Will that make up for shoddy performance? NDTV, you’ve lost the plot.

Rahul is happy that his non-friend from college is taking on the enemy, finally:

Anyway, the main criticism that I saw everywhere was that your coverage of the movements of the police, army, commandos and others was aiding the enemy. So I was happy to see this morning that you are finally taking on the enemy. An enemy, furthermore, that nobody had previously identified: one Mr Chyetanya Kunte, a blogger. He apparently made critical statements of NDTV, and, particularly, of you. The nerve. You discussed freedom and civil liberties with Ms Kapoor in the interview above. But how are you to defend our freedoms when people are criticising you all over the place?

The nerve. The guy has probably never even eaten at Wasabi.

Prem Panicker is mailed a link to an NDTV story, quoting Chyetanya Kunte, critical of Barkha Dutt:

Go, Barkha Dutt—file suit against NDTV for quoting this:

“Appalling journalism,” says Chyetanya Kunte, a Netherlands-based engineer, on his web blog Nov 27.

“In one instance, Barkha Dutt of NDTV asks a husband about his wife who is either stuck or held as a hostage. The poor guy adds in the end about where she was last hiding. In another instance, a general of sorts suggests that there were no hostages in Oberoi Trident. Then Dutt calls the head of Oberoi (live) and the idiot confirms a possibility of 100 or more people still in to slay,” Kunte says.

Jo realizes there are a lot of pseudo-liberals in our world:

Much of the criticism that has been raised against the television media during the 26/11 terrorist attacks were genuine. We as the people of this country who help you get on with your business (don’t tell me that journalism is all about social commitment and such cliched things), holds the right to criticize the media’s wrong actions because it affects us, the people of India. Sometimes in a sharp manner, when it is needed. And if the media had cared a bit about professionalism, professional ethics and their commitment towards the society and the country, they would have taken corrective measures. But instead they go around suing people.

Harini says the broadcast media has lost the plot:

And to those who took the call to threaten the individual with legal action:

Imagine  – if the Government behaved with you the way you are behaving over Chyetanya Kunte .Imagine your outrage, your self righteousness and your defence of the “Freedom of Expression. And then remember that media organizations enjoy the same ‘freedom of expression’ as individuals. There are no other separate provisions. And understand, that  in attacking our Rights you are destroying yours.

I feel sad that the journalistic  insitution built up by Prannoy Roy has come to this. Really, really sad.

Trailblazer calls it shoddy intimidation:

In fact, that is what makes this case even more outrageous. To silence a person who is plainly excercising his fundamental right and offering views of what he felt during the time is unconstitutional. What use is the Constitution if the flag bearers of one of the enlisted rights do not respect opinion – praise, criticism alike – driven at them?

Chirag writes an open letter to the Indian News Media:

What you in turn do is in reality is “pure bigoted, blasphemous and banal”.

Mumbai : You turned this incident in a bloody TRP war, where people’s live were as irrelevant as Barkha’s approach to ethical journalism.

Moral Police : Women were being physically abused and all you could do was to shoot the video so you can say “First Reported Here…”. Have you no fucking soul. What did your video do, advertised and propagated fear…Hurray a well lived day !

Gaurav asks – why is the media silent?

Let us assume for the sake of argument that what Kunte wrote was indeed libelous, and something that required strong action. If so, why is NDTV mum on it after all this while? The story has certainly spread in the Indian blogosphere like wildfire. NDTV and/or Barkha Dutt should have, by now come out with at least a statement on this whole issue to present their side of the story. If they are convinced they have done nothing wrong, why not come out and proclaim their innocence? And why the silence from others like CNN-IBN, TimesNow, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Mint and so on? Why is this not a story?(If I am wrong and this matter has indeed made its way to the mainstream media, please let me know).

Ashutosh would like to know why NDTV has trouble understanding that supporting freedom of speech precisely means supporting the freedom of those who vehemently criticize you and disagree with you?

In doing this, both NDTV and Barkha Dutt have nicely shot themselves in the foot with a Howitzer (as if Barkha Dutt wasn’t getting enough criticism and craved more of it). As Gaurav says, forget about rights and wrongs; they have made a huge tactical blunder. After Chetan wrote the post, maybe a few dozen bloggers at most were aware of it and either supported it or disagreed with him. Now hundreds more are not only going to know about his post, but are going to disdain NDTV and Dutt for their scare tactics. Now their name is going to be all over the Internet(s). What better way to popularize your organization and its views!