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Tag: Media

“Growing intolerance”, and why Congress loves it

“Growing intolerance”, and why Congress loves it

Published by Rahul Roushan on December 1, 2015

Indian National Congress, the grand old party of India, suffered its worst ever electoral defeat in May 2014. Reduced to 44 seats, it was staring at a risk of being pushed to the margins if immediate corrective steps were not taken.

The reasons for its defeat were pretty obvious – corruption charges, anti-incumbency, lackadaisical leadership of Rahul Gandhi, and Modi wave.

However, if you analyze them as a pragmatist, these reasons don’t warrant any “corrective” step. They are transient in nature. For example, Congress could simply shrug them off with the following responses, and the party won’t really be wrong:

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Why journalists hate trolls

Why journalists hate trolls

Published by Rahul Roushan on April 8, 2015

At the outset, let me make it clear that I’m making a distinction between what is being labeled as “trolling” and criminal online behavior such as cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, hate-mongering, etc. However, this distinction is NOT made by a league of critics (most of them journalists) who are on a mission to purge the social media by launching a War On Trolling, much like Junior Bush launched War On Terror and declared that “if you are not with us, you are with the terrorists”.

In that case, I’m with the trolls (as defined by them).

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Due to internet, can the journalist vanish like the postman?Daakiya daak laya

Due to internet, can the journalist vanish like the postman?

Published by Rahul Roushan on September 23, 2014

Many people have argued what the future of journalism could be. Most agree that technology, especially digital, will impact it the most.

The obituary to print journalism has often been written, and it still continues being debated passionately if the prophesized doomsday is near or if these are mere cheap apocalypse mongering.

In this article, I plan to take that apocalypse mongering to the next level. I want to pose the question whether journalism – the art, the profession – will survive technology?

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Love Jihad – let’s not love this jihadA Hindi newspaper report on Love Jihad

Love Jihad – let’s not love this jihad

Published by Rahul Roushan on September 3, 2014

Much has been written and spoken about “Love Jihad” in the political and media circus, I mean, circles, so I thought one more by me won’t be such a bad idea.

Out of dozens of articles there, including a ridiculous “data backed” NDTV report, I would start with pointing out two articles to which I largely agree with. These are by R Jagannathan and were published on Firstpost.

The first one argues that the theory of Muslim groups targeting Hindu girls, in an organized way, to hurt or convert them is logically not sound, because it will be fraught with risks of failure when compared with other means of organized attempts at religious conversions i.e. Love Jihad is not a ‘practical’ jihad even if one thinks from the point of view of a jihadist.

The second one concedes that there could be small and isolated attempts, but Hindus first need to worry about their own failings – such as patriarchy, casteism, and lack of efforts to propagate Hinduism – and put their own house in order before losing sleep over something called “Love Jihad”.

As I said earlier, while I largely agree with these points, these still don’t show the complete picture.

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Moral compass and secular reportingMoral compass