Hard News - Cover Story

Your honour at stake

Hardnews — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:26:01 +0000

It is important that the government and the entire society work towards restoring the credibility of the judiciary at all levels so that it dispenses justice without fear or favour

Sanjay Kapoor

India’s Guantanamo Bay

Hardnews — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:53:45 +0000

Not many know that this little hellhole festers just outside Port Blair, where cardinal violation of human rights is routine.

Abhimanyu George Jain

Bullets vs people

Hardnews — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:24:58 +0000

It is critical to engage the people in meaningful dialogue before embarking on ambitious industrialisation that requires land acquisition and displacement

Arun Varma Delhi

Network behemoths on way out?

Hardnews — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:45:24 +0000

The domination of big channels with bigger money looks like a temporary phenomenon

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr Delhi

Television channels – news and entertainment – in India will remain corporate ventures for quite some time to come. The capital investments needed to run a channel are too huge, which is beyond the capacity of individual entrepreneurs. The neighbourhood or community TV channel is still a dream, but it cannot be ruled out. Until then, the few big players will dominate the scene.

Demoting news and readers

Hardnews — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:32:43 +0000

The leading Engish newspaper, The Times of India, provides a curious example of how a newspaper re-invented itself to meet marker forces, even at the cost of media ethics

Dumb dumb dumbing down

Hardnews — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:27:56 +0000

With millions of illiterate young desperately wanting to read and write, the small, elitist commercial media won’t be able to dominate the diverse and plural environment in India

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta Delhi

Mr Johnny Come Lately comes to UNI

Hardnews — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:21:26 +0000

With his RSS links and predatory instincts, Zee owner Subhash Chandra’s UNI takeover bid has made people sit up
Hardnews Bureau Delhi

At the far end of Rafi Marg in New Delhi is located the United News of India (UNI) office. Surrounded by government offices, UNI, inconspicuously works from a colonial style bungalow. To the chagrin of its employees, UNI is known more for its canteen that serves inexpensive south Indian food and snacks, than for what it is – a national news agency.

Here, everyone knows, legendary writers, journalists, poets, theatrepersons, actors, and editors would often get together to share the news of the day. Even famous industrialist, late Dhirubhai Ambani, would occasionally drop by for a quick snack with a friendly bureaucrat. Many important deals, old-timers recall, were struck over a plate of piping hot dosa and uttapam.

Murder, not suicide

Hardnews — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:46:17 +0000

The farmers in Raigad are ready to fight a do-or-die battle

Bunty Das Mumbai

Call them land pirates. On the face of it they intend to develop infrastructure, provide jobs, reduce pressure on cities in lieu of tax concessions and subsidised land. But remove the veneer and the real intention is visible. The aim is to grab huge tracts of farmers’ lands, convert them into a real estate megalith, and earn eternal profits. What happens to the displaced persons is not their concern, and anybody opposing these SEZs is coolly termed anti-development. Especially in Maharashtra and Mumbai, our own utopia – Shanghai.

Green signal, red crossing

Hardnews — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:43:28 +0000

The Tata small car project, at Singur, in West Bengal, has reopened simmering wounds in a Left bastion chasing Capitalism

Ashis Biswas Kolkata

The Left Front government in West Bengal has copped a lot of flak on the Tata small car project, at Singur, in Hooghly district, 50 kilometres northwest of Kolkata. Accusations have flown thick and fast. The CPI (M)-led coalition government has tried hard to hold its own against an avalanche of criticism.

Not for sale

Hardnews — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:40:35 +0000

Okay, go ahead, build industries. But why at the cost of the precious, fertile, ancestral lands of farmers? Punjab’s farmers are unanimous—no SEZs on our land

Sandeep Yadav Chandigarh