Articles by Nireekshak

Whir of Words Nireekshak HAD the belief been widespread that the election manifestoes of the various parties would decisively influence the forthcoming mid-term poll, the Press might have been expected to devote considerable attention to examining the different manifestoes. But either the general belief in the. political significance of manifestoes is minimal, or the Press itself regards them as little more than an unavoidable electoral ritual. Consequently, the journalistic effort devoted to the study and analysis of the manifestoes has been very light indeed. There have been isolated attempts to analyse the .manifestoes in detail but, generally speaking, they have met with a run-of-the mill treatment. The general approach to the manifestoes was probably most eloquently summed up by the Free Press Journal when it said that the manifestoes "appear like a wild whir of words". A common comment on the Jan Sangh manifesto was that it was a "pie in the sky"

Busy Season Nireekshak WHAT with a 'grand alliance' which is neither grand nor even an alliance making its belated bow, the victory and subsequent disqualification of the yoked bullocks in the symbols sweepstakes, the extradition of Sheikh Abdullah from Kashmir followed by the outlawing of the Plebiscite Front, the Commonwealth conference in Singapore preceded by the comings and goings of Commonwealth statesmen through New Delhi and sundry other distractions like the fall of the Orissa Government, the Press has been very much on its toes these last three weeks. The 'grand alliance'

Questionable Collaboration Nireekshak NO one who is even remotely acquainted with It is likely to accuse the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of originality or initiative. Its latest endeavour in co-sponsoring with the Press Institute of India a 'code on reporting communal and ethnic tensions' therefore looked, at first glance, suspiciously like a departure from tradition. But no, u closer look allays all suspicion

Futuristic Conspiracy ?
Nireekshak CORRESPONDENTS who covered the Lucknow session of the AICC(O) must undoubtedly have been competent man but they seem nonetheless to have passed off quite a bit of local gossip, garnished generously with their own wishful thinking, as hard news. Political reports are, of course, rarely if ever totally uncoloured by the reporter's subjective attitude to the news; and, as Nehru once remarked to a group of pressmen, perhaps no journalist should be so insufferably objective in his approach to news that he loses his vision altogether. Yet objectivity of approach is still what is enjoined on the reporter, by tradition as well as modern practice. Generally speaking, he observes the rules. However, the temptation seems to have been strong in Lucknow to dump the rules.

Little Understanding, Less Information Nireekshak INDER Gujrars latest remaps in the Rajya Sabha on the proposed new "international news agency" lend themselves to only one inference, namely, that the Government has no clear idea as yet of what it wants or how to go about getting whatever it wants. The Minister of State for Information has often in the past made rambling references to the need for having a news agency which would disseminate objective information from and to India and expressed Government's anxiety to see one established. Neither he nor any other spokesman of Government has, however, thought fit to spell out any concrete suggestions for organising such an agency, or otherwise indicated how Government proposes to attain its objective. Was this to be done by setting up an entirely new agency or by reorganising one of the existing four to conform more closely to the requirements in view? Is the Indian Press capable of supporting a fifth agency when it seems unable to support; adequately even the two major ones how in existence and the other two, both Indian language agencies, which are still in their infancy and in bad shape? If an officially favoured agency comes into being, how will Government subsidies for other agencies be affected?