Mediafile

Rupert Murdoch just keeps expanding his already outsized empire. In the latest development, his News Corporation is set to invest USD 100 million to start six regional-language television channels in India. Star Group, which News Corp already owns, will launch the new broadcasts. Murdoch has also said that he plans to get involved in movies, as well as in the digital and mobile sectors. And his ambitions for the Indian market do not stop there. A stock index called the Dow Jones India Titans, which will report on the larger Indian companies such as Reliance and Infosys, is already in the works. When even the mammoth Indian media houses cannot resist the onslaught, Chhetria Patrakar shudders to imagine the day when the Murdochisation of Southasia is complete.

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The Davids among the Goliaths always warm CP's heart. The feisty Mizzima News Agency turned ten years old in August, on the same day as the 20th anniversary of the 8-8-88 uprising in Burma. The Delhi-based expat news agency has shown that spunk and steadfastness can yet stand up to media juggernauts gobbling up tiny publications deemed to be in their way.

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President Mahinda Rajapakse, playing the strict daddy, has recently ordered Sri Lanka's Internet service providers to block 'sexually explicit' content. But adult-porn lovers need not fear: the government is simply anxious to protect children. For a fee, adults can still get unrestricted access through a password system. Of course, 'unrestricted' refers to the freedom to watch porn, not to visit political sites such as tamilnet.com, which will still be blocked for adults and children alike. And with pornography being illegal in Sri Lanka, this sudden green light to adult content is a bit confusing. But here's the googly: nobody seems to know whether the fee will be paid to the government or to the Internet providers. Either way, CP thinks somebody is going to be making a lot of money.

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Beijing did all it could to project a 'perfect image' during the Olympic Games. Just days after China put on the most expensive opening ceremony in the history of the Games, it came to light that nine-year-old Lin Miaoke, applauded by both the media and the people for 'singing' in the ceremony, was actually lip-synching. Apparently, the real singer, seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, did not pass the 'cuteness test'. Poor Peiyi, with a few crooked teeth, lacked the 'good looks' deemed necessary for the national interest. Another titbit for Olympics enthusiasts: the impressive display of fireworks across the city was actually pre-taped, and spliced into television broadcasts as live coverage. Authenticity must never be allowed to come in the way of a good show, it seems.

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It is just as well that the Olympics' fireworks-broadcast scam came along to distract avid viewers in India from following the will-he-won't-he shilly-shallying of the votes-for-cash sting by the CNN-IBN editor-in-chief, Rajdeep Sardesai. The 22 July parliamentary trust vote – when Manmohan Singh proved he was indeed king, winning the vote by a comfortable margin despite the left parties having withdrawn support over the Indo-US nuclear deal – kept CP glued to the telly. The sight of MPs throwing bundles of cash onto the floor of the house no doubt exposed some sort of underbelly of Indian politics. But the coyness with which CNN-IBN withheld its 21 July footage of BJP MPs supposedly being bought by the Samajwadi Party (which had suddenly decided to support the UPA government) remains a puzzle to date. "Our rigorous editorial protocol demands that even a hidden-camera shoot is absolutely watertight," says the channel's website. "In this particular story, there were many loose ends that needed to be cross-checked, corroborated and investigated further before the story could be aired." Does that clear things up for anyone? The parliamentary probe is on, so why did the channel decide to air the sting on 11 August?

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The dictatorships of the world may not have an official club (though what a club it would be!), but they certainly do look out for their mutual interests. Case in point: the Burmese junta has forbidden journalists from reporting on Zimbabwe. The military government appears to be fearful about the parallels the Burmese people might draw between their own situation and that of the Zimbabweans. CP can well understand the junta's concern. After all, the headline "Regime fearful of losing power in legitimate polls, cracks down brutally on opposition forces," could well cause panic, or even protest, in Burma.

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Nazi-gate itself is an old story by now, but responses to it just keep on making waves. Here is how the story goes. The writers at Pen Pricks, the blog that offers readers "the rotund flanks and the shaggy underbelly of Goan media", understandably frustrated by the Great Indian Media Mela surrounding the Scarlett Keeling and Arushi Talwar murders, decided to make a point about all gossip-posing-as-reporting. They put together a press release from the fictitious Perus Narkp (an anagram for 'Super Prank') about how a former Nazi commander named Johann Bach had been captured in the Khanapur jungles between Goa and Karnataka. A quick Google search would have revealed that the 'Marsha Tikash Whannab' concentration camp (itself an anagram for the Shrama Shakti Bhawaan, which is home to the Goa Union of Journalists building), where Bach was said to have worked, did not exist. But the Goan media swallowed the story, and a few clicks later it was a national scoop. Needless to say, it was embarrassing for many when the story broke. Now, over a month later, it seems that the Goa Editor's Guild is trying to take revenge. Pen Pricks reports that a strategy to shut down the blog is underway. CP hopes that the complaint filed with the Goa Police to ensure that "the tirade against the journalist community is halted" is acted upon.

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A noteworthy initiative has just been launched in Madras. The South Asian Centre for Journalists Reporting Conflict, a joint initiative with the Press Institute of India and the International Committee of the Red Cross, recently opened its doors in the city. The Centre will now train journalists on ways to protect themselves in the field, as well as function as a resource point for sharing experiences. Given that the number of journalists being killed in conflict areas in Southasia continues to be alarmingly high, such an organisation is certainly timely, if a mite overdue. Good luck, SACJRC!

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New management has taken over at Kantipur Publications, which prints Nepal's highest-circulating dailies Kantipur (in Nepali) and the Kathmandu Post (English). Hem Raj Gyawali and son Binod Raj Gyawali, the former chairman and director of the company, respectively, recently sold their shares to the Sirohiya Group, long-time partners in the media company. The parting of ways was reported to be amicable, with a special event organised by the new owners to bid farewell to the outgoing ones. Binod has already announced his intention to launch a new publication house, and a large number of current editorial and other staff has resigned en masse. Just as well that newly appointed director, Captain Rameshwar Thapa, a pilot by profession and an expert in high-altitude rescue, is at the helm.

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Movies from Southasia are rife with love stories, but a very special one is currently in the works. Directors from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India are planning to collaborate on a love story that unfolds across the five countries. Each director will shoot a 20-minute portion in a country that is not his or her own. A more solid plan is expected to be ready in the next few months. Crossborder love: definitely an irresistible idea.

~ Chhetria Patrakar