MediaVigil, Journal of Global Communications and Justice

The paper below is an analysis of misreporting by media in general and EPW in particular on the subject of July 7, 2017 order of Supreme Court of India on Ganga and Yamuna.  Aren’t rivers juristic, legal persons and living entities? On 7 July, 2017 Supreme Court stayed the final judgment passed by the Nainital Bench of Uttarakhand High Court in Mohd. Salim v State of Uttarakhand dated 20 March, 2017 that gave recognition to the “legal status as a living person/legal entity to Rivers Ganga and Yamuna r/w Articles 48-A [1] and 51A (g) [2] of the Constitution of India". [3] The order came upon hearing the Special Leave Petition of State of Uttarakhand against the verdict. The one sentence order reads: “In the meantime, the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed.” [4] The Bench of 44 th Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud heard the petitioner’s counsel in the absence of the counsel for the respondents mentioned as ‘...

Her assassination is a failure of Government & ruling parties MediaVigil condemns the political assassination of senior editor Gauri Lankesh at her Bangalore residence at around 8 pm on 5 September, 2017 resulting in her death at the scene. Although investigations are yet to be completed, it is suspected that some contract killer was hired by someone to stop the publication of the latest issue of Gauri Lankesh Patrike, Kannada fortnightly newspaper which is being linked to her death. Gauri Lankesh was the editor of this fortnightly newspaper. She authored several books. She was an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.  Gauri was a fierce journalist and the most vocal critic of right wing forces. Gauri started her career as a journalist with the The Times of India in Bangalore. She worked for the Sunday magazine and Eenadu' television channel. She was the daughter of the famous P Lankesh. She was in Delhi few months back whe...

To Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari Hon’ble Chairperson Parliamentary Petitions Committee Parliament of India New Delhi Through Shri Alok Mani Tripathi, Committee Officer Date: 24th June, 2015 Subject- Monstrous killings of journalists in UP, MP & other States Dear Shri Koshyariji & Hon’ble Members of the Committee, This is to draw your immediate attention towards the monstrous killings of journalists in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in particular and similar plight of journalists in general across the country which has been ignored by the central and state governments. We submit that according to Reporters Without Borders, India’s ranking remains low at 136 in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015 that provides ranking for 180 countries. It is increasing evident that India falls in the category of countries which has "partially free media". It remains one of the most restrictive place...

Note : The trend of occupation of media  by 'natural' market forces  has been unfolding for quite a while. Indeed " media regulation" is "essentially a bargain between power brokers in the media and the competing elements within the political domain" amidst "concentration of ownership".    Hasn't TRAI recommended something like a Third Press C ommission “headed by a retired Supreme Court judge” to examine the structural changes in the media landscape?  First  Press Commission was set up Nehru Govt. The Second Press Commission set up by Morarji Govt and reconstituted by India Gandhi Govt. There was a demand for the 3rd Press Commission which Dr Manmohan Singh government agreed to it. It sought  its Terms of Reference twice from Kuldeep Nayar  but failed to set it up. The Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Information Technology in its report in 2013 has observed on cross-media ownership and its adverse impact on "democratic stru...