Poor Journalism will MURDER the Right to Freedom of Expression

there are days when i can watch tv for 10 hrs straight. they are called weekends. last time, i did something like that on a weekday was 26/11 when i was totally glued to the tv set. couple of weeks back, when 13/7 happened, i didnt switch on my tv in the evening. or to catch the late nite update. i didnt watch the TV in the morning either. i followed the whole thing on twitter and avoided everything in the english electronic news space that irks me.
yes, i am bothered by my insensitivity. there is a certain guilt associated with a sense of auto-pilot that took over when i heard abt the blast. quick sms to family n friends, share important numbers, and get on with life. a lot has been said abt the getting back to work and spirit and how no politicians are killed in bomb blasts and flying diamonds and insurance claims and of course, the human interest stories.
in retrospect, among many things responsible for my indifference to news the top reason is poor journalism. not just from earlier attacks, but even the day to day news reporting leaves a lot to be desired. the level of news and its treatment is well below mediocre. anyway, my universe for electronic news is the three english news channels, which have their own brand of journalism and identity in treatment of news. i dont know why i dont follow hindi news channels, but i think the name Prince has something to do with it.
poor journalism is a creation of our own greed. to state the obvious, the pressure to run a 24hr news channel is obviously showing on all the news channels. there isnt enough content at a national, international and regional level. fresh out of mass comm instt and desperate to get screen time, the young reporters are not adequately trained or educated nor equipped to handle the news in a mature manner. the emphasis on reporting is so low and on giving an opinion is so strong that the bloody news is lost.
the pressure is back on the news room. the anchor, usually a senior person, and the supervisor, must truly understand what exactly is the news from the blabber. yes, updates are welcome, but thats what the ticker is for!!
a friend went on a junket to europe and discovered that he was the youngest reporter there. apparently in the west, a college grad would travel the world, take a stringer assignment, do a course, work in the newsroom for couple of years and then get to do some research on a story that a reporter / correspondent is working on. it usually takes a decade to get your own thing. it could be a factor of low population there, but in our booming population and ever more blossoming media industry, we end up putting raw kids out in the zone who have grown up seeing some sort of distorted and sensationalist reporting of late 90s till now. and thinking thats the gospel, and believing that imitation is best form of flattery, they continue that same vile brand of poor journalism.
i am not saying we must follow the west. but we need to (a) hire the right people with maturity, world view and sense of responsibility; (b) incubate them and train them for a sufficient amount of time in the newsroom, so they get the just-out-of-masscomm-to-set-the-world-right steam off; (c) look at features content on news channels so that "breaking news" genuinely is taken seriously; and (d) pls pls pls not speak english like they speak in hindi news channels, with wrong pauses and unnecessary emphasis?
there are many things i would like to say abt the night shows too - but now i look at them more as substitutes to the soaps and in-betweens in commercial breaks.
i will go to doordarshan news soon. have fond memories of the night transmissions where the newsreaders were sober and sensible.
you know, after a killer day, i dont want to watch some anchor pouncing at some guest on the show and raising the blood pressure of the nation.

Help!! By raising a glass, bottle, whatever...

Last week, i made a revelation abt myself. I like to help. And its a wonderful thing! In 2011, the govt has increased the indirect taxes on alcohol. Soon enough, the Maharashtra govt came up with the hare-brained "no daaru under 25" rule. I don't have data to prove it, but am pretty sure that the sales have dropped. People who drank once a day, now drink once in two days. those who drank alternate days, now drink once a week. the wknd drinkers now, drink only on Friday, instead of being sloshed throughout the week. As regards the non habitual drinkers, the lesser said the better - these slimy characters were the first to desert daaru-ship.
For over 10 years, C2H5OH has been a active companion in my good times, low times, boring days, exciting nights, happy occasions with friends, happy moments by myself. Basically, daaru has been an integral part of my adult years, which used to be 18yrs onward. Lucky for me, the Maharashtra govt doesnt have provision of charging citizens of drinking under 25 "before" the ruling came out!! Else, this confession could land me in lot of trouble.
Before digressing, let me make the two points i want to put across. First, since the sales are down and it could trouble the bottom lines and people could lose their jobs. So, the "one down at sun down" club has additional responsibility towards those hard working folks in breweries across the land.
Second, no one is kid in this country. Even the kids aren't kids anymore. This talk of abstinence is going too far. Drinkers like us are the revenue generators for the govt. Why would they want to kill the goose that lays golden eggs? Plus, look at the other auxiliary businesses cos of those who drink - food, cabs, hotels; indirect taxes that we pay - a/c restaurants, service tax, finger food, etc; stuff like home deliveries, telephones, fuel, scrap fellas who deal in bottles etc.
Someone told me very soon farmers wont be allowed to sell their produce to alcohol makers. What abt the food grain thats rotting away in your godowns? Spruce up the FDS to solve the hunger problem and then start meddling in the free market yaar.
All this thinking is pissing me off and making me take to the bottle more often. I wish the govt left us alone. Just do the damn governance first!!

