The Indian Panorama

Tag: Media

  • An Open Letter to New York City and State Leaders

    An Open Letter to New York City and State Leaders

    Wanted: A Legal Protection for a Commendable Model

    On May 22, 2019 Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 47, one of the most consequential measures supporting the city’s community media industry, directing all city agencies to spend at least 50 percent of their annual print and digital advertising budgets on community media publications.

    The initiative has been a resounding success, as shown in an independent report by the Center for Community Media (CCM) at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. In the fiscal year after the executive order was signed, New York City spent a record $9.9 million on community media publications, 84 percent of its total print and digital advertising budget. We were offered a lifeline as we saw city agency campaigns rolling in, many of us receiving them for the first time.

    We are more than 230 print and digital publications serving communities in all five of the city’s boroughs, publishing in 37 languages. Without advertising from city agencies, many of us would not have survived the pandemic that saw so many businesses – who had advertised in and even distributed our newspapers – shutter across the city. Many of these businesses may not return, and now more than ever, we have an essential role to play in helping our readers survive and rebuild in the wake of this pandemic.

    These public service campaigns reached vital communities of color and immigrant communities, in many languages, creating awareness about the resources available to them during the pandemic, guiding them on how to access critical services, and encouraging stronger civic engagement from an informed and responsive citizenry.

    As we move into a new year and get ready for the 2021 municipal elections, it’s time to build on the remarkable progress made by the de Blasio administration. Important steps are necessary to build on the progress made by the mayor:

    A renewed commitment from city leaders to continue the current policy of allocating at least 50 percent of the total print and digital ad budgets to the local community media, while maintaining a robust ad budget City Council legislation to solidify this commitment and protect it from political or administrative changes Effective implementation of the new legislation in its true spirit.

    We also ask that the New York State government and Legislature follow suit. Like the City, the State will also find the community media a necessary partner in building a more engaged society.

    Kowshik Ahmed, Editor, Weekly Bangalee

    Najmul Ahsan, Publisher, Weekly Parichoy

    Manuel Alcantara, Editor, Peruanisimo News

    María del Carmen Amado, Newspapers Group General Manager-Editor, Westchester Hispano, New York Hispano

    Czarinna Andres, Co-Publisher, QueensPost

    Lovlu Ansar, Executive Editor, Bangladesh Pratidin

    Ruben Avxhiu, Editor-in-Chief, Illyria

    Michael Babwar, Publisher, Caribbean Times News

    Liudmyla Balabai, Managing Editor, ForumDaily Inc (ForumDaily.com)

    Kevin Benoit, Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Parlé Magazine

    Helen Cadena, Ad Sales Representative, Ecuador News, Ayllu Times

    Isseu Diouf Campbell, Publisher, Africa in Harlem

    Ibrahim Chowdhury, Editor, Prothom Alo

    Angie Damlakhi, Owner, Allewaa Alarabi Newspaper

    Silvana Diaz, Publisher, Noticia, El Correo NY

    Sheikh Musa Drammeh, Publisher, Muslim Community Report, Parkchester Times

    R. Farrukh, Publisher, Weekly Awaz

    George Fiala, Publisher, Red Hook Star Revue

    David Mark Greaves, President & Publisher, Our Time Press

    Sunil K. Hali, Publisher, Divya Bhaskar North American Edition, The Indian Eye Newsweekly

    Michael Hinman, Editor, The Riverdale Press

    Rick Ho, General Manager, Sing Tao Daily

    Manzoor Hussain, Executive Editor, Weekly Dunya International

    Paul Jackson, Publisher, Harlem Times

    Léopold L. Joseph, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Haiti Observateur

    Adnan Khalil, Chief Editor, Al Hawadeth Newspaper

    Maude LeBlanc, Editor-in-Chief, Haiti Progres

    Henry Levy, Editor & Publisher, Jewish Post

    Paddy McCarthy, Publisher/Editorial Director, The Irish Examiner

    Debbie McGoldrick, Senior Editor, Irish Voice Newspaper

    Alec Meeker, Publisher, Bushwick Daily

    Kamlesh C. Mehta, Publisher, The South Asian Times & Forsythe Media Group, LLC

    Hameed Minhas, Publisher, New York Awam

    Síle Moloney, Interim Editor-in-Chief, Norwood News

    Zawadi Morris, Founder and Publisher, BK Reader

    Mutiu Olawuyi, Editor-in-Chief, New York Parrot, Parkchester Times

    Kishor Panthi, Editor-in-Chief, Khasokhas

    Cristina DC Pastor, Founding Editor, The FilAm

    Pearl Phillip, Editor-in-Chief, Caribbean American Weekly, The Immigrant’s Journal & Workers’ World Today Publications

