Rajdeep Sardesai : “Hammam Mein Sab Nange Hain”

“Hammam Mein Sab Nange Hain” has to be one of Rajdeep Sardesai’s favourite lines. He has used it many times before and more recently in the Adarsh Society scam. And he is probably right, especially when it comes to his own media clan.

No major mainstream newspaper or TV channel has even mentioned the X-Tapes containing conversations between Barkha Dutt-Nira Radia, Vir Sanghvi-Nira Radia and much more. During the conversations some other names of journalists are also mentioned. Rajdeep Sardesai jumped to defend Barkha Dutt on her Twitter page. “CNN-IBN's Rajdeep Sardesai says, conversation between source and journo is legitimate. if quid pro quo is shown, expose it. else, dont destroy hard earned reputations”

Maybe Rajdeep’s idea of quid pro quo has to be in some tangible form. I for one believe, gaining a position of “power” and being able to influence politicians and the course of government itself is quid pro quo. Many have wondered how Barkha Dutt managed to get a Padma Shri (as did Rajdeep) when more senior and notable journalists have not been rewarded with any such honour. But that is hardly important to the current situation.

Rajdeep might like to explain why his own channel, CNN-IBN, or Times-Now or many newspapers in the mainstream media have maintained an eerie silence on the tapes. One wouldn’t have a problem with a TV channel or newspaper defending the tainted journalists but a complete “black out” of the news itself is wrongful and reflects a poor sense of journalistic ethics. Therefore, one has to imagine or conclude that most journalists in all of these TV channels and mainstream newspapers are corrupt, power brokers and indulge in the same activities that Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi are accused of. And Rajdeep’s line “Hamam mein Sab Nange Hain” applies to the media itself as much as he applies to corrupt politicians. The media crooks will therefore defend or suppress misdeeds of their own clan.

Unfortunately for Rajdeep and also for the tainted journalists they quite fail to appreciate the power of the Internet today and that even if the mainstream is made up of crooks, the net still has honest reporters, bloggers and writers without illicit motives. Both Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi have consistently rubbished the blogging community. Hopefully, they will now deal with online news channels and bloggers with the same respect they demand for themselves.

The mainstream media hardly fathoms the immense damage these two celebrity media persons have inflicted on them. Newspapers and TV channels were already suspect for quite some time. Their bias and slanted reporting of news and events is not difficult to see through. If NDTV and other media had openly claimed to be Congress (I) supporters that would have been more honourable and there would have been nothing wrong in it. Far from admitting any power-broking both Barkha and Sanghvi maintain a facade of “Everything’s fine”. No it is not! Everything is not fine. Both these journalists need some introspection. Do they believe any viewer or reader will ever take them at face value or with any seriousness? Will they ever believe these people are honest journalists? I have serious doubts.

I for one would not rush to hang just Barkha and Sanghvi. For long much of the entire spectrum of Indian media has been a gang of  crooks and liars. If they still believe they can moralise and sermonise a nation on ethics and talk about corruption they need to pull their heads out of their collective asses and introspect. And yes, Rajdeep Sardesai is right “Hamam mein sab nange hein” and it applies more so to his own journalistic gang and his own CNN-IBN.