Chetan Kunte v/s NDTV

By Aditya Mhatre at 29 January, 2009, 1:24 pm

Why am I doing this?

Very simple answer. Being an average Indian citizen, I am sick of getting pushed around by the various “centers of power” in India and it’s time to do something, peacefully.

I won’t get into the whole story here since the bloggers mentioned below have done an excellent job of covering the issue and have laid out their thoughts very well. This post has simply been set up to convey your thoughts to Burkha Dutt and NDTV in a peaceful and respectful manner. The email is not meant to offend Ms. Barkha Dutt but to simply express your displeasure hence the body of the email is non-editable.

The intention is to possibly get as many people to send the below email that Ms. Burkha is compelled to talk abou it openly about how she and NDTV made Chetan retract his post. We are not seeking apologies, just tell us how you made Chetan take his words back.

Please use the form given below to send an email to Barkha Dutt with the message given below.

Write to Burkha Update!

It’s been a little more than 3 days since I put up the form and it’s time to take the form down. The form was meant to ensure that Burkha is aware that we disagreed with her stand which I believe has been achieved. 56 visitors used the form to send the below email to Burkha Dutt.

Dear Barkha,

You recently got very upset with what one of my blogger friend, Chetan Kunte, wrote about NDTV and your live coverage of the 26/11 attacks. I assume that you and NDTV then used its corporate might to corner a single individual blogger into apologizing for exercising his right to freedom.

Here is what some of the widely read Indian blogger think about your actions

  1. Shripriya - Shame on Barkha and NDTV
  2. iPatrix - Muffling a Blogger
  3. Rohit- NDTV’s assualt on free speech.
  4. Prem Panicker - When free speech bears a tag
  5. Sandeep - Barkha Dutt and NDTV, the joke is on you

I think collectively, the above posts say what I think about you, NDTV and the whole issue. I wish you come out in the open and talk about your actions on NDTV - We The People.

- Peace

We regularly cover such topics on Indicast Podcast, hence you might want to check it out from time to time.

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Related posts:

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Categories : Politics & Society

Comments
Surya February 1, 2009

I’m outraged by NDTV’s behaviour and would like to send Barkha Dutt a message. But please correct the grammatical errors in the uneditable message above.

Aditya Mhatre February 1, 2009

Surya: Pointing out mistakes is easy. But I would be happy to change it. please Please point out the mistake and I look forward to the solution as well.

~nm February 3, 2009

I frankly do not know why Barkha Dutt is famous on TV. I’ve tried to watch couple of her shows and I always leave them midway because she doesn’t let the people speak at all. She always cuts them short and sometimes even goes on to say something totally different from the participants view leaving me wondering if the whole show was to just speak up what was on HER mind.

And what she and NDTV did with Chetan Kunte, was totally wrong. I’m there with all of you to go together and fight this injustice.

Kima February 3, 2009

This is what happens when our news people enjoy a God status. I applaud them for all the hard work they’ve done reporting and investigating, but I loathe them for going against the very principle they believe in when somebody (read: non media person) does the same reporting and investigating about them. This is such BS and NDTV should be ashamed of itself. I used to hold Barkha Dutt in high regards. Now I have removed the channel from my TV program list permanently.

Raghunath AS February 3, 2009

NDTV is by Barkha of Barkha and for Barkha. Freedom of her expression on NDTV is her cherished privilege. Why should one have any objection?

Jigar February 3, 2009

Its Barkha, not Burkha. Also, why did you take that form down? Were you coerced by NDTV?

Aditya Mhatre February 3, 2009

@jigar : nobody made me do anything. The purpose was served after the 50th email. The form was not meant to spam her account..

Mohit February 4, 2009

This is not the first time NDTV and Barkha has done it. They did same with the blog War for News. Thats a real shame for any society

Naavi February 4, 2009

I have sent the following mail to Secretary Press Council of India. (pcibpp@gmail.com)
I wish others may also send similar mails.

To
The Secretary
Perss Council Of India
Delhi

Dear Sir,

I am Naavi (Na.Vijayashankar), founder of http://www.naavi.org. I am also the
Chairman of Digital Society of India, Chairman of the Legal
Enablement Committee of NIC on G2C transactions and other Cyber Law
related initiatives in India.

I request you to kindly clarify on the following issues which confront
me as well as the Cyber Society.

1. As you are aware, Indian law recognizes electronic documents as
equivalent to written paper. Accordingly, what is published in the
Cyber space has as much relvance in law as a printed publication.

2. On the Internet, there are websites which are owned by somebody
while the contributions are made by others. There are also copies of
traditional press operating as an independent media. There are also
news letters and Blogs. Of these, Blogs are publications where the
author, editor and publisher may be the same person. In this context,
I would like to know if a blogger can seek registration of the Press
Council as a “Journal” and if so, what is the procedure.

3. I also draw your attention to the raging controversy in the
Blogosphere where a Blogger who wrote a comment critical of the
Coverage of the Mumbai Terrorist attacks on November 26th and 27th
(2008) by MS Barkha Dutt, Managing Editor of NDTV (Details available
here: http://www.bloggernews.net/119566), and was apparently silenced
by a threatening legal notice alleging defamation.

4. Most observers consider that the action of NDTV in launching a
legal action (as is apparent from the apology letter published by the
blogger) was an unfair assault on the freedom of expression of the
blogger.

5. I would like to know if it is within the scope of activities of
Press Council to advise its own members like NDTV that one of the
norms to be followed by journalists is to respect the freedom of
expression of others or come in support of the victim of such an
alleged oppression.

6. In many cases of publication of an article in the Press, whenever
there is a clash of opinion, the practice is to publish a counter view
in the same space as the original publication as a sufficient remedy
against alleged defamation. Withdrawal of an already published
material is not feasible and not expected. In the case of blogs
therefore, the appropriate remedy when there is a controversy is to
publish the counter view in the same blog and not demand withdrawal of
the blog post itself as NDTV has forced the blogger to do. I would
like Press Council to come out with a clarification on the same.

7. Additionally, I suggest that the Press Council take a suo motu
action of setting up a sub committee to address the issue of “Blogging
in India” and come up with suggestions for itself or the Government on
how Blogs can be regulated or provided normal freedom associated with
the Press along with the privileges.

I look forward to your reply at the earliest.

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

Na.Vijayashankar
Editor, Contributor, http://www.naavi.org
No 37, 20th Main, B S K First Stage
Bangalore 560050
+91 9343554943

Naavi

Sean September 5, 2009

Barkha Dutt likes freedom of expression as much as she likes guys.
S

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