Tale of Two Fasts
Dr. Shah Alam writes about two fasts - and the media's role and influence.

The Hindu Manipulates PTI Reports
The Tibetan freedom struggle has, for years now, alleged the Hindu newspaper manipulates stories to favor a pro-China and anti-Tibet position. Here the provide another example, following the recent election of their PM. 

Speaking Out Against Hindutva Terrorism
Yogi Sikand reviews a one-day national-level meeting meet in New Delhi last week under the banner ‘Tracing Sangh Terror Links and Stories of Innocent Muslim Boys’.

Naidu’s Fasting and Business of Politics
S. Mohammed Irshad comments on the irony of Chandrababu Naidu's fast for the plight of farmers in AP.

Intimidating the Press
At a time when India's media has abdicated its role in holding political and bureaucratic powers accountable (eg. paid news, involvement in 2G, etc), police and political powers are using intimidatory tactics to shut down the few journalists who are trying to hold the powers accountable. An example - Karnataka police threatening an investigative journalist in a bomb blast case.

Rising from the Ashes
A review of the film "Rising from the Ashes" that provides a human glimpse of Ayodhya, its hopes and its human values by focusing on the work of Sharif Chacha who takes care of unclaimed dead bodies in the twin cities of Ayodhya-Faizabad.

From the other side of the fence
These gentle, harsh, chaotic and elegant images remind us, not of some untapped potential that our intervention has released, but the humanity in abundance that our unabated surge for growth, leaves behind. From Shahidul News.

Foundations for A People's Media
CGnet swara has taken a radical approach of the use of mobile phones to set up a decentralized network of news gathering that any individual can access, as well as a mode of transmission of people's news. Here is an invitation for broader participation.

Indian Media to continue "Paid News" ?

The Press Council of India has buried a report accusing major Indian news media of paid news, especially during the election cycle. P. Sainath writes in the Hindu about the allegations of 'paid news', the investigation and the implications of the actions by PCI.

Voices in the Wilderness

Swara, an initiative of former journalist Shubranshu Choudhury, enables the tribals of Chhattisgarh to tell their version of stories, in their language and through a medium accessible to them… An article in The Hindu.

Media for the Masses

A Business Standard article by Sreelatha Menon on Mobile based news service that is connecting rural communities and giving voice to their needs.

Fabulous Stories of Praveen Swami

The Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association is pointing to the absence of critical media in the follow up to numerous acts of violence and terrorism. One journalist who is especially given to sensational and non-critical reporting, says JTSA, is Praveen Swami.

Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Bengali sense of victimhood
This article by Rahnuma Ahmed, on the Chittagong Hill Tracts crisis discusses the sense of the common Bengali in Bangladesh that they are victims of propaganda.

Prejudice Media Anchors and establishment

Hussain Bux Mallah writes that media biases in Pakistan continue to destabilize a democratically elected government.

Media Repression in Iran

Recently, Iranian authorities have shut down the office of the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ) and arrested three more journalists, raising the number of imprisoned journalists to 37 which is the largest in the world. Zafar Iqbal describes the repressive media policies and its impact.

Muslim ‘Terrorists’ Manufactured by the Media

It is not just the ‘loony’ ‘vernacular’ media, as many are given to believe, but even the ‘respectable’, ‘mainstream’, ‘national’ English-language press in India that have sedulously cultivated the notion of ‘Islamic terrorism,’ so much so that the image of Muslims in general being either terrorists or their sympathizers enjoys wide currency today. This article by Yogi Sikand was first posted in Two Circles.

Bangladesh x Bangladesh

Andy Levine talks about Pathshala and the photography and photographers it is developing in Bangladesh. Posted in Shahidul Alam's blogsite.

Struggling Press Freedom in Enduring Danger

Describing the life and views of an editor, Zafar Iqbal explains how journalists cope with permanent fear and threats of security agencies and Taliban in war -crippled Pakistan. 

 

Media besieged by Taliban in Pakistan

Throughout the sixty one years troubled history of Pakistan, the situation of media freedom in Pakistan has never been beyond criticism and particularly under military regimes media has faced a harsh treatment. Zafar Iqbal writes.

Stop Abuse of Media in Elections

The distinction between news, views and political campaigning (read advertising) is no longer clear.The media is no longer the fourth pillar - the watch dog for the functioning of the democracy. We, the citizens, need tools to hold the media accountable.

Only Idiots Are Committing Suicide

In Chhatisgarh's Durg district, there is no shortage of farmers who have taken their lives - the district ranks second in the state on this count. But equally, there is no shortage of those who don't see these suicides. Shubhranshu Choudhary reports.

The Art of Not Writing

How does the media in Chhattisgarh report the conflict between the Naxalites and the Salwa Judum, or the conflict between local communities and corporations? Quite simply, it doesn’t. The pressures on journalists in Chhattisgarh are unique. They are paid not to report stories that are critical of the powers-that-be, whether they are industrial lobbies or state authorities. Shubhranshu Choudhary writes. This was first published at InfoChangeIndia.

Book Review: Imagining India

Harshavardhan Purandare reviews Nandan Nilekani's book, calling it the Next Generation Reformist Ideapedia.

