News Reporting – some serious questions!
Rule of Law!
Two weeks ago there was a news making rounds in Indian media. A Muslim woman was raped by her father-in-law. The local Islamic body had passed a verdict that the lady should start considering her husband as her own son and her father in law as her husband. I have many questions in this incident. Leave alone the “vikramadhithan – Vethal” sikkal in the case. I found the following things interesting.
1) No political party condemned the verdict.
2) Nobody seems to have approached the court.
3) Some people were talking once again about uniform civil code. I thought rape was a criminal issue and no civil laws apply. Even local Muslim bodies do not have any constitutional rights to pass judgment on it.
While, I was thinking on these lines, some other reports said the earlier reports were false and nobody was raped. So the papers made money by reporting both ways and they never bothered to report anything accurate or they have no interest in bringing any atrocities to light, which must be their foremost duty.
Questions never answered!
Once again, something based on old reports. In politics we have seen very often leaders trade charges before they form alliance and shower praises on each other. We are least surprised by those. However, few days ago, Sunil Gavaskar, had told to media that the reason for Jhon Wright leaving Indian team was that some players were abusive to him. Interestingly there were no follow ups. However, except for Ganguly, the media is very favorable to other cricket players and project them as our role models. It looks like it is not totally true.
Charges Dismissed – No enquiries required!
Talking about trading charges, every one knows ambani brothers traded a lot of charges. Especially anil was talking about some malpractices regarding reliance share markets. These charges were of very serious nature and involved crores of share holder’s money. I don’t know much details about them, atleast from reports I thought so. I think an honest central government should have initiated investigation based on the reports. Instead, Mr.Chidhabaram has unilaterally announced no such investigations are required as they have patched up. Vaazhga Jana Nayagam! Valarga Naadu!
Two weeks ago there was a news making rounds in Indian media. A Muslim woman was raped by her father-in-law. The local Islamic body had passed a verdict that the lady should start considering her husband as her own son and her father in law as her husband. I have many questions in this incident. Leave alone the “vikramadhithan – Vethal” sikkal in the case. I found the following things interesting.
1) No political party condemned the verdict.
2) Nobody seems to have approached the court.
3) Some people were talking once again about uniform civil code. I thought rape was a criminal issue and no civil laws apply. Even local Muslim bodies do not have any constitutional rights to pass judgment on it.
While, I was thinking on these lines, some other reports said the earlier reports were false and nobody was raped. So the papers made money by reporting both ways and they never bothered to report anything accurate or they have no interest in bringing any atrocities to light, which must be their foremost duty.
Questions never answered!
Once again, something based on old reports. In politics we have seen very often leaders trade charges before they form alliance and shower praises on each other. We are least surprised by those. However, few days ago, Sunil Gavaskar, had told to media that the reason for Jhon Wright leaving Indian team was that some players were abusive to him. Interestingly there were no follow ups. However, except for Ganguly, the media is very favorable to other cricket players and project them as our role models. It looks like it is not totally true.
Charges Dismissed – No enquiries required!
Talking about trading charges, every one knows ambani brothers traded a lot of charges. Especially anil was talking about some malpractices regarding reliance share markets. These charges were of very serious nature and involved crores of share holder’s money. I don’t know much details about them, atleast from reports I thought so. I think an honest central government should have initiated investigation based on the reports. Instead, Mr.Chidhabaram has unilaterally announced no such investigations are required as they have patched up. Vaazhga Jana Nayagam! Valarga Naadu!
posted by P B at
10:45 AM
10 Comments:
Imrana and Fatwa:
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I think there are two aspects to this case per se. One is the rape which is undoubtedly a criminal case and has to be proceeded accordingly in the court of law. Because, in India there is only one criminal law that is IPC. The another is what social arrangement aspect. That is where the morality, discussion on marital status etc come. As you have rightly observed the police has to file a FIR and investigate the rape charge. The second aspect may need a fatwa or whatever social/cultural/personal setup is. It is solely in the hands of Imrana and her legally married husband to decide upon, because it is personal. However whatever the rationale behind the fatwa that she should consider her husband as son, beats me. I read that this fatwa basis it from the koran or its associated holy books (pardon my ignorance) wherein if a married woman is raped her marriage becomes void (my personal feeling is that, this stricture itself should be obsolete as it is unfit to current greater socio-cultural-political setup, but personal aspects aside). But i feel that this holy stricture should not have had such a kind of more pervert happening in its mind. If you base your logic for fatwa on this, then, for arugment sake, if i ask you what will you do if the son rapes her? Does she become her wife? So by passing such fatwa will you allow multiple rapes (yuck), perversion to the core to happen? Will it not bring bad to the society? What kind of perversion it is (the logic for fatwa)?
