Mediagate - Part 2 !

This is a continuation of the earlier elaborate post - Mediagate. Came across this post today. Written by B.V.Rao of Governance Now, this article counters Vir Sanghvi when he first wrote that Ambani article (and therefore feels very vindicated about his observation - given what the tapes have now revealed!). Especially those sattires referrring to Vir's food articles are sooper!

The print media has been slowly picking up the tapes story. After Open, Outlook and Mail Today - New Indian Express and Deccan Herald have covered the news, and have written editorials too. And today, The Hindu published a lead article, speaking of these tapes in nice detail. And this article made very interesting read - primarily because the most pompous Vir Sanghvi says that even if he did pass information it was not wrong!

He insisted that he had never acted on Ms Radia's requests to call Mr. Patel or anyone else in the Congress “as anyone in the government will know.” However, even if he had called Mr. Patel as promised, it would not have been unethical if it was not privileged or secretly communicated information, he felt.

And then when Barkha was questioned, she refused to answer citing "legal concerns" !!!! This is more huge - what "legal concerns" do you have here Barkha? What just is your problem in coming out with facts, instead of general rhetoric?

Ms Dutt declined to answer The Hindu's questions, citing legal concerns, but she has been freely offering answers to similar queries on her Twitter account over the past few days.

Most of Barkha's response on twitter are to people who are supporting her. To those questioning her, she asks back why only her tapes were released;whether it is ethical for Open and Outlook to air them etc etc. After a couple of days, I have stopped following her replies (if you have the patience, please visit www.twitter.com/bdutt). She needs to answer many specific questions, and only a long article will do justice to it. Merely rubbishing off questions in 140 characters amounts to trivialising the issue. And please, no marks for attempting to have a debate on twitter - that will count only if you answer the tough questions.

While the blackout of the tapes on TV continues (only IBN did a 30 min discussion on this - without airing the tapes though) - many people still await a satisfactory response from the pompous Vir Sanghvi and Her Highness Barkha Dutt.