTS)3aPf])Uâ`)
2PaS=^)BXV]PcdaT)
5â^dcbcPcX^]RWT`dT_[TPbTPSS`$
332WT`dTc^QTSaPf]X]UPe^daÛ4=2^d]XRPcX^]b?ec;cS
C^QTbT]cc^)4=2^d]XRPcX^]b?ec;cS0(BTRcâ%'6PdcP1dSSW=PVPa=830D?! (
CTabR^]SXcX^]bP__[h?[TPbT_aêXSTdb#fTTZbc^bcPach^dabdQbRaX_cX^]
SUBSCRIBE TO VIEWS ON NEWS
GET FABULOUS DISCOUNTS
HTb8f^d[S[XZTc^bdQbRaXQTcÊ84FB==4FBPVPiX]TUâcWTÛUTaX]SXRPcTSQT[^f
Tick one Term (Years) No. of Issues Cover Price (`) You pay (`) You save (`) % Saving
1 Year 24 Issues 1,200/- 600/- 600/- 50%
2 Years 48 Issues 2,400/- 960/- 1,440/- 60%
For advertising subscription queries
sales@viewsonnewsonline.com
VIEWSONNEWSTHE CRITICAL EYE
S
SAVE UP TO 60%
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Views On News (VON) is India’s premier fortnightly magazine that
covers the wide spectrum of modern communication loosely known
as “the media”. Its racy, news and analysis oriented story-telling
encompasses current global and Indian developments, trends, future
projections encompassing policy and business drifts, the latest from
inside the print and electronic newsrooms, the exciting developments
in ever-expanding digital space, trending matters in the social media,
advertising, entertainment and books.
EVERY FORTNIGHT VIEWS ON NEWS WILL BRING YOU TELL-ALL
NEWS, ANALYSES AND OPINION FROM THE SHARPEST INVESTI-
GATIVE REPORTERS AND MOST INCISIVE MINDS IN THE NATION
An ENC Publication
If the media is leaving you behind, stay ahead of it by picking up yester-
day’s Views On News!
VIEWS ON NEWS
Don’t miss a single issue of this stimulating, unbiased, entertaining new fortnightly magazine and get special discounts for yourself and
your friends

This well-known song comes alive as one sees Black-ish,an ABC sitcom
airing on StarWorld,which talks of race relations between
African-Americans and whites
BY SHAILAJA PARAMATHMA
TV Review
Black-ish
LACK people can’t be racist,”
repeats Andre Johnson (played
by actor Anthony Anderson)
in a matter-of-fact manner,
while his wife, Rainbow (pla-
yed by Tracee Ellis Ross), looks on in shock. They
are talking of how the Hispanics are lazy and are
yet stealing their jobs in America. In Dre’s (Andre)
view, racism is only a one-way street—flowing
from white to black.
But he is not alone. Ever so often, people tweak
their vision so that they come out smelling of roses.
Britishers still view the plundering of India as a
favor to the subcontinent, and the Americans call
the arrival of Columbus on American soil as a “dis-
covery”. So does Dre, the proud and affluent
African-American protagonist of comedy show
Black-ish, a person with means and power.
Ebony Ivory
B
DIFFERENT STROKES
The Black-ish team
with (extreme right)
Rainbow and Dre, their
four kids and
Dre’s father
tackles race head-on. Vijay Patel, a writer of Indian
origin and co-executive producer of the show, says:
“Laughter and comedy is a great presentation for
controversial issues. We are not grandstanding; we
are poking fun at it.”
So the tables have turned, at least in the world of
American sitcom. Otherwise, for African-Ameri-
cans who form the largest racial minority in the US
at 13.2 percent, all is not well. They experience the
most hate crimes and are most likely to be targeted.
Black-ish is like a breath of fresh air.
In one of the episodes, Rainbow reprimands her
overzealous husband by saying: “Racism exists in
this world but we might not run into it this week-
end.” This could well be heeded in India as its secu-
lar fabric gets damaged by various deeds against the
minorities.
The show is being aired every weekday on
Star World, 8.30 p.m.
Dre Johnson has spent his whole life climbing
up the social ladder. He had a low-income up-
bringing but now lives in a rich, white neighbor-
hood. He drives an S-class Mercedes and is senior
vice-president in a predominantly white company
where most blacks hold lowly positions. Torn be-
tween his obsession with being successful and his
desire to stay true to his roots, Dre is constantly
flustered and tries to be the “good black guy”
whom his kids can see as a role model. Alas, his
attempts to teach his kids about their roots are in
vain as the upper-class suburb he lives in and the
opportunities it affords, makes it difficult to keep
his family grounded. So he tries harder in over-
the-top sitcom ways.
RACIAL MIX
The series takes a gleeful look at the African-
American and white culture in an attempt to un-
derstand how both can mix. It shows some people
striving to break down the walls between them,
while others try to ensure that they remain solid.
It shows a world that does not see through color-
tinted glasses and telling its story through the eyes
of someone who does—Dre Johnson.
Black-ish has got positive reviews, with Rotten
Tomatoes giving it a rating of 7.3/10. The site
states: “Although it seems uncertain of its target
audience, Black-ish ingratiates with a diverse cast
and engaging cultural issues.” Metacritic gives the
show a score of 77 out of 100, while Rolling Stone’s
called it “one of the only new network comedies
worth watching”. Part of the reason the American
Broadcasting Company (ABC) comedy has
earned so many rave reviews is because it touches
so many diverse races and backgrounds.
Creator Kenya Barris and his cast miraculously
discuss the “N” word and all its implications from
virtually all angles while remaining true to the
show’s heart as a modern family comedy. Nomi-
nated for 41st People's Choice Awards for Favorite
New TV Comedy and winner of NAACP Image
Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Black-ish
MAKING A POINT
The four kids of the
Johnson family
The series looks at African-American and
white culture to understand how both can
mix. It shows some people striving to
break down the walls between them while
others try to ensure that they remain solid.