Yes, i don't need a reason to drink. No, i am not an alcoholic. Yes, i love the company. no, i am okay without the chakna. Yes, i like the music too. No, not that one. (You have to come to my level to know what i am talking abt.)

Remember, the timing of this blog is crucial. Have hurried this post closer to the weekend. Pls do your best from friday evening till sunday brunch. 

Lets help the alcohol industry folks. Drinking is the most accessible, pretty affordable habit. Yes, you drink like a fish for few initial years. But then you mature as a drinker. You choose your poison more wisely. You drink more sensibly. You hold ground and you hold your drink. **

Raise a glass friends, cheers!!
** Those who cant, should either stop or find the nearest AA chapter.

Make Tech?

I saw Transformers-3 in 3D on wednesday nite. The way Shiril put it, its abt cars that turn to robots that turn to cars that turn to robots that turn to cars with more n more beating up. That's a pretty cynical view (and extreme too) of the effort Micheal Bay, one of the few Hollywood guys who understand the "action" genre. Story, plot, acting, are incidental when what you are giving your audience is the moments that pump up the T juice.
According to the Transformers gospel, many of our 21st century mech, tech and electronic devices have been reverse engineered from the alien robots. The fastest revolution in the last decade has been the telecom sector. From mid-80s to now, we have seen such fantastic growth and we can undoubtedly say that the last decade BELONGED to the mobile phones.
For the past month or so, i want to a new phone and have been doing some bit of reading up. Folks, the mobile phone market has gone crazy! We are making faster, efficient phones than ever before. Companies are working day and night to make faster processors, intelligent user friendly interface, giving better telephonic experience, people friendly apps - the works. There are phones to suit every need, every desire, every budget. There are success stories, marketing theories, and many businesses that are driven by the mobile and mobile related industry. I would like to believe that the mobile penetration has improved with the multi-utility phones getting more affordable. With the internet catching on and 3G coming up, its going to get only better!!
As i discovered, buying a mobile phone is NOT an easy task. When they launch, they are super expensive and in less than 6 months the prices crash, making you feel terrible. Yes, its human to feel bad / cheated. Then there are instances of phones, s/w and technology getting redundant. Also, usually when a phone is launched, it has some teething issues - it hangs, the s/w acts funny, your contacts disappear, etc. And, frankly we get bored of the phone and what it offers, faster than the shirt you picked up this summer.
To those who have undergone the heartburn from any of the above and are still looking to buy a new mobile phone, let me tell you before hand - i am no expert. Just like you i am impressed with the advertising, peer pressure and opinions of tech-savvy friends. The three phones that came on top for me were Nokia E7, Blackberry Torch and Samsung Galaxy S2.
Before you even walk in the store, you MUST note down what you "need" in the phone; next, what do you "want" in the phone; and what will really be an exciting add on to have, but not a critical thing.
For example:
I type a lot - smses as well as mails = i need a physical keyboard.
I am active online = i need decent anti virus and a big screen.
I connect my mobile device to my computer = it has to have usb, bluetooth, etc.
I often use the phone to skype and fring international calls = i want compatibility.
I dont play games on the phone = i dont necessarily need the fastest processor available.
My phone has many short cuts n customisations = i want a device thats user oriented.
There isnt any critical data on my phone = i need flexibility to take back up once in a while.
I never do online transactions = i dont need any heavy duty anti virus that will slow down the phone.
I like to watch videos / listen to music when i have nothing to do = a good screen n audio will be nice.

You get the drift, right? It is very easy to be impressed by clever advertising. Thats the job of advertising. And when you walk in the store, its very easy to get swayed. The dealer will throw gizmo gyaan, stuff abt some series of microchips, crazy applications etc. and tempt you with some phone thats priced 20-25% more than the figure you have in mind.
Buying a phone also is a function of many other things. Like Shiril has all her friends on Blackberry and her smsing happens thru BBM service.
Buying a phone, also tells you what kind of person you are. When you are not doing anything between meetings or when waiting for something or someone, do you sit quietly or do you have this desperate need to whip out your phone and call someone or surf or text or see something? A little introspection on your communication pattern before you chose a communication device?
I am one of those who have their phone ready for action the moment the screen says, "Intermission". And i want to change that abt myself. Guess the person i am watching the movie with deserves my attention too. Well, its time for me to do some "Transformer" magic on myself.