Vir Sanghvi bites the dust.
“...I have no desire to subject Counterpoint to this filth. It deserves better. So, Counterpoint will be taking a break. When life returns to normal, so will Counterpoint.” Thus wrote Vir Sanghvi in his column. I doubt life will ever return to normal for this journalist. Fortunately, he does have an alternate career in the foodie category.
A few days back Vir Sanghvi defended himself, unconvincingly in a post on Counterpoint : “My response to the Radia transcripts”. He claimed the tapes were selectively leaked and some parts doctored. Hindustan Times had distanced itself from his comments and his connection to the Radia tapes.
This is the man who has consistently proclaimed a prominent politician “mass murderer” for many years. One can understand dislike for Narendra Modi, but characterising him as “mass murderer” reeks of malice, prejudice and lack of discretion for a wimp who passed off as a journalist. He is fortunate he wasn't dragged to court for such defamatory charges. He had figured in my list of India’s worst journalists in a post on August 31. (Read Here)
On Counterpoint post Gujarat elections of 2007 Sanghvi refers to the ".. north Indian slur that Gujaratis are effete" and then goes on to add "So as a Gujarati, I am proud that we finally have our pride and confidence back. But it is a sad commentary on our state that it took a mass murderer to achieve this". Ironically, it is a Gujarati woman (Nira Radia) who screwed Sanghvi.
One hopes that during his break Sanghvi will reflect and introspect on the consequences of being a biased and influenced journalist. The first martyr of the Radia tapes has truly achieved ‘Virgati’
We might now get to hear the line "what kind of food do you want?" Now who can complain about that.
Vir Sanghvi, as Ninan has written in his column, is "by far the best journalist of his generation". One incident - whether right or wrong - makes no difference to his career.
ReplyDeleteThe Press Council had a meeting over this issue. And while the Council advised journalists to be more circumspect, it did not find anything to charge either Sanghvi or Barkha with.
@ Anonymous.. you wrote "Vir Sanghvi, as Ninan has written in his column.." You're either a big Vir Sanghvi fan or a journalist (you seem to peddle inaccuracies quite comfortably)
ReplyDeleteHere's what Ninan exactly said:
Mr Sanghvi, who is by far the most gifted journalist of his generation, is in a trickier spot because his writing matches what he promised to do in his taped conversations, and you could be forgiven for raising an eyebrow when he argues now that they were his opinions anyway...If both could bring themselves to admitting that they crossed a line, apologise and declare that it won’t happen again, the entire journalist community would breathe easier and hold its head up a little higher."
As for the PCI, I have stated in quite a few posts, it is nothing more than a "coffee shop" and deserve my comments.
That should read as..
ReplyDeleteAs for the PCI, I have stated in quite a few
posts, it is nothing more than a "coffee shop" and DOES NOT deserve my comments.
Good to see atleast Open Magazine is bring out the rot in the media to the fore.....the sad part of the overt media activism is that NDTV, CNN-IBN, Headlines today have become the destiny makers of the nation without an iota of responsible journalism. I have long held Barkha Dutt to be the worst of the journalists in India and it seems vindicated now...
ReplyDeletejournos have taken media's freedom a bit too seriously.
ReplyDeleteVir and Barkha deserve exemplary punishment.
Paid Journalism by Politicians at the Very Top.
ReplyDeleteBurkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi, Rajdeep, Arnab, Indu Jain,...etc at the Top.
Editors, Sub-Editors and Reporters of TV and Print media..Tabloids, Magazines, Fortnightly, Weekly,...etc at the Middle;
Reporters and Journalists of regional newspapers at the bottom;
Workers in the Printing Section, Papers Section, Purchase Section,...etc at the rock bottom.
Readers, Filth is there throughout this fourth pillar of democracy.
A sticker of " PRESS " on their vehicles is enough for these people to gain access anywhere.
ACTUALLY, what are they ? " GOSSIP MONGERS "
They make a career out of Gossip. As Simple as That.
Ignore them and they die. Pay attention to them and they might even use the PRESS sticker to gain access to a person's bedroom when he&she are having Sex.
" WHO IS MEDIA TO SIT IN JUDGEMENT ? "
" Punish Burkha and the others and blacklist them "
" LET THEM KEEP SPEAKING ENGLISH, STARE AT THEIR OWN IMAGE IN THE MIRROR, GO MAD OR START WORKING IN A CALL CENTRE WITH THAT ENGLISH PUTTING IT TO BETTER USE AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFE-TIME "