Overview of the feature blogs

My feature blog consisted of five posts regarding the recent Mumbai blasts in India. I have tried to give an insight on the aftermath of the blasts and as to what direction may things be turning.

Initially, I have given a very general view of the post blasts conditions in the country, followed by some information on the terrorist Ajmal Qasab, who was caught and formally revealed his identity, confessed his crime and gave details on his connection to terrorist groups and about his training.

My third post, is about the trouble Indian top Cops may be facing due to their failure in the operation. They're late reaction to the situations and delay of action, has had people raise questions. Not a good sign for the security of the country. The fourth post is about the game loved and worshiped in India-Cricket. After the blasts, delay in tours, cancellation etc has left not only the cricketers and its sponsorers in a tight spot, but caused the public a certain amount of grief as well.

The final post is regarding the regulations set by the News Broadcasters Association in India, regarding 'what not to show on TV.' There are times when the media tends to exploit pictures and certain other footage to create an effect on the audience and such actions may not be allowed in the future, but at the same time is it correct not to show the real picture to the people?

In a nutshell, my feature blog has covered various aspects in the post blasts condition of India. There are facts and at the same time opinions too.

What to show and not to show.

http://images.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2003/04/08/stewart/story.jpg


Just a while back, I read this article on "what not to show on TV", amendments made by the News Broadcasters Association of India stating the guidelines for news channels. They are as follows:

The channels can have no live phone interviews with the terrorists

Or show any live interviews with the victims or security personnel, while the security operation is still going on

Also, the channels cannot show any footage that hinders the operation by security agencies in any way

No mention should be made of the identity, number and status of hostages, in an ongoing hostage situation

Any file footage that is aired must have a date and time clearly indicating when the footage was shot

Since I myself am pretty confused about these points that have been stated, as this is exactly what happens on every news channel, I think that most news channels might not have anything to show at all. For example; one point states that, there will be no live interviews broadcasted with the victims or their families. Is that really going to happen?

Another one states that, no information about the conditions of the hostages will be revealed. Are people really going to take that. Families might have their members held at an incident, is it fair not to inform them about their state?

I fail to understand as to what is really happening in a country which gained its freedom sixty one years back. There still are people who cannot afford three meals a day, they lack the basic amenities of life, many live in fear of terrorists, a girl cannot walk alone on a road in the night. Where is this heading? In an age when freedom is everything, India does not enjoy. One does not know who to blame. Is it the politicians who refuse to do anything in the interest of the nation as they are too busy fighting amongst their own selves, or is it us who have voted and elected them as our leaders? At the end of the day, like any other, it's just a blame game.

The effect on Indian cricket!

Picture taken from Ndtv.com

In a country where cricket as a sport is worshiped like a religion and its players like Gods, seems to be under a lot of tension post the Mumbai blasts.

India initially faced a threat from England regarding the cancellation of its two series tour, but after talks between officials it decided to resume the tour. Cricket holds a lot in the Indian economy, as matches are watched by almost every Indian citizen. The ones who can't afford it stand outside the windows of television showrooms and cheer for India.

When India is playing a match, people stop working, take their offs from work and prefer to sit at home and watch their country play. I remember, that when I was at school and the world cup was on, we either got a half day off or just a complete holiday every time India played a match.

Enough about the glory of Indian cricket, the latest is that India's tour of Pakistan has been canceled after the tension that has built between the two countries due to the recent Mumbai blasts. The government of India has told the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) not to go ahead with the tour. Bad news for the cricket lovers!

It was in 2004, that after the fifteen year gap due to political tensions, the two countries resumed their matches. But it seems like, 'history repeats itself.'

The Bush shoe hit hard!

I couldn't help but share this with everyone. The minute I saw Bush's shoe video and the Iraqi journalist throw a shoe at him, my day was made. It was one of the most hilarious and daring things I had seen in a long time.
President Bush

Well, the daring journalist, Al Zaidi if not anything else, has definitely become a hero in the Arab world. It was straight after the incident, the shoe created a buzz all around, right from newspapers, news bulletins, talk shows and most importantly on the internet.

I read somewhere, that soon enough there were games on the internet in which one could aim at the president with lots of other objects. People really do love Bush, don't they? However, the President did take this incident in his stride. You might think he's getting old, but the man's reflexes sure are good.

With comments filling in from everywhere at the 'not-so-pleasant' video, the internet has once again proved its might and interactivity. The video was up in no time straight after the incident.
This is just another addition to Presidents Bush's most embarrassing moments.

Mumbai Cops in trouble?

When the city sleeps, these brave men stay awake to protect it against any danger. But it seems that the Mumbai Police is not in for a good time ahead, as the blasts in the city just like the others, have not proved to be very lucky for them.