Still Pictures Are Not Still

`Still pictures are not still…’ said Mahasweta Devi. She was in Dhaka to inaugurate Chobi Mela V, and, fortunately for us, had expressed her wish to put up with Shahidul Alam, the director of Chobi Mela. Rahnuma Ahmed on the politics and impact of pictures.

A Letter From the Grave

Lasantha Wickramatunga, a key journalist and editor of Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader who was at the fore front of holding all governments and parties accountable to transparency and democratic values in Sri Lanka was assasinated. This is a letter he wrote, anticipating his own assasination, and asked to be published afterwards.

In Sri Lanka Hope is a Four Letter Word

Qadri Ismail's article, in an abridged version, first appeared in The Morning Leader. Even as the LTTE is pushed back by military forces, atrocities on the population increases.

Gaza: Complicity in Salughter

While the western media has presented a one-sided view of Israel's offensive, ground realities suggest a completely destroyed society within Gaza. Rahnuma Ahmed's article first appeared in New Age.

9 Is Not 11

Arundhati Roy writes on the implications of the recent attacks in Mumbai and the policy choices that face us.

Freedom Denied

A photo-exhibit Jalil at the Chobi Mela highlights the situation of women imprisoned in Bangladesh.

Critique of Irresponsible Media: Delhi Shootings

Although all newspapers and TV channels used the same source, the police, they differed in the basic facts reported about the police encounter in Jamia Nagar.  THE DELHI UNION OF JOURNALISTS presents a critique of media reporting of the Batla House Police Operation.

Azamgarh

Shahira Naim, a correspondent for The Tribune, writes about the impact of encounter politics on Azamgarh.

Another View

Shahidul Alam talks about biases within the media, discrimination against journalists and photographers based on their ethnicity or their origins - and how it impacts media content. Originally published in the New Internationalist Magazine in August 2007.

A Different Ulema-Run Magazine

A new Muslim magazine with articles not just on Islam but also on a host of issues, from global warming, AIDS, modern education among Muslims, madrasa reforms, gender relations and Muslim women's empowerment to terrorism, communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims and Western imperialism, in addition to news and feature stories about India's Muslims…. Submitted by Tarique Anwar; posted by Yogi Sikand on TwoCircles.net

A Critical Media Necessary for Democracy

Yogi Sikand reports from a meeting held in Islamabad - on Democracy in South Asia, especially highlighting the vibrancy of intellectual debate and critique within Pakistan.

Sri Lankan Reporter Hacked to Death

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the murder of Paranirupasingam Devakumar, a television reporter of Tamil origin, who was hacked to death yesterday evening as he was returning to his home a few kilometres outside the northern city of Jaffna. A friend who was with him was also killed in the attack.

State Complicit in Repression of Media

A silent demonstration is planned on Tuesday to express solidarity with Kumar Ketkar and with journalists of Ahmedabad Times.

A Journalist Relates Being Tortured by Bangladeshi Military

The 39-page report, "The Torture of Tasneem Khalil: How the Bangladesh Military Abuses Its Power Under the State of Emergency," graphically details Khalil's 22-hour ordeal in May 2007 in Bangladesh's clandestine detention and torture system – a setup  well known to the government, ordinary Bangladeshis, Dhaka's donors, and diplomatic community

Ten Years of Pathshala

Shahidul Alam describes the journey of a unique adventure in learning photography at Pathshala.

The Challenge of Rangzen: Tibetan Independence

An overview of Tibetan Alternative - a newsmagazine launched to discuss various questions of Tibetan Independence. We present some articles

Bangladeshi Military Government Obstructs Free Media

When Bangladeshi newspaper New Age was planning on publishing certain photographs, they were gently 'reminded' by the government that they should not be doing that.

South African Radio Station Investigates Bangladeshi Project

Panos Radio South Asia (PRSA), an undertaking of Panos South Asia, on October 15, 2007, podcasted a report on community resistance against Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka Imposes Censorship on War Reporting

Sri Lanka has imposed a ban on reporting of troop deployments and proposed military operations and arms procurement as a new chapter in a long running civil war deepens. Reprinted from a Reuters report.

The Gujarat Files: Tehelka Sting Operattion

Gujarat Pogrom of 2002: Five years on The Truth Uncovered by an undercover media investigation. The Tehelka Files - an extensive review.

Voyager Between Two Worlds

Having been undercover on the shadow lines between sanity and mayhem, ASHISH KHETAN retraces a quest for truth.

Pakistani Journalists Have Stepped Up

As military dictatorship continues to grope in Pakistan, journalists and the media can proudly claim significant credit.

Bangladeshi Government Straitjackets Media

While the Bangladeshi dictatorship has lifted its ban on televised talk shows, it has set up guidelines within which the television media must operate. Bangladeshis oppose these guidelines and demand that the government respect the independence of the media. This article first appeared in the New Age.

Indian Judiciary and Politics

Amna Mirza reviews the book Indian Judiciary and Politics - a Changing Landscape. Edited by B. D. Dua, M. P. Singh and Rekha Saxena, the book presents the attempt by the judiciary to address the incompetencies of the legislative and executive and the reaction by the executive and the legislative bracnhes of the Indian state.