    Garry Pierre-Pierre, Founder/Publisher, The Haitian Times

    Edward B. Prial, Publisher, The Chief Leader

    Ilayas Quraishi, Chief Operating Officer, Parikh Worldwide Media, LLC and ITV Gold

    Mahfuzur Rahman, Editor & Publisher, Weekly Bornomola

    Mizanur Rahman, Editor, Thikana

    Traven Rice, Publisher, The Lo-Down

    Stuart Richner, Publisher, Herald Community Newspapers (including The Riverdale Press, Rockaway Journal, Jewish Star)

    Ricky Rillera, Executive Editor, Philippine Daily Mirror

    Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja, Chief Editor, The Indian Panorama

    Angchhiring Sherpa, Publisher, Everest Times

    Sharanjit Singh, Publisher, The South Asian Insider and Punjabi Dunya

    Mica Soffer, Publisher, COLlive.com

    Scott Stiffler, Founder/Editor, ChelseaCommunityNews.com

    Danny Tisdale, Founder and Publisher, Harlem World Magazine

    Sunil Tristar, Managing Director, eMalayalee Online, IndiaLife Online, IndiaLife Television, Pravasi Channel

    Angel Vazquez River, Local Sales & Marketing Director, El Diario

    Momar G. Visaya, Executive Editor, Asian Journal

    Stephen Witt, Publisher, KingsCountyPolitics.com, QueensCountyPolitics.com, NewYorkCountyPolitics.com

    Jeong Shin Yoon, Publisher, The Korea Daily New York

    Liena Zagare, Editor & Publisher, BKLYNER

    Kevin Boyle, Publisher, The Rockaway Times.

  • New York Journalist Prakash Swamy accused of Sexual Misconduct by a Woman in Chennai; Swamy says it is an Attack on Media

    New York Journalist Prakash Swamy accused of Sexual Misconduct by a Woman in Chennai; Swamy says it is an Attack on Media

    NEW YORK (TIP): Dr. Prakash M Swamy PhD (USA) has been a senior journalist for the past 40 years having worked in senior editorial positions at The Hindu, India Today, Press Trust of India, Ananda Vikatan, India Abroad USA to name a few. He used to continuously write for Asian Tribune too Prakash M Swamy.

    He is an accredited diplomatic correspondent to the United Nations for the past 10 years and serve as a senior journalist in Chennai and New York. He has a penchant for investigative reporting and studied as a special subject as part of his journalism degree in University of Florida. He worked closely with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein the architects of investigative reporting in the US.

    Returning to India, he broke the news of first human belt bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for The Hindu with forensic and scientific evidence that became global scoop of the decade, He was also mentioned as a fearless journalist by The New York Times and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York.

    As part of his assignment, he is working on leads to probe into the death of a non-resident Indian -Mr Sainath, a top executive of a multinational Pacific Basin in Hong Kong. In the process he is gathering relevant information from the deceased’s parents, wife Gayathri Sai, his colleagues and friends.

    It appears that Mrs. Gayathri Sai, 45, of Chennai, a movie group dancer and a former model, did not seem to appreciate Swamy following the leads and had directly and indirectly prevented him from pursuing the story.

    When everything failed, she has gone to the social media to accuse Swamy, 63, of alleged sexual misconduct and flooding the social media with abusive contents such as video and audio recordings – all cooked up – with a view to preventing Swamy from pursuing his investigative story which she feared may implicate her.

    Dr. Swamy has asked for evidence and solid proof from Mrs. Gayathri Sai like CCTV footage, building security register and verifiable independent proof of his misconduct. Without providing any of these and continue to level serious charges to damage his reputation and character on the social media without providing any credible evidence is a dangerous trend.

    In the absence of any evidence, we are forced to conclude that these charges are motivated and an attempt to silence the senior journalist from discharging his official duty. Such assault on the freedom of the press can’t and won’t be tolerated. Dr Swamy says the criminal gang had asked for ransom money to keep quiet and no police action was taken despite complaint to Cyber Crime in June this year.

    In the past, adversaries of the media used to send auto rickshaw with weapon slashing goons, throw acids on the face and now opponents take the easy way of digital terrorism to silence the media voice. We urge the Central and State Governments to ensure that the media persona is safeguarded against any kind of attacks that could be construed as brazen attack to silence the media.

    (Source: Asian Tribune)

  • Time to stand up for a free press: We’re not the enemy

    Time to stand up for a free press: We’re not the enemy

    By Layne Bruce

    Enough already.

    The last couple of years have been an unending barrage against the freedom of the press and the practitioners of this noble trade.

    From being called “liars,” “fake,” and “sick” by irate politicians to enduring capricious and punitive tariffs that are an existential threat to newspapers, the landscape for journalists today may be as inhospitable as it has ever been in the 242-year history of this great union of ours.