The top police officers of the Maharashtra police are to be investigated for their role played in the Mumbai blasts. The Home Minister of the state has announced a probe into the duties of Hasan Gafur; Mumbai police commissioner, AN Roy; Director General of Police and Chitkila Zutshi; the home secretary, during the Mumbai attacks. This kind of an allegation sure is embarrassing for the entire country.

At a time when the security in the financial capital of a country should be of utmost important, the police could help but let the lives of hundreds just go away. Infact, instead of waiting for the National Security Guard (NSG) to arrive that night, the police should have taken action. Their failure to do so, has had many fingers pointed at them.

The blasts have already cost the chief minister of the state his resignation. When the country and its public requires the maximum support, we have one after the other minister resigning and now it seems like the police cop's will be thinking around the same lines.

More than the amount of coverage we have received from the media, we need something to be done by the politicians and officials of the country.

Surviving terrorist reveals his training

Ajmal Qasab

I came across this article, where, the only surviving terrorist, Ajmal Qasab had the details of his entire training as a terrorist, from when he was a young boy to the day he was caught, revealed.

I had always heard, that terrorists were brainwashed and told that what they were doing was for freedom and nothing else, but never have I ever read such detail. What freedom are we talking about here anyway? Freedom to destroy everything around us, or the freedom to kill thousands of innocent people?

Apparently, Qasab ran away from his home four years ago, as his father failed to provide him with new clothes on Eid as that was what he desired. Ajmal is still one of those who left home at an older age. But what about those who are trained to create mayhem all around them, from the day they are born?

One can find many articles related to the making of a terrorist on the internet. I came across one such, related to one of the men involved in plotting a bombing blitz in Britain. Oman Khyam, who is a British national is now in jail for plotting against his own country.

Events like these always raise questions, as to why are these people performing such inhumane acts and such brutality? But I guess, these questions will remain unanswered for a long time to come.

The Aftermath of the Mumbai blasts

(http://www.shareordie.in/mumbai-under-terror-attack-11-serial-blasts-pics/)

On November 26, the city of Mumbai was terror struck for almost two days and the fear and grief of these attacks still lingers along the roads of the city.

A lot has been written and spoken about these attacks. There has been constant coverage on television, radio, newspapers and most of all the internet. People have come out and expressed their opinions and shared it with those around them. Even though every country has a different take on it, there still is a lot of information out there. The Pakistan media definitely has something very different to say about the entire situation.

The recent update on the Mumbai blasts is the formal confession of Mohammad Qasab, the only terrorist captured alive during the blasts, who has given it in writing, claiming to be a Pakistani. This has made India certain of what they were suspecting. What I fail to understand is that, why is there so much confusion regarding the letter. The Mumbai police is said to have forwarded it to the MEA (Ministry of external affairs), whereas they claim not to have received it.

It is extremely sad to feel the anger of people through their writing. Over the past few weeks I have been reading a lot of blogs by people regarding the attacks and have been able to feel their pain through their writing. For example, Arun Shanbagh's blog depicts his feelings about the entire chaos that was caused. His minute to minute updates portray every breath of his and what he was going through at that moment. It truly is a blog to read!

Amidst this confusion, it would be extremely sad if the reason for this kind of a terror attack is not focused upon. We know it happened, where it happened, to whom it happened and almost who did it, but we fail to notice and stress upon the fact that why it happened?

I will be back with more updates on this!

Our Global View-Evaluation

(http://hospitality.tamu.edu/children_holding_hands_around_the_world.gif)

'Our Global View', the term itself explains, that in this blog we aimed at providing the readers with news from around the world that mattered. We tried to provide facts of an event along with an opinion to it, be it negative or positive.

I personally, covered the United States as a part of this blog. Since, the US is not one of the smallest countries there are to cover, I made an attempt to report the latest happenings in the country, some of its coverage and then tried to provide my opinion on the issue. Initially, I wrote about the Ford, GM and Chrysler bailout and followed it for two days, reflecting the changes that were taking place and as to what was going wrong with the American economy. I then took a look at relations between the US and India, as to how right after the Mumbai blasts, America was a major part of every headline, because of the support they were trying to give. This was followed by the arrest of the Governor of Illinois and finally the link between the American and British media. In a nutshell, I ended up covering the trouble America as a super power was facing and present and what lay ahead of it. And partially I covered its relation with India and Britain.

The fact that we had to post an entry everyday, made it very exciting. I had a great time following up on the news and got to read other people's view points on various matters. What was most interesting was that, most of us in the group came from different back grounds and each one had their own style of writing. It was extremely enjoyable to read my group members' posts each day.

