‘Is the line between a journalist and a politician blurring?’

The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards that were presented at a ceremony in the Capital on April 13, 2009, also saw an interesting panel discussion on ‘Journalist and Politician: The line is blurring’. The discussion brought together some leading opinion makers and experts who shared their views ranging from the declining morality in the society to the lowering of benchmarks in journalism.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Apr 15, 2009 8:02 AM  | 4 min read
‘Is the line between a journalist and a politician blurring?’

The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards that were presented at a ceremony in the Capital on April 13, 2009, also saw an interesting panel discussion on ‘Journalist and Politician: The line is blurring’. The discussion brought together some leading opinion makers and experts who shared their views ranging from the declining morality in the society to the lowering of benchmarks in journalism.

The panel discussion featuring senior journalists and politicians saw the two factions swapping roles as they raised several questions: Does an editor, in the last years of his career, start drifting from the newsroom and begin working towards his/her Rajya Sabha seat? Is the line one of ideology or of convenience? Can a TV channel liberate itself from the tyranny of TRPs? Why is a trainee journalist usually an idealist, and as she moves up, gets increasingly cynical?

The panel included BJP leader Arun Jaitley; Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi; Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan; Barkha Dutt, Group Editor, NDTV; Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN; Rajat Sharma, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, India TV; Sanjay Gupta, CEO, Dainik Jagran; Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director, Hindustan Times; Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, The Express Group; and P Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Natarajan was of the opinion that the lines between journalism and politics were blurring. She said, “Often, journalists now become part of the process. While politics and journalism were inextricably linked, the challenge lay in how we can constantly push the frontiers while self-regulating.”

According to Singhvi, “This is a world of wearing many hats. On a recent show, someone was called a defence expert, but was a member of the defence policy of a particular political party. He further said that the viewer or reader shouldn’t be kept in the dark.

P Sainath felt that the more important issue was of journalism and politics, and the blinkers that a journalist so comfortably wore in a media organisation.

Shobhana Bhartia said, “The media as a whole has its head above the water. But it cannot be forgotten that the Government is the largest spender and advertiser.”

When Gupta asked Sardesai if he was worried about ‘institutionalised fixing’ of stories by the media, Sardesai replied, “Media rarely goes beyond the ‘he said, she said’ kind of journalism. When was the last time an enterprising journalist forced a politician on the backfoot? Given the levels to which some journalists stoop vis-à-vis politicians, we should hang our heads in shame.”

To this, Barkha Dutt said, “It isn’t true that journalists are not trying hard enough or that they don’t have access. The problem is of journalists being seduced by their sources. I have heard many politicians say after an interview, ‘Can you remove that line, please?’ and all of us do it at one time or the other.”

Arun Jaitely noted, “The declining moral standards of the society as a whole were being reflected in the media.” Though he disagreed that the line between politics and journalism was blurring, he said that the role of media was, in fact, changing.

According to Sainath, “The dangers of the conflict between the ‘Fourth Estate and the real estate’ and the blurring of lines between ‘journalism and stenography’ wasn’t the failure of the individual journalist, but a ‘systemic and structural’ failure of the media. In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the media didn’t challenge experts who had said things could never be better. And then, after you lost all your money, these same experts are trotted out to say how and why you lost your money.”

Sanjay Gupta noted, “Just as there is freedom of speech, there should be freedom of bias. If a newspaper has a bias, it is better to be open about it. Why should a politician tell me what my newspaper should carry?”

While politicians mocked the ‘tyranny of TRPs’, India TV’s Rajat Sharma said, “If you think we enjoy TRPs, we are the victims of TRPs. In the first year of my news channel, I ran stories on rural development and social issues. But that didn’t work and I almost had to sell my property to keep the channel going. The third year I decided to take the middle ground – spend 50 per cent of my time chasing TRPs and the other half on ‘social issues’. The TRPs came to my rescue; I got to keep my property, raise revenue over 100 per cent.”

Also read:

Ramnath Goenka Awards: Karan Thapar, P Sainath adjudged ‘Journalist of the Year’

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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