    All this while the public at large seems unable to break free of the social media echo chamber. We retreat there to endlessly bicker with those who don’t agree, or to bolster the confidence of our own positions by seeking solace from those who do.

    We’ve devolved into a nation of people who simply don’t want to hear it.

    And that’s incredibly dangerous.

    The bipartisan testimony of 20 members of Congress last month before the International Trade Commission in opposition to tariffs on Canadian imported newsprint is a good indicator a lot of talk about journalists being “enemies of the people” is utter hogwash. These men and women know the importance of community newspapers and their imperiled status in modern culture where too many marketers prefer digital analytics and too many readers prefer daily affirmation.

    They know the men and women who work at the local paper are most definitely not the enemy — nor the problem.

    But in a society where talk of the wicked media is hurled relentlessly on Twitter or cable “news” channels, all of us who take part in the honorable, constitutionally protected trade of reporting news and ferreting truth get amalgamated into a cynical act of political theater that’s threatening to the very fabric of democracy.

    And that’s what this Is really about.

    We’re arguing over political philosophies and cultural divides — not about whether news is biased. I bet you a week’s pay and a dozen doughnuts the people who use the argument that news is “fake” don’t any more believe that than they think the Space Force is coming soon to a quadrant near us.

    But the damage is being done. We as a nation are beginning to give a collective shoulder shrug the fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights.

    And we’ve got to snap out of it.

    We’ve got to accept that not all news is happy or affirming. We’re not always

    going to get what we want. I vaguely remember being taught that as a preschooler.

    Aaron Blake, a correspondent for The Washington Post, asked in a recent column if the media should go to war with the President.

    “Trump seems to want a war with his ‘enemy,”‘ Blake wrote. “But should the mediaoblige him? And if it doesn’t, isn’t it unilaterally disarming?”

    No, we should not go to war with the President. But It’s long past time to end the navel gazing and stand up for what we do. It’s our job to provide the best obtainable version of the truth and to champion the freedoms of the First Amendment.

    Thomas Jefferson — who had a notably tempestuous relationship with the press — was a president who still often rose to defend it.

    He once wrote while serving in Paris as Minister to France: “The people are the only censors of their governors, and even their errors will tend to keep them true to the principles of their Institution…

    “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”

    If we’re unwilling to accept news that upsets us, or if we’re indifferent to differing views simply because we don’t want to deal with them, we’re essentially giving up on the notion we can ever truly be “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

    I know it’s ironic, but l don’t believe we’ve given up because I don’t want to believe it.

    (The author is executive director of the Mississippi Press Association)

  • UK Based Indian Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Set to Combat Fake News

    UK Based Indian Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Set to Combat Fake News

    LONDON (TIP):  UK based entrepreneur Lyric Jain, a Cambridge University engineering student originally from Mysore, developed the start-up that uses a machine-learning algorithm to sift fact from fiction is set to combat fake news around the world, including plans for a project specifically targeted at India.

    The platform, which is currently going through technology trials with partners and advisors, will have its full public launch in September for the UK and the US, and hit India by October.

    The aim is for the service to work as a news aggregator as well as an indicator of factual accuracy.

    “The Logically platform gathers the biggest news stories from over 70,000 domains and determines the credibility of the claims across each article. It does this by using a machine learning algorithm that is designed to detect logical fallacy, political bias, and incorrect statistics,” the 21-year-old techie explains.

    “By illuminating the quality of information across these articles, logically provides users with a transparent and insightful view that allows them to determine how trustworthy the news they read really is,” he said.

    With a growing number of cases of fake news being exchanged over the WhatsApp messaging service in India, his start-up is exploring ways for artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately assess the validity of information faster than any human can.

    India has over 200 million WhatsApp users and with the system being encrypted, it becomes extremely difficult for law enforcement to intervene and stop fake stories from spreading.

    “Because of the highly emotive nature of these stories, people are quick to react. This means the time it takes to disprove compelling fake news stories is often too long to prevent action being taken,” Mr Jain said.

    “We are still exploring options such as an instant verification chatbot on WhatsApp and will announce our plans by the end of the year,” he said.

    Logically has a board of advisers made up of alumni from both Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US and Cambridge University in the UK and has raised 1 million pounds in funding. It employs 38 people across the UK, India and the US and is planning to almost double that figure.

    Mr Jain believes there is an urgent need for greater education around the issue of fake news and misinformation being spread, largely via online networks.

    “The technology we are developing will equip people with the tools they need in order to navigate a complex and confusing information landscape better than before, but governments still need to do a better job educating people on the real dangers of interacting with misinformation,” he said.

    His platform, which combines AI and human intelligence as well as complex analytics, is planned as a first-of-its-kind “intelligent news feed” that he believes may prove to be the future of journalism.