{"id":1542,"date":"2009-05-11T22:32:46","date_gmt":"2009-05-11T22:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bhadas4media.com\/old\/2009\/05\/11\/election-coverage-paid-news-6\/"},"modified":"2009-05-11T22:32:46","modified_gmt":"2009-05-11T22:32:46","slug":"election-coverage-paid-news-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhadas4media.com\/old\/election-coverage-paid-news-6\/","title":{"rendered":"want press coverage? give me some money"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u092e\u0936\u0939\u0942\u0930 \u0905\u0916\u092c\u093e\u0930 \u0935\u093e\u0932 \u0938\u094d\u091f\u094d\u0930\u0940\u091f \u091c\u0930\u0928\u0932 \u0915\u0947 \u0926\u093f\u0932\u094d\u0932\u0940 \u092c\u094d\u092f\u0942\u0930\u094b \u091a\u0940\u092b \u092a\u093e\u0909\u0932 \u092c\u0947\u0915\u0947\u091f <\/strong>\u0928\u0947 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924\u0940\u092f \u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0930\u094b\u0932 \u092a\u0930 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0905\u0916\u092c\u093e\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u093f\u090f \u090f\u0915 \u0938\u094d\u091f\u094b\u0930\u0940 \u092b\u093e\u0907\u0932 \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0964 \u0907\u0938 \u0938\u094d\u091f\u094b\u0930\u0940 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092c\u0947\u0915\u0947\u091f \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924\u0940\u092f \u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0947 ‘\u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935\u0940 \u0916\u0947\u0932-\u0924\u092e\u093e\u0936\u0947’ \u0915\u0940 \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0906\u092f\u093e\u092e\u0940 \u0924\u0938\u094d\u0935\u0940\u0930 \u0928\u092a\u0947-\u0924\u0941\u0932\u0947 \u0936\u092c\u094d\u0926\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0909\u091c\u093e\u0917\u0930 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902\u0964 \u091a\u0902\u0921\u0940\u0917\u0922\u093c \u0938\u0947 \u0928\u093f\u0930\u094d\u0926\u0932\u0940\u092f \u0909\u092e\u094d\u092e\u0940\u0926\u0935\u093e\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u092c\u0924\u094c\u0930 \u0932\u094b\u0915\u0938\u092d\u093e \u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935 \u0932\u0921\u093c\u0928\u0947 \u0935\u093e\u0932\u0947 \u0905\u091c\u092f \u0917\u094b\u092f\u0932<\/strong> \u0938\u0947 \u092c\u093e\u0924\u091a\u0940\u0924 \u092a\u0930 \u0906\u0927\u093e\u0930\u093f\u0924 \u0907\u0938 \u0916\u092c\u0930 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0947 ‘\u092a\u0947\u0921 \u0928\u094d\u092f\u0942\u091c \u0915\u0947 \u0927\u0902\u0927\u0947’ \u0915\u0940 \u092c\u093e\u0930\u0940\u0915\u0940 \u0938\u0947 \u092c\u0916\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0909\u0927\u0947\u0921\u093c\u0940 \u0917\u0908 \u0939\u0948\u0964 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e\u0936\u093f\u092f\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u0915\u093f\u0938 \u0924\u0930\u0939 \u0926\u0932\u093e\u0932, \u0938\u0902\u092a\u093e\u0926\u0915, \u0930\u093f\u092a\u094b\u0930\u094d\u091f\u0930, \u092b\u094b\u091f\u094b\u0917\u094d\u0930\u093e\u092b\u0930, \u092a\u0940\u0906\u0930 \u092e\u0948\u0928\u0947\u091c\u0930 ‘\u092a\u0948\u0938\u0947 \u0926\u094b, \u0916\u092c\u0930\u0947\u0902-\u0924\u0938\u094d\u0935\u0940\u0930\u0947\u0902 \u0932\u094b’ \u0915\u093e \u0928\u093e\u0930\u093e \u0932\u0917\u093e\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0941\u090f \u092a\u0939\u0941\u0902\u091a\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902, \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0947 \u092c\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0907\u0938 \u0938\u094d\u091f\u094b\u0930\u0940 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092c\u0924\u093e\u092f\u093e \u0917\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0948\u0964 Want Press Coverage? Give Me Some Money<\/strong><\/font> \u0936\u0940\u0930\u094d\u0937\u0915 \u0935\u093e\u0932\u0940 \u0907\u0938 \u0938\u094d\u091f\u094b\u0930\u0940 \u0915\u0940 \u0936\u0941\u0930\u0941\u0906\u0924 \u0915\u0941\u091b \u0907\u0938 \u0924\u0930\u0939 \u0939\u0948- Ajay Goyal is a serious, independent candidate contesting for a Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh. Never heard of him?
<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

Neither, probably, have a lot of people in Chandigarh because when it came to getting press coverage for his campaign he was faced with a simple message: If you want press, you have to pay. <\/strong><\/font>So far, he says, he’s been approached by about 10 people \u2013 some brokers and public relations managers acting on behalf of newspaper owners, some reporters and editors \u2013 with the message that he’ll only get written about in the news pages for a fee. We’re not talking advertising; we’re talking news.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

One broker offered three weeks of coverage in four newspapers for 10 lakh rupees ($20,000). A reporter and a photographer from a Chandigarh newspaper told him that for 1.5 lakh rupees ($3,000) for them and a further 3 lakh rupees ($6,000) for other reporters, they could guarantee coverage in up to five newspapers for two weeks.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

“We would do good coverage for you,” he says they told him. All of those who approached him either were from national Hindi language papers or regional papers, Mr. Goyal says.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

In one case, he went along to see what would happen: a press release he submitted full of falsehoods \u2013 claiming he had campaigned in places he had never been, for instance \u2013 ran verbatim. One thing he has never seen on his real campaign: a reporter there to cover the story.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

“It’s disappointing,” Mr. Goyal says. “What good is literacy and education if people have no access to real news, investigation, skepticism or a questioning reporter.”<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

At the nexus of corruption in India, the nation’s newspapers usually play either vigilante cop exposing wrongdoing in the public interest (on a good day, at a few publications) or spineless patsy killing stories on the orders of powerful advertisers. Many papers also engage in practices that cross the ethical line between advertising and editorial in a way that is opaque, if not downright obscure, to readers.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

But it is of another order of magnitude to see reporters, editors and newspaper owners holding the democratic process to ransom. A free (in every sense) press is an integral part of a vibrant democracy. A corrupt press is both symptom and perpetrator of a rotten democracy.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

“I’m not saying all media is biased but there is a growing sense in people’s minds that a lot of the media is biased,” says Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of National Election Watch. “Some do it in a sublime manner and some do it openly.”<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

So why are we surprised when the voter turnout is so low, despite the much-touted surge of political awareness among the young and post-Mumbai? It’s all part and parcel of the public disgust with the political system and the pillars of the Establishment that support that system as well. For every newly-minted reform-minded, politically aware voter, there are probably hundreds of jaded citizens who just decide the heck with it.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

How widespread is the practice of pay per say?<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

The best-known English-language dailies typically don’t do it so blatantly, candidates and others involved in the elections say. Rather, those papers are more likely to hue closely to one major party or the other, making it tough for candidates who don’t fit the papers’ view of the world to be heard. But in the Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati media, to name a few, the practice is widespread, candidates say.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

\n

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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