DESIGNSTHATMADEIMAGINATIVEUSEOFPHOTOGRAPHS,
FONTS,COLORANDWHITESPACESTOLEAVEANIMPRESSION
By ANTHONY LAWRENCE
Design
An artist’s impression of how the universe
would be, with all its intriguing matter.
Loud-mouth US presidential candidate Donald Trump
does it again, this time drumming up passions over
possible steps to monitor Muslims. In this illustration,
amid cheers, Trump destroys values cherished in the
US constitution. Is this the leader that the US deserves?
We have heard of Krishna holding a mountain on
his little finger. Now, see for yourself Lord
Ganesha holding the moon on his fingers!
Mumbai Mirror photographer Deepak Turbekar
created this magic through an instant
photograph. And the impact is divine.
A case of going
ballistic with
imagination. Artist
Chen Wenling in this
installation in New
Zealand took care to
etch the bull and its
target as real as
possible. The blast
site, which left
behind quite a few
cracked tiles, would
surely leave viewers
in splits.
Mickey Mouse
meets Spiderman
in this infographic
about Walt
Disney buying
Marvel.
It’s not a bed of flowers. Rather it’s a sea of
humanity on a Brazilian coast with each person
holding an umbrella. Going collective with
creativity!

NEWSDATE NEWS CHANNEL TIME
21/11/15
22/11/15
23/11/15
25/11/15
25/11/15
26/11/15
OndayoneoftheASEANsummit,Prime
MinisterNarendraModimeetsJapanese
PrimeMinisterShinzoAbeinfrontofan
upsidedownTricolour.
TurkishAirlinesflightfromNewYorkto
IstanbuldivertedtoCanadaafterbomb
threat.
Rahul Gandhi begins Saharanpur pad-
yatra, attacks Modi government, says
its doors are closed for the poor.
ShivSenamouthpieceSaamnatakeson
AamirKhan,saysAamirappearslikeahero
inshowslikeSatyamevJayateandthensays
hewantstoleavethecountry.
26/11/15
10.50 AM10.45 AM10.43 AM
12.50 PM12.51 PM
8.33 AM 8.35 AM
12.52 PM 12.52 PM 12.53 PM
8.38 AM 8.40 AM
11:17 AM
10.52 AM
11:15 AM 11:17 AM 11:18 AM
21/11/15 CRPFconfiscatesIEDonSrinagar-
BaramullaRoad.
10:16 AM10:15 AM 10:16 AM 10:16 AM
AamirKhanclearshisstand,sayshe
andhiswifehavenointentionof
leavingthecountry.
4.15 PM4.15 PM 4.15 PM 4.15 PM
ThePMsaysthatstudentsshouldknow
thecountry’sconstitutionandmustbe
educatedabouthowitwascreated. 9.51 AM9:50 AM 9.51 AM 9.51 AM 9.52 AM
Seniorministers,includingArunJaitley,
RajnathSinghandNitinGadkarimeet
PrimeMinisterModievenastheParlia-
mentsessionison. 10.16 AM 10.11 AM10.11 AM 10.12 AM
Here are some of the major news items aired on television
channels, recorded by our unique 24x7 dedicated media
monitoring unit that scrutinizes more than 130 TV channels in
different Indian languages and looks at who breaks the news first.
DATE NEWS CHANNEL TIME
NEWS
26/11/15
27/11/15
27/11/15
2/12/15
InLokSabhadebate,itismentionedthat
SardarPatelgaveadistinctdirectionto
India.Despitehishumiliation,Ambedkar
nevertalkedofleavingthecountry. 11:45 AM 11:47 AM 11:48 AM 11:48 AM
10:14 AM 10:14 AM
OntheseconddayofWinterSessionof
ParliamentandtopasstheGSTBill,Modi
invitesCongressleadersSoniaGandhiand
ManmohanSinghoverfortea. 10:15 AM 10:16 AM
IndiawallopsSouthAfricaatNagpur,
winsaseriesonhomegroundafter10
years.Ashwinemergesashero. 3:30 PM 3:32 PM3:30 PM
10:08 AM 10:01 AM 10:10 AM 10:10 AM
3:43 PM3:42 PM 3:43 PM 3:43 PM
Chennai Airportclosesfollowingincessant
rainsandflooding;19trainscancelled;
powersupplycut.
1/12/15 Modi-Sharifmeetingsparkscontroversy;
oppositiondemandsdetailsofthemeet.
30/11/15
PMModimeetsPakPMNawaz
SharifduringParisClimateSummit;
thetwoleadersshakehands.
8.05 AM8.03 AM 8.04 AM 8.06 AM
29/11/15
UrbandevelopmentministerofUttar