Footage Implicates UP Police in Fake Encounters

Video footage seems to implicate UP police in a fake encounter and extra-judicial killing of a petty criminal. Other similar cases and pleas from these cases suggest that fake encounters by UP police, with involvement of senior officers, may be more prevalent. Article by Shahira Naim from Lucknow.

The News About Naxals

While naxalites and naxalism has increasingly been in the news in India, the Asian Center for Human Rights has put together a review of news articles on Naxals in the national Indian print media over the first half of the year.

The South Takes the Pictures

Photographers from the Global South - from artists in Bhutan to a small studio in Bolivia and from Kathmandu to Dili - put together a photo-essay on the struggles of human rights and justice from their homes.

The State of Writing in Pakistan

The Dawn carried an article by Khawaja Mustafa describing the sorry state writing and publishing in Pakistan.

Censorship in Pakistan Strengthens Dictatorship

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is being tested again as it reviews the legality of a fresh round of measures by the Pakistani General/President aimed at restricting the media, and limiting criticism of the dictatorship that is facing immense opposition following the suspension of the Chief Justice. A report by the Asian Center for Human Rights.

Independent Films, People's Concerns

Group presenting DVDs with a wide range of social issues.

Movies and Indo-Pak Peace

Faisal Mamsa, a Pakistani physician in the USA, questions the role of media vis-a-vis Indo-Pak relationships and asks - What does an average Indian think about Pakistanis?

Media Quiet on Dalit Rape, Murder

Neither the administration nor the media has taken steps that behooves an institution of a democratic civilized society as local women continue to agitate. Committee Against Violence on Women files this note.

Reviewing Ahmad's Essays on South Asia

Recently, Prof. Zia Mian sent me a gift. A book of essays and writings by Eqbal Ahmad: Between Past and Future.

Blog for Tibet
On World Tibet Day (July 6^th) which is also the birthday of Dalai Lama, the Tibetan community requests people all around the world to write about Tibet as a way to increase awareness about the Chinese occupation and their struggle for freedom.

Teen Documaker Takes on Indian Cigarettes

At present she is all set to screen her movie at the 13^th World Conference on Tobacco Control at DC in July, as a guest at The American University. Part of this note was published in the Hindustan Times.

Social Profile of Indian Media

Yogendra Yadav – a Senior Fellow and Professor at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies – presents the results of a survey describing the make up of key decision makers in India’s media.

Journalist Refuses to Accept Award from Musharraf

Amir Mir on why he refused to take the All Pakistan Newspapers Society award for the Best Investigative Report from the Pakistani President.

"The Hindu" Censoring Tibet?

The Friends of Tibet protests the policy of The Hindu group of publications and its editorial board led by N. Ram in censoring stories about Tibet, Dalai Lama and Falun Gong.

“Don’t Block the Blog” in Pakistan

Ethan Casey writes about the apparent censorship of Pakistani Blogs by the Pakistani government. This article also appeared in the Jang, Pakistan.

Bush Yatra: We Want Full Disclosure!

Long after Bush departed for Pakistan and back for Washington since, Srinadh says, we are left with one unanswered question: What did President Bush eat for lunch when he was in Hyderabad?

The Rhetoric of Labels

Bush visit was opposed by communists and Muslim fundamentalists. The rhetoric of labels is a great way to end conversations or annul the nuances of different positions.

Cartoon of the Prophet, Caricature of Expression

The cartoon of the prophet has raised a lot of hue and cry besides all the tempers. Alas, in all these discussions, very few sane voices have emerged from places where decisions are being made.

SAFMA Delegates Apologize for Partition Violence

The Pakistani delegation of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) visiting Punjab has presented numerous radical steps for establishing peace between India and Pakistan.

Cricketing Decision Rated as Critical For India’s Future

Saurav Ganguly’s exclusion from the Indian team has higher priority in the Indian media and among our political leadership than India’s position on the WTO agreements, electoral finances and corruption or farmer’s issues. Go figure.

Superstars Make Money Endorsing Exploiters of Communities

An open letter to AB, AK, AR, KK, SRK, SRT, and the rest of the Indian cricket team and bollywood asking whether it is appropriate that they continue to endorse a product that dumps huge externalities on local communities, exploiting their rights and oppressing them.

Violence at Mau: Irresponsible Reporting

Prof Roop Rekha Verma, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and Nasiruddin Haider Khan Senior Journalist, Hindustan Dainik (Hindustan Times) present their perspectives on the recent communal riots in Mau, UP.

The Location of Evil

Ethan Casey discusses the absence of critical analysis in so called western liberal writers such as Sulam Rushdie. This article was first published by The Jung, Pakistan.

FDI in Nepalese Media

South Asian Television Programs in the TC

Is it any coincidence that after a conspicuous absence of any South Asian TV programming, we now have two programs beginning within months of each other?

Western Media’s Onslaught on Bhutan

Three months after the Dragon King lifted the TV ban, thousands signed up for cable service that provides 46 channels of round-the-clock entertainment.