As far as media is concerned I would like to quote a few lines from one of my favourite hollywoood movies - The American President. In which a GOP(republican) senator would be saying "[yeah go ahead with character assassination of the president]". For that another person would say, "the media likes him the press likes him [ will we succeed?]". For that the first senator would say "the reporters like him, the press likes circulation. All liberal bias of media we are bitching[worrying] about when it comes to character assassination the press is at the run [the assassin side as that increases circulation]". So discount the press, especially indian media is by and large totally irresponsible in most of the situations.
Right reason behind Wright left:
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No comments. Totally agree with you.
Ambanis:
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Anil's charge on Mukesh - its all kettle calling pot black, just because the kettle came out of the fire a minute earlier. I have something to add. These ambanis are notorious in their malpractice in business, a notch above the rest. There is a case (or was a case) in Supreme Court or some Hight Court by Gurumurthy of Swadeshi Jagran Manch two to three years back. The case is that the father ambani was alive then. The holding of father and the sons had dwindled (less than some 20% or so). They immediately called a board meeting. With their hand-man as another board member the showed it as majority decision of the board and some split their existing shares made them as if the nos. increased and re-issued to themselves (they bought them in lower price) and once again sold some of them, or something like that. That needed a SEBI attention. Gurumurthy had sent a mail to then SEBI head and even filed a case against them. Don't know the intricacy of those and don't know what happened to that case. The only good thing I heard, a rumour, about the father ambani is that for all his crookedness in the business he never paid and killed any of his enemies, he only tackled them in wrong ways of business. And I heard that the same "virtue" cannot be vouched to sons. But I reiterate, its a hearsay/rumour and I cannot vouch for its validity.
By
Anonymous, at 12:09 PM
Sridhar,
I appriciate your views on issues I said. But my focus was on how one has to be vigilant about the reports we get. avlo than.
By
P B, at 12:25 PM
Also, another point...
most newspapers favor one political party over another...it will be really funny to see the same news from different perspectives in different newspapers.
KP.
By
Anonymous, at 1:17 PM
yeah man...
hypocrisy of these so called rationalist parties. Never open their mouths when the muslim religious establishments step over the line...
One of these esteemed "rationalists" said - "If a virtuous woman commits a mistake, she can atone by taking a holy dip in the Ganges. But if that ganges itself commits a mistake where are people to go ?"
Any ideas from him this time? Guess you can attack the ganges if that'll get you votes...
By
Anonymous, at 3:55 PM
PB
Secularism - i think its high time people removed the word from the dictionary.
No political party nor journalist will dare take on any stand in this imrana case. They dont want thier places to be ransacked. i bet even whatever has been covered in such matters will be done only by papers like IE.
TJS george used to write sensible stuff but was once targetted by muslims.IE even issued an apology i think.
Hindu
i read only for searching job ads and sports articles.
its pathetic in its coverage otherwise.
By
expertdabbler, at 2:58 AM
http://newindpress.com/sunday/colHeadlines.asp?By=T+J+S+George
its been sometime since i read TJS. yr post made me search for his articles.
thanks to u
By
expertdabbler, at 3:02 AM
PB,
romba nyamana argument. Ana mathavan mudhugula azukku irundha, oru vela namba mudhugalayum irukkumo nu konjam yosichu pakkara aalu naan.
adhukkaga mathavan mudhugula azukku irukkardha sollardhu thappunu solla varala.
adha neradiya avanukku puriyara madiri sonna bettera irukkumgardhu ennoda ennam.
anal unga kelvigal, kovangal nyaayamanadhu.
:-)
By
sb, at 9:47 PM
PK,
Even I too think hindu as an anti-hindu paper. Thanks for the link. Also thanks for the link you provided for Cho's interview.
By
P B, at 11:06 PM
SB,
One must try to understand other's view point. Certainly there are people with whom we have conflict of interests. I am just trying to understand the behaviour of the press. Enkita enaku therinja ellar vidaium kuraigal jaasthi than. Othukiren. Aanalum, naata pathi kavalaigal appo appo vandhirudhu enna panna!
By
P B, at 11:09 PM
PB
oru Off topic request
innaiku Thiruvasagam cd vanginen.
kekka rombo nalla irukku.pidichirukku.
paatu book irukku. anallum adhan artham puriyavillai fulla.
i know u and subha are familiar with classic tamil literature more than any other blogger i know. atleast cd la irukkara tracks mattum artham kudukka mudiyuma?
By
expertdabbler, at 12:32 PM
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