A NATIONAL PRESS DAY SPECIAL -- HOW TO GET A GOAN EDITOR INTO BED!!!

FIRST, READ THESE CLASSIFIED ADS CAREFULLY... DON'T MISS ANY DETAIL... AND THEN, READ ONIt is irritating to put this note right at the head of this post. We wish we could have just plunged headlong into the story instead. But we must make sure that you guys know the motive behind this small, but dishy story that we bring to you. There is no personal element involved here. We have only tried to do bring to the fore, the callousness with which newspapers treat their readers. We tell you how it takes only a Rs 60 classified ad (in vernacular newspapers) or a Rs 120 classified ad in English language newspapers to expose the moral and ethical bankruptcy in Goan newspapers. (in all we spent Rs 300 for the classified ads that were published in the three newspapers on November 16, 2007)
What Penpricks has attempted to do in public interest, is pay these newspapers back in their own slimy, stinking coin. Our objective is to remind the editors of the responsibility they owe their readers. We are aware that this blog is a puny David in front of these mammoth newspapers of Goliathic proportions and hence we have followed this guerilla approach to lash out at their wrongs. We've jabbed their jaw, punched their chest, tied knots round their feet, but this story is a knee up their groin. Should serve them well to remember, that they should not take their readers for a ride.

This is the story... here goes
You must have seen several classified ads in Goan newspapers peddling 'massages' to clients. We had run a story on such obvious soliciting (through massage parlours of course) in The Hindustan Times some months back. We were not very pleased with this trend creeping its way in our own backyard and hence were looking out for a way to work a story around this, when one of us pricks in a rare spasm of brilliance, came up with this idea.
This was the premise...
a) Most 'massage parlour' ads solicit prostitution
b) Newspapers in Goa have no compunctions against publishing such ads
c) The editors are and should be held responsible for all the content published in their respective newspapers. There is no way they can shy away from this responsibility.
This is how we went about planning the story. We picked three newspapers. We could have easily picked up more, but that would have meant more money...
We worded these classified ad in such a way that there was no ambiguity about the fact, that the ad had less to do with massages and had everything to do with the flesh trade.
Secondly, the ads we released clearly said that there were 'well built Arab/Asian boys and girls' to be had for massages and entertainment.
It is shocking that the newspapers had absolutely no issue advertising "BOYS and GIRLS" or in other words minors, for the purpose of massage and 'entertainment'.
Can you beat this guys?
In other words, these chappie have absolutely no qualms being party to peddling minors for massage and entertainment purposes. And by entertainment, we clearly did not mean a Bharatnatyam or a Salsa performance. It could mean only one thing... You know what that is.
Next comes the core of the brainwave, the prick came up with.
In the classified ad, we put in the mobile numbers of the respective editors as contact numbers for people interested in the 'services' that the ad offered.
If you read the three ads, you'll see the contact names as Aruna, Sandy and Robby and their corresponding cellular numbers. The ad which says Aruna was published in The Navhind Times. Aruna is scrambled for the newspaper's editor Arun Sinha and that's his mobile number up there. The ad which says Sandy was published in Gomantak, Marathi. Sandy stands for Gomantak editor Sanjay Dhavalikar and of course finally the ad which says Robby was published in the Herald. Robby is scrambled for our one and only Herald editor Robin Abreu. Sanjay and Robin's mobile numbers too accompany their respective ads.
We are sure people interested in such 'services' have called these guys up using the phone numbers given. Till an hour or so the editors had already stopped picking up phones from unknown numbers. We know this would really rankle them. We are glad it does. It ought to remind them of the job they are supposed to be doing as journalists in senior positions. In case they still don't remember, Penpricks will come up with a few more ways to remind them again.
If you are convinced with what we’ve written out here, do call em up and speak your mind to them ask them why such ads are published? Or you could also call them, if you want to listen to their side of the story... here are their numbers...
Arun Sinha: Editor, The Navhind Times -- 0832-6651120 and 0832-6651123 (direct line) or 09823026348
Robin Abreu: Editor Herald 09822122325 and 0832-2433373 (direct line)
Herald board numbers: 0091-832-2224202,2224460,2228083
Sanjay Dhavalikar: 09822129348 or 08322402701/02