Trysts with MSM - Part 13

The Mediagate scandal just refuses to die! Barkha's award winning performance on TV did not just shock the viewers, but many journalists too. Amidst discussion many such points, Bhupendra Chaube (National Bureau Chief of CNN-IBN) had this to say to a former colleague of his.

@diptosh the issue now clearly is not about corruption but violation of thin red line?If I was in barkha's shoes, I would have done the same

That response was in reply to this point by Diptosh -

@BDUTT It's really strange that ppl who have never done journalism are telling us to rewrite the grammar of reporting.

Anyways, I got curious, and asked Bhupen :

@bhupendrachaube didn't get the context of ur "would have done the same". What would u have done the same?

For which he replied : @ssudhirkumar not report on corporate pr angle

And now I got more curious :)

@bhupendrachaube ohh ok. now I am more curious. why? Isn't that a story to be told? :)

He replies: @ssudhirkumar u need to be a hardcore political journalist to understand why u wouldn't report on it! How can u make a pr agent a story? (cont)

@ssudhirkumar u r not sure of what the person is saying, the person is one of several people whom u r speaking to in an evolving situation

My question -

@bhupendrachaube look at it from the viewer perspective. we dont have indepth understanding, but we blindly trust what's on TV

@bhupendrachaube and when something like this happens - all we are told is that this is how it works so get back to work...

And here comes the killer line!

@ssudhirkumar mayb 2 decades back, it would have been reported. dynamics have changed now.In 24 hour cycle,u make& break rules all the time

I asked back what right does he (as in not individually, but the media as a whole) have to pontificate to us, if rules are broken "all the time"! However, this statement by Bhupen

@BDUTT @diptosh but what this has done, is that its making reporters question how to deal with sources. Best stories always come from crooks

elicited this response from auldtimer , that just about sums up the whole mood.

So journos expect us to trust them because they trust crooks RT @bhupendrachaube Best stories always come from crooks.