I am utterly disgusted (as usual) with the obsession with rhetoric among Indian newspapers and politicians. NONE of the Indian newspapers quote any actual cables saying anything – only claims that “wikileaks says”. This is journalism?
The news with the real concerns has less focus than gossip about politicians. Of course, with out “Made in US” understanding of ourselves and the world, it is more important to know what Rahul Gandhi told US diplomats about Hindu terrorism or what the US diplomats thought of Sonia Gandhi’s leadership. Congress moves on to calling wikileaks a conspiracy, while BJP is out for Rahul Gandhi’s blood saying that he speaks for Pakistan.
In the meanwhile, how many people have paid attention to the detailed perspective we got on Kashmir? Reports of Red Cross concerns with numbers of prisoners suffering from different kinds of torture are met with zero accountability. The media doesn’t attempt to even question the government on this matter, nor do we hear any political statement other than denial.
The only newspaper to remotely have some ethics of journalism left seems to be the Hindu. This is the time for an ordinary citizen to ask why is he not provided the information from the cables in the words of the diplomats themselves? Why all this indirect reporting, why all the rhetoric without knowing what it is about?
If the government has asked for this kind of censorship, on whose authority? If the news agencies are doing it themselves, why are they calling themselves newspapers or news channels? Might as well call them propaganda and publicity and increase their readership because supporters will buy them based on political affiliations, and opposers will buy to keep an eye, no?
Is this journalism? FAIL!