Press bias obvious

[Guest guest]

indicjournalists, Srinivas Bangarbale

<bangarbale> wrote:

What better compendium of stories to point out that the Indian press

has lost all sense of morality or even professionalism?

 

I have been trying hard to get a posting out on the BBC for the last

week. I must have put in at least 10 different ones, but not one of

them has appeared. Instead, I find the BBC pages festooned with

postings that call whoever opposes Sonia as "racist"

and "xenophobic"!

 

So much for freedom of expression when the only place you can express

it is in your toilet!

 

No press report that I have seen mentions that the Congress actually

got only 145 seats. Everyone waxes eloquent on how the coalition was

"swept" into power. Swept from where, the gutters?

 

The same press questioned why ABV was being asked to form the

government in 1999 as he "did not" have majority! Of course, what

else

can you expect, when the then President behaved like the President of

Congress and the current CJI heads a kangaroo court!

 

I wrote to the Financial Times today re: my thoughts wrt to Sonia,

but

don't expect the letter to be carried anyway.

 

Here's the content for your pleasure though:

 

QUOTE

 

May 20, 2004

 

To:

 

The Editor

Financial Times

via E-Mail

 

Dear Sir or Madam:

 

Only the naïve will believe that Indians as a people are prepared to

forget the centuries-long European occupation and colonization and

are

eager to accept a person of non-Indian origin, especially a European,

to be their most powerful political figure. While a vocal minority,

in

search of something elusive that might prove it to be super-secular,

might be championing the candidacy of Sonia Gandhi for the Prime

Minister's chair, a majority of the population appears to disapprove

of

her prime ministerial aspirations. That is the reason why the

Congress

party got a cautious mandate of less than a third of the votes cast.

To

term those who have expressed their democratic opinion

as "xenophobes"

and "racists", as a vast majority of the Indian media (who are in

fact

a super-vocal but significant minority in India) have done, is

biased

journalism of the lowest order.

 

The ascent of Dr. Manmohan Singh to be India's next Prime Minister,

on

the other hand, is the right thing under the circumstances, keeping

in

perspective his record as an economic reformer and an honest

political

figure. It is heartening to note that Ms. Gandhi has taken the

courageous decision to step aside.

 

Regards,

 

 

UNQUOTE

 

 

 

 

 

Srinivas

--- End forwarded message ---