Pradesh,MohammadAzamKhancomes
downheavilyontheSangh;saysRSSlead-
ersarehomosexuals. 6:02 PM6:00 PM 6:00 PM
29/11/15
Nepalkeeps13SSBpersonnelunder
arrestforaboutfivehours;theyhad
mistakenlyenteredNepalwhiletracking
smugglers;releasedlater. 11:39 AM11:37 AM 11:38 AM 11:40 AM

MAJOR media event took place
over the weekend before the Paris
UN summit on climate change
began. French authorities, con-
scious of the security for top lead-
ers arriving on November 29, clamped down on
demonstrations that were to be held in the capital
and around Le Bourget, the conference venue.
As media coverage, there were pictures of a
small but belligerent number of protesters clash-
ing with the police in the center of Paris, near the
site of a major terrorist attack a couple of weeks
earlier. These contrasted with the sight of hun-
dreds of shoes assembled on a street as a reminder
of those who would have marched had authorities
permitted them to do.
During the recent climate change talks in Paris, India emerged as a
champion of developing countries as it demanded that rich nations take
the lead in cutting emissions
BY DARRYL D’MONTE IN PARIS
India,
Climate Blocker
or Canny
Underdog?
PROTEST MARCHES
Nevertheless, as media images of protests around
the world showed, the message of Paris travelled
far and wide. No fewer than some 5,70,000 people
took to the streets. Ironically, the biggest was in
Sydney, with some 60,000 people. Australia is not
known for its green policies and belongs to the
umbrella group, headed by the US.
The opening day was a media melee. More
than the 3,000 media persons who had registered
turned up and there was pandemonium in the
media center. The biggest ruckus was caused by
scores of TV crews, all doing piece to cameras in
a babel of languages, at decibel levels sufficient to
prevent any print or radio journalist from
concentrating.
A
Climate Change Meet
overnanceG
By coincidence, I was sitting near a favorite site
for Indian news TV channels, some of whom
summoned their nearby correspondents. There
was Sanjay Suri from London for NDTV, while
Times Now had someone over and so did a num-
ber of language channels. Ajay Mathur, head of the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency who is leading the In-
dian delegation, was composed as he patiently
waited for a full half-an-hour for his turn on a TV
discussion in Delhi through Skype.
At the inauguration by Narendra Modi at the
hi-tech Indian pavilion that morning, with laser
messages projected on water falling on the
frontage, a huge pack of TV crew was shepherded
to one side, but the PM didn’t condescend to
speak to them. They valiantly tried to get a sound
byte, but that was not to be.
The very next day, the TV crews vanished and
I wondered how much news channels paid to
bring them over only for a day or two. There were
meant to be ten times as many delegates as jour-
nalists, but the number of the latter waxed and
waned with breaking news.
INDIA AS LEADER
Christian Hunt of the Climate Action Network—
which has an office in Delhi covering South Asia
—has a useful service monitoring the daily media.
Early on, he led with India as the point country in
the summit. “The country’s stance has become the
central fascination for journalists following the ins
and outs of the talks,” he said. “India is, in short, a
great story—although whether it’s the story of a
climate blocker, slowing progress at the talks,
SILENT PROTEST
Shoes assembled at a
Parisian street after
cancellation of a
march owing to
security concerns

