AS Asianet News’ As the Kozhikode bureau scheduled March 5, a Sunday, as its day off, police personnel in large numbers stormed their premises on PT Usha Road. When the officers proceeded with their ‘searches’ without producing a warrant, the resident editor or RE Shajahan K was told that they were using their ‘special powers’ to conduct the raids. Nothing untoward came out of the ‘search’, though the trespass was clearly an act of intimidation.
This was before its Kochi regional office was raided by activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), showing how it was orchestrated by Kerala’s regime . Team. In general, the first thing flew Asianet News To discredit it, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is its majority shareholder. But it is well known that he has little say in its editorial policy.
so why does Asianet News Keep taking out the goat of CPI(M)?
The only explanation is that it has been effective in discharging its duty as part of the fourth column, and has consistently topped the viewership metrics as part of its relentlessly counterproductive journalism. The hostility of the Marxists also spread Malayala Manorama dailies and other Kerala news outlets, which have been collectively labeled as ‘right-wing’ by the party and its social media propagandists.
With the weakening of the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) following successive defeats in assembly elections, the CPI-M believes that it is the media that can effectively act as a check and balance, fact-check and consistently serves as a blunt to its narrative. Before moving on, it’s important to get to the bottom of it Asianet News confusion.
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a primary error
at the core of Issue Kannur-based Senior Correspondent Noufal Bin Yusuf’s series on narcotics aired in November 2022 featured an interview of a 14-year-old girl. Girls like her were victims of the drug mafia. However, what was aired was an edited snippet from an earlier interview done by Saniyo Manomi, another reporter from the channel’s Kannur bureau.
Now, it has become common for news channels to show footage of previously aired footage for analytical programmes. But here some stock footage was also used along with the audio, which was considered misleading. These scenes made it appear that Naufal was interviewing the girl instead of Manomi. CPI-M supporters claimed that the interview was staged and was fake news.
In general, the measure comes from the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (of which Asianet News a member), who has adequate powers to enforce ethical standards in reporting. But few had an ax to grind, and so tried to weaponize this error of judgment.
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of CPM humming with Joseph
Nauphal has been troubling the Kannur unit of the CPI-M for some time with breaking stories, which are followed up regularly. From Payyanur Election Fund embezzlement As for the infighting within the party, Yusuf has been at the forefront of reporting various cover-ups of issues by the party and holes in its narrative.
his latest ,Violation,As far as the CPI(M) is concerned, he was reporting about its youth wing leader M Shajar. Member of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) Organization with choice Akash Thilankeri (the first accused in the murder of a Youth Congress secretary) and gold smuggling operations carried out by criminals formerly associated with the party were exposed by Yusuf. While the CPI-M officially denied it, Joseph circulated the phone transcript of his conversation with DYFI Kannur president and CPI-M rank-and-file complainant Manu Thomas, where the latter was heard confirming it, Thus leaving the egg on the face of the party.
At an ‘explanatory’ meeting of its local committee unit in Thillankerry, broadcast live on the mouthpiece of the CPI(M) Kerala Kairali NewsShajar was heard threatening Yusuf (on one Kairali News Live telecast on February 21) with dire consequences. After this, senior leader P Jayarajan opened the front against Yusuf, followed by the turn of district secretary MV Jayarajan.,
And when Akash Thillankeri was produced in court, he was heard saying ominous words to Joseph, such as “Haven’t you suffered much?”, a live broadcast of the incident. Asianet News, Later MV Jayarajan also compared to From Naufal bin Yusuf to ‘Bin Laden’, racist attacks on them.
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PV Anwar has an ax to grind with Shah Jahan
Shahjahan has an even longer history of being in the bad books of the CPI(M) – which once resulted in him being publicly slapped by P Jayarajan in Kannur. However, for now, Left-backed Nilambur MLA PV Anwar is holding a grudge against him.
Shah Jahan hosts a weekly show, Malabar ManualOn the channel where charming Anwar is often criticized, In any case, Kozhikode Bureau Asianet News Moneybags has been at the forefront of exposing alleged violations of laws by the MLA on several occasions.
Days before the inconsistencies in Yusuf’s report were publicly brought out by the left ecosystem, Anwar posted on Facebook that he would “fix” Asianet News, But no one in the channel had any idea what would happen to them.
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internal sabotage at play
So, what connects Shahjahan to Yusuf’s video?
reminiscence of the alleged internal sabotageBut Wire by Devesh Kumar Asianet News It is headed by its own Kannur reporter Sanyo Manomi, who was earlier with the Kozhikode bureau. The case against Shahjahan – based on Anwar’s complaint to Kerala Director General of Police Anil Kant and corroborated by Manomi’s statement – is that the edited video footage was filmed in his cabin, which Shahjahan has categorically denied. Shah Jahan soon failed to discover that Manomi’s husband Julius Nikitas was on Anwar’s payroll.
Now, Nikita is the son of high-profile CPI-M couple KK Lathika (ex-Kuttidi MLA) and its Kozhikode district secretary P. Mohanan – whose arrest in 2012 in TP Chandrasekaran’s murder case was reported before the police could confirm it. Only Shajahan had given it.
It appears that several plots of revenge were carried out by taking advantage of Joseph’s error of judgment.
But the matter does not end here. Sindhu Suryakumar, also Executive Editor Asianet News, has been made a party to the case, possibly because she hosts a loud show, Main story, who has been the target of the CPI(M),
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dual loyalty
At the heart of the matter is the dual loyalty of some journalists in Kerala. It is well known that CPI-M has kept its workers as informers in many media houses of the state. At one point of time, it was common practice for the CPI-M to deploy its cadres to infiltrate other organizations (not limited to media houses) to further its agenda. It so happens that most of the journalists in Kerala have spent their time in SFI and have taken up journalism as an extension of their activism.
While many of them become fully professional after a certain period—Shajahan himself being a case in point as an ex-SFI leader—others continue to claim dual loyalties. In the pre-liberalisation era, media houses such as Malayala Manorama And Deepika Extensive background checks were done to ensure that the CPI-M did not infiltrate its ranks.
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CPI(M)’s agenda: defame the media
On 15 March, the non-bailable section 83(2) of the Juvenile Justice Act was invoked against Yusuf, Shajahan, Sindhu Suryakumar and a fourth employee. Asianet News, This was after a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act) case was initially registered against him. It seems the idea is to further intimidate journalists and make an example.
On March 18, the Kozhikode Additional District and Sessions Court granted him relief Asianet News Journalists from arrest “There are no allegations of serious offenses under the POCSO Act against these petitioners. In a democratic country like India, which gives freedom to the fourth estate, media persons cannot be sent to jail on charges of criminal offences. If they commit any crime, it can be decided only after a fair trial.” where did it go,
This is clearly an extension of the CPI-M’s brazen targeting of media houses that are not under it. Left cadres have coined the word ‘Vestrianet’ Asianet, which sounds remarkably similar to General VK Singh’sthe substitute, To defame Asianet News It is part of a larger agenda to defame the media in general, as a free and fair press is the only barrier that prevents the CPI-M from getting away with all kinds of excesses.
The author is a Kerala-based journalist and columnist. He tweeted @AnandKochukudy. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)