The Hundred Day Questions - Number 3

For the past 100 days, twice every single day (basically 200 times so far), I have been asking Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi to answer a set of questions, based on their conversations with Nira Radia.

Day 100-2: Hi @BDUTT & @virsanghvi Could u pls ans specific qns instd of rhetoric. http://bit.ly/f2eMRE & http://bit.ly/ekM3HY respectively

Previously, similar efforts to extract responses from journos have borne fruit. Never had any luck with NDTV folks though! Vir Sanghvi just comes on twitter to market his articles (yes, he is still writing :D !).

Those links in the question detail the background, and have a list of questions directed towards the journos (that haven't been answered yet!). The media leaves no stone unturned in reporting anything related to Nira Radia. But when it comes to her conversations with journos, we see a defeaning silence in the media. And as much as they would like the viewers to forget this episode, I think viewers are much smarter than that.

This is the 3rd time, I have posed 100 day questions. The previous questions (and their background) are here. For easier reading, am pasting them below too.

Question 1:

On the evening of March 4, NDTV website had this headline "Modi Godman Sex Scandal" and presented to us a slideshow of Swami Nithyananda. Now, if you are wondering what the headline and the slide show have anything to do with each other - here's the link. The Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi once launched a book by Nithyananda and apparently said he is a follower. Nithyananda was embroiled in a "sex scandal" and since Modi is a follower, it became "Modi Godman Sex Scandal" !!!

Mails and messages on twitter that day made sure that the page was removed. However, I was more keen in knowing why such a headline crept up in the first place. What kind of journalistic practice allows a national channel to have such a headline on its site? Barkha Dutt, Group Editor,said she will look into it, but hasn't really done it I guess. For the past 110 days, I have been asking her "Any update on followup of "Modi Godman Sex Scandal" headline on NDTV site on the evening of March 4.Thank you".

The initial idea was to not give up till an answer came. However, well meaning folks on Twitter have advised that concentrating only on a couple of questions makes it difficult to bring up other such headlines of sections of the media. Following up on any question for 100 days is good enough way of trying to expose their lack of interaction when it comes to correcting their mistakes, at times.

This particular blog post will continue to add all such "hundred day questions", and try to keep a record of their lack of response over a period of time. Also, this means the followers on twitter don't get bored with the same questions after 100 days ;-) ! More to follow soon :D!

Question 2 (Day 100 today, June 30th):

This was the question: "Day100 Hi @BDUTT @vikramchandra @prannoyroyndtv Is NDTV planning to clarify on the "summoned on March 21"fiasco raised by d CM of Gujarat?".

A childish response and the whole background of this question has been documented here.