DATELINE CANA'CON'A -- WHAT WHEN THE MESSENGER IS SUSPECT?
Guys… do not take us media folk at face value.
We are as suspect and weak-kneed as the person standing next to you.
Most times we aren’t even worthy of the benefit of doubt you guys allow us.
Look at our small journo community in Goa.
We have the corrupt amongst us cutting across hierarchy.
We have our own set of con-men in responsible editorial positions.
We have newspaper owners amongst us who destroy mangroves to build dance-floors.
We have our own gang of pimps. Some elderly looking, afflicted with respectable diseases like Parkinson and there are others young acrobatic learning the ropes.
We have some guys who have sex crimes registered against them, who continue to occupy topmost editorial positions.
Like politicians, we illegally squat on government land (government quarters too).
Some of us accept bribes in lieu of writing stories. A lot of us would settle for a lavish meal instead of money.
Sometimes we masquerade advertisements as news, much in the way politicians would steamroll money-minting schemes as development initiatives.
Some of us blackmail using privilege information, as leverage.
We are quite a reflection of our politicians aren’t we?
Politicians… hey and we actually have politicians amongst us… We’ve had the guys like Advocate Uday Bhembre, who turned out pretty shallow on both sides of the water. Then we had Raju Nayak (He has contested assembly on the Congress ticket) who has still clung on to the political hangover. Whose overt pro-Congress reportage is perhaps the worst, if compared to the current set of outstation correspondents in Goa. Then we have had Gurudas Sawal (recently retired) who was almost the MGP candidate from Pernem some seasons ago.
Then there were others like former chief reporter of the Herald, Julio D’Silva who had his bellyful with the BJP too…
We actually shouldn’t have rambled on so much. But, its just that when we read this article we were really pained. As a class of professionals we are so downright cheap… There is always the argument that you cannot allow exceptions to cast aspersions on a clique… but then we tolerate such shit. Don’t we?
How do we allow these weeds to grow amongst us…
Look at this guy Santosh Gaonkar now… the Gomantak correspondent from Canacona. He is one of the original Chilly Chicken Officers Choice (CCOC) maestros… He has been a correspondent for Gomantak for more than a decade now. More… he is serving his second term as councillor of the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC). More his wife is a councillor too.
So here we have a councillor serving as a newspaper correspondent. He takes no leave of absence. He carries on both tasks. The newspaper sees no conflict of interest. Strange na.
The point we are really rattled about lies here in the story, which appeared in the Herald some days back. One of our readers pointed it out to us.
This Santosh guy, as councillor has pushed a resolution through in the CMC which demands that each councillor be provided with a monthly cellular phone recharge voucher worth Rs 570. Obviously, at the cost of the exchequer.
How petty is this?
Really guys, how do you expect the Canacona dateline in the Gomantak dish out public-interest stuff, if the guy reporting from out there is this petty? Again is it morally right for a newspaper to keep this guy on the rolls as a correspondent, when he is councillor?
Are they giving their readers a fair deal here?
How is one expected to believe a dateline, which smells of cash vouchers your money has paid for?
We are as suspect and weak-kneed as the person standing next to you.
Most times we aren’t even worthy of the benefit of doubt you guys allow us.
Look at our small journo community in Goa.
We have the corrupt amongst us cutting across hierarchy.
We have our own set of con-men in responsible editorial positions.
We have newspaper owners amongst us who destroy mangroves to build dance-floors.
We have our own gang of pimps. Some elderly looking, afflicted with respectable diseases like Parkinson and there are others young acrobatic learning the ropes.
We have some guys who have sex crimes registered against them, who continue to occupy topmost editorial positions.
Like politicians, we illegally squat on government land (government quarters too).
Some of us accept bribes in lieu of writing stories. A lot of us would settle for a lavish meal instead of money.
Sometimes we masquerade advertisements as news, much in the way politicians would steamroll money-minting schemes as development initiatives.
Some of us blackmail using privilege information, as leverage.
We are quite a reflection of our politicians aren’t we?
Politicians… hey and we actually have politicians amongst us… We’ve had the guys like Advocate Uday Bhembre, who turned out pretty shallow on both sides of the water. Then we had Raju Nayak (He has contested assembly on the Congress ticket) who has still clung on to the political hangover. Whose overt pro-Congress reportage is perhaps the worst, if compared to the current set of outstation correspondents in Goa. Then we have had Gurudas Sawal (recently retired) who was almost the MGP candidate from Pernem some seasons ago.
Then there were others like former chief reporter of the Herald, Julio D’Silva who had his bellyful with the BJP too…
We actually shouldn’t have rambled on so much. But, its just that when we read this article we were really pained. As a class of professionals we are so downright cheap… There is always the argument that you cannot allow exceptions to cast aspersions on a clique… but then we tolerate such shit. Don’t we?
How do we allow these weeds to grow amongst us…
Look at this guy Santosh Gaonkar now… the Gomantak correspondent from Canacona. He is one of the original Chilly Chicken Officers Choice (CCOC) maestros… He has been a correspondent for Gomantak for more than a decade now. More… he is serving his second term as councillor of the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC). More his wife is a councillor too.
So here we have a councillor serving as a newspaper correspondent. He takes no leave of absence. He carries on both tasks. The newspaper sees no conflict of interest. Strange na.
The point we are really rattled about lies here in the story, which appeared in the Herald some days back. One of our readers pointed it out to us.
This Santosh guy, as councillor has pushed a resolution through in the CMC which demands that each councillor be provided with a monthly cellular phone recharge voucher worth Rs 570. Obviously, at the cost of the exchequer.
How petty is this?
Really guys, how do you expect the Canacona dateline in the Gomantak dish out public-interest stuff, if the guy reporting from out there is this petty? Again is it morally right for a newspaper to keep this guy on the rolls as a correspondent, when he is councillor?
Are they giving their readers a fair deal here?
How is one expected to believe a dateline, which smells of cash vouchers your money has paid for?
posted by Pen Pricks at
01:07
2 Comments:
A lot of us would settle for a lavish meal instead of money...
You hit the nail right on the head with the preceeding statement. Here is why...
Virtually all the front pages of today's newspapers are carrying this press conference of the Goa State Commission for Children.
The journos fail to mention the sumptous treats they got. And that too at public cost. Now, if every damn govt. body is going to give press conferences and keep my tummy full, I might as well stop cooking :)
These are just a bunch of BJP appointed loudmouths, talking a whole lot of trash. Utopian ideas with zero functionality. They claim they are going to bring a law to prevent accidents of children. Now how is that possible?
One immediate way is for 2 wheelers not to carry more than 2 heads to school. The traffic cops turn a blind eye. No need to bring new legislations... just implement existing ones.
If their term is getting over, will the new (Congress?) lot carry on to implement their untested ideas?
What have they realistically done in their 3 year term? NOTHING.
I won't say more... out of sheer disgust.
(All in the name of children)
Looks like the penprick with his inimitable style of writing is back;) Hope you are back in force.
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