Tidbits of the region’s media

Ho hum. The end of another year, and another press freedom report is released. And, yet again, the 2008 Reporters without Borders certainly paints a gloomy picture of the region. Pakistan, ranked 152 out of 173, Afghanistan (156) and Sri Lanka (165) suffer from the internal bleeding of violent conflict, while there is political chaos in Bangladesh (136) and, of course, the military regime in Burma (170). But why do India, the second-largest democracy in the world (118), and the newly democratic Nepal (138) rate so low? Or is there a question to be asked about this scale itself, when Bhutan, with its benevolent but firm clamping down on dissent, is ranked relatively high, out of Southasian countries, at 74?

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All drawings by Bilash Rai

While still on the subject of new democracies, the newest one in Southasia recently saw the setting up of the Maldives Media Council, which aims to protect media freedoms in the atolls, hungry as they undoubtedly are for as free a press as possible. Criticisms of the Council have already flown thick and fast, but with President Nasheed at the helm, the fledgling media might be able to breathe a little easier.

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Over in Bangladesh, Dhaka  may want to consider a rethink of its advertising policy after the recent hullabaloo over standards. The story begins with Nestle and GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Maggi noodles and Horlicks, respectively, airing ads in Britain claiming that their products were good for children. The Horlicks spot claimed the product made kids "taller, stronger and sharper", while Maggi was, ludicrously, said to strengthen bones and muscles. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK promptly banned the ad. GlaxoSmithKline and Nestle maintained that the whole thing was a mistake – the ads were not even meant to be broadcast in the UK! Instead, they were made for the Bangladesh market, where they have been on air for some time. The manufacturers explain the difference by saying that Horlicks and Maggi in Bangladesh are fortified, but not so in the UK. Suspicious, thinks Chhetria Patrakar, but if so, why deprive children in the UK?       And what is worse than seeing Nestle ads on television in Dhaka? It surely has to be the 'imported' cartoons in the morning newspaper. At the risk of sounding parochial, one would certainly rather see the New Age using one from the bank of immensely talented cartoonists in Bangladesh. Make no mistake, CP chuckles over Calvin and Hobbes just like the next person, but some home-grown humour with the morning cuppa would just make the reader's day.

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Ah well, borrowing a strip cartoon is far less harmless than the bulk of the media in India, which unquestioningly swallows police handouts. The hysteria of 'Breaking news' has most television channels airing pure fiction as news. And when this has to do with 'terrorists', well, the viewer might as well watch a good whodunit than be tortured by 'reconstructions', 'confessions' and 'profiles' of would-be suicide bombers, surrendered militants and the like. "Even the innocent boy next door could be a ruthless terrorist," warned a major 24-hour newschannel recently, zooming in on fez caps at a roadside shop. But for now, the 'jihadi' stories have been replaced by 'saffron terror' – all waiting for the next breakthrough by the police. And, by the looks of it, the police are waiting for the next 'investigative' story by breathless reporters to tell them who next to nab. The police, it seems, can relax while journalists do their job for them.

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CP heaves a huge sigh of relief on finding out that there is some self-reflection in the media fraternity after all. The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), perturbed by the one-sided media coverage following the serial blasts in Delhi in October, analysed the print media. It came to the disturbing conclusion that the press had been less than professional in maintaining a healthy scepticism about the police version of the 'encounter' deaths of suspected terrorists, which left two youth dead. With step-by-step analysis of the events, the DUJ report points to the "casual manner in which serious issues have been handled".

CP has written before about the arrest and detention without charge of senior Tamil journalist J S Tissainayagam. Tissa, who was only recently charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), has been suddenly moved to the Magazine Prison (Tissa is, oddly, a magazine journalist), a jail that is notorious as being particularly violent. Reportedly, the scribe's food is being regularly seized by his 140-odd cellmates. Neither the prisoner nor his lawyers were told about the relocation, and no explanation has been given subsequently. This move is in line with the Rajapakse government's handling of Tissainayagam to date. The only hope now rests with the judiciary, with the case currently before the Colombo High Court.

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No surprise that the US elections dominated the airwaves in Southasia, too. The build-up, live telecasts of the primaries, endless talk shows and pontification by all shades of political analysts had begun a couple of months ago. And, of course, the actual polling day saw the stalwarts of television standing outside polling booths, telling us which way the breeze would blow. For Southasians who drag themselves to airports at ungodly hours to catch flights to the Western world, it was sweet revenge to be able to watch Obama's victory speech at a civilised hour, with a mug of tea in hand. But after the euphoria, political pundits have had surprisingly little to say about what exactly Obama's victory means for the rest of the world.

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When will those with a difference of opinion stop expressing it through violence and goondaism? On the southern tip of the Subcontinent, it was the attack on the offices of The Hindu in Tamil Nadu for it's allegedly anti-Tamil (read anti-LTTE) stance. And in the north, it was a bunch of masked hoodlums, allegedly of unknown origin, setting alight copies of the Nepali fortnightly Himal Khabarpatrika, which contained an article about the excesses of the Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League. CP is willing to wait patiently for the day when there is vibrant debate without resorting to caveman tactics. But it might be a long wait yet.

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The global economic meltdown might be a cause of much gloom, but the Indore-based Hindi newspaper group NaiDunia in early October burst onto the national scene. Who said there is no space for more Hindi broadsheets? And who said television is dumbing down the print media? Also launched was the weekly Sunday Naidunia and a magazine from nine state capitals – Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, Ranchi, Bombay and Raipur. Badhai ho, and onward to a new world!

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The plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka has made news in at least some newspapers in Tamil Nadu, the Junior Vikatan and Kumudam Reporter. But wait … the source was an anonymous video depicting the bombing, by the Sri Lankan air force, of Vanni in the north. Civilian casualties, schoolchildren huddling in bunkers, and gory images of bodies outside hospitals do a good job of convincing anyone who was in doubt of the intentions of the Sri Lankan forces. CP is disconcerted to note the sharp differences in reportage of the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils in the English and Tamil press in India. Is the emotional pitch aimed at Tamils in India meant to garner support for the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka, or a more direct appeal for support to the LTTE? If the latter, CP would wish the media were a little more circumspect about propaganda masquerading as news.

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