or a canny underdog, seeking justice for less de-
veloped countries—the media jury is still out.”
Lisa Freidman of ClimateWire wrote: “For
India, it all comes down to money. The world's
fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter [after
China, US and EU] plays perhaps the most pivotal
role of all 196 countries at U.N. climate change ne-
gotiations here… [it] has made climate justice its
rallying cry and opposes many of the key issues
that climate change activists believe are needed for
a strong agreement.”
One of the most perceptive summit-watchers
is John Vidal of The Guardian, who wrote: “India
has emerged as a pivotal player... championing de-
veloping country demands that the rich take the
lead in cutting emissions and providing more
money for poor countries. But desperate for a
strong deal to protect it from the ravages of cli-
mate change, it is also backing the US-led princi-
ple that all countries should act.
The Guardian also picked up a major contro-
versy which was broken by Nitin Sethi of the Busi-
ness Standard a few days ago. It reported how the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and De-
velopment (OECD, comprising rich countries)
said that developed countries had mobilised $57
billion of climate aid in 2013-14. But a paper pub-
lished last week by the Indian ministry of eco-
nomic affairs said ... in a foreword that the OECD
had 'overstated progress’.” More pertinently, it ac-
cused the OECD of grossly exaggerating its case
to bolster its claim of meeting its target to provide
$100 billion by 2020 for developing countries to
combat climate change. The ministry’s report was
not official but indicates India’s new-found confi-
dence in taking on big climate players on the
world stage.
ORDER REVERSED
Many journalists were caught unawares by the fact
that the French reversed the normal order at sum-
mits and called the world’s leaders on the very first
day. Nothing much usually happens at the begin-
ning, but this time, there was maximum media at-
STANDUPAND BE COUNTED
World leaders at the
Innovation Summit
At the
inauguration
by Modi at the
hi-tech Indian
pavilion, a
huge pack of
TV crew was
shepherded to
one side, but
the PM didn’t
condescend to
speak to them.
They valiantly
tried to get a
sound byte,
but that was
not to be.
Climate Change Meet
overnanceG
tention, with the leaders’ every word and gesture
picked up. Several journos had packed their bags
for the action in the second week and missed this
beginning, including Modi’s triumphant launch of
his International Solar Alliance.
Starting with the Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro in 1992, I have covered a number of cli-
mate and development summits, including Rio+5
in 1997 and +20 in 2012, the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in
2002, Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun in 2010
(both on climate). One takes a day to get one’s
bearings because venues are usually away from the
city center and all meeting rooms look alike, so
one has to have a good sense of direction.
Things were especially difficult in Rio. I was
covering it for The Times Of India. A group of 10
Indians had been funded through the good offices
of Anil Agarwal of the Centre for Science Envi-
ronment (CSE). However, the Brazilian govern-
ment had just opened a new conference center
some 40 km from the city. One had to commute
there for official meetings and also cover NGOs
at a venue in Rio. There were complications, in
those days before PCs, in getting stories sent
through teleprinters by Brazilians whose English
was minimal, with a deadline ten hours ahead of
the proceedings.
Rio’s taxi drivers sped down the curving roads
at breakneck speed, with a sheer cliff on one side
and the ocean hundreds of meters below. I died a
hundred times on those trips. But there were
many compensations, not least the vast quantities
of caipirinha, the addictive lemon cocktail made
from cane juice, not to mention bikini-clad
women who wandered unselfconsciously along
the beach fronts.
SPEAKING UP
The global politics was as heady as the cocktails—
a far cry from the sanitized deliberations
“For India, it all comes
down to money... has
made climate justice its
rallying cry and opposes
many of the key issues
that climate change
activists believe are
needed for a strong
agreement.”
– Lisa Freidman of ClimateWire
FACE OFTHE CONTINGENT
Ajay Mathur, head of
Bureau of Energy
Efficiency, led the Indian
delegation in Paris

Views On News 22 december 2015

Views On News 22 december 2015

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Views On News 22 december 2015

Similar to Views On News 22 december 2015 (20)

More from ENC

More from ENC (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Views On News 22 december 2015