The feedback we received from Kathyrn Corrick, a digital strategist at McCann Erickson was in a sense, pretty useful. According to her, she did like our blog in general and its content. However, she felt that we could be a bit more specific in our approach, for example, we could do with a different section for opinions and analysis . To an extent I do agree with her, because we covered the events taking place all over the globe and it sure wasn't easy. I am sure that, it would have been easier for us to categorize more and make it simpler.

I feel that, our blog was simple yet sophisticated. In an age, where there is so much happening around the world and there is so much to tell, the need for such a blog arises. The public not only needs to be informed about the events, but they must also be given an option and a chance to make their own opinion and think as to why these events take place.

Mobile Phones and Journalism!

Photo credit: Alexander Kolomietz

Kathyrn Corrick, who is currently working on digital stratergy at McCann Erickson was invited to our class, to talk to us about the social media and hear our group blog presentations out, at the end of which she provided us with great feedback.

According to Kathyrn, the major trends in the digital media are, mobile, video and audio, hyperlocal an geolocation, aggregation and branding. She explained to us each one of the trends listed above with example of websites.

Mobiles are a great tool for journalism and if used in an appropriate way, they can help generate and pass on a lot of useful information. Taking photographs, videos, recording sound etc. are the main features that help in journalism. One can record and send information to various news channels or just upload videos on youtube. It is a form of citizen journalism.

An example that could be looked at here, is that of the Washington Post. Their live video of Hillary Clinton at a democrat convention in the United States, was covered using a mobile phone. Not only this, majority news channels all over the world have started adapting to this kind of live and spontaneous coverage via mobile phones.

I personally think that, this concept of the mobile phone in the digital media is a great one. It holds a lot of potential in the future. Though questions regarding its video quality may arise, but efforts are being made to improve that. Besides that, what could be more interesting and valuable than a first person account at the site.

INDIA BROUGHT DOWN TO ITS KNEES

Picture taken from Ndtv.com

As terror looms over Mumbai, the rest of India just can't seem to get sleep due to the ongoing misery, which has set its home in the country, over the past few months.

The recent terror attacks in Jaipur, operation BAD - (Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi blasts), the Assam blasts and now the Mumbai blasts, have left over three hundred dead and many injured. Amidst the battle of politics and religion, is the common man who suffers. When I turn on the television to grab some news, all I see is the increasing number of people dying, loud cries of women and children, angry men who believe that their religion is not respected, distress and frustration. India is a country where a number of religions co-exist and no religion teaches brutality to human beings.

These blasts have been so drastic, that the pain is clearly felt in the pictures. The three day terror strike has confirmed the fear in the minds of Indians, who have been subjected to this form of inhumane treatment. It has changed a lot for India in terms of its economy because the terrorists targeted the financial capital of the country. The fact that the terrorists inside the hotel specifically asked for American and British nationals, puts India's tourism industry in a tight spot because tourists from across the world will think twice before setting their foot on the Indian land. And the fact that, India now features in the top twenty most dangerous places will only accelerate this.

The question that arises in everyones mind is that who could be behind the blasts? As wrong as it may sound, the first answer to this question in the minds of the public is Pakistan. Pakistan's repeated violation of ceasefire at the border of Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed state between the two countries, goes on to suggest that they are not yet ready to accept peace along the border. The confession of Mohammad Qasab, the only terrorist caught at the Mumbai blasts that ten terrorists had left from Pakistan provides clear evidence of Pakistan’s involvement.

With India having lodged protests with Pakistan over terror strikes, it is clear that the situation is not a very light one and needs to be handled with care. One could go on and on with the past record of discussions and meetings amongst politicians of India and Pakistan for a solution, but honestly speaking nothing has been done to put an end to it. Every Indian is angry with its government, as they have failed to protect them by all means.

India is now a battleground where man fears man. I as an Indian, feel safer staying in England than my own country, but what about my family and countrymen back home. Every Indian needs to think twice before leaving their homes.

The question that now arises is, whether this turmoil could lead to another Indo-Pak war of 1971 or the Kargil war?

"Online can be serious, if it wants" says Neil McIntosh

A picture of Neil McIntosh by Sophie Borazanian.


"If you break a story online, you will be rewarded and people will come back to you" said the outgoing editor of the Guardian, Neil McIntosh.

At a talk given by him at the University of Westminster, Neil spoke to the students about the growing popularity of online journalism and how this was affecting newspapers."

"They are losing a lot of jobs and cutting costs. No one is really suspecting it will close but the sales aren't doing anything great at The Independent" said Neil, while explaining how the regional newspapers were in trouble more than the national ones. Titles such as Scotsman and Herald were going to face turbulence in the near future.

McIntosh also shared with us his thoughts on what award winning journalist Nick Davies, also the author of 'Flat Earth News', had to say about the quality of journalism. He claims that journalists have so much pressure on them and as a result they have no time to concentrate on the true story itself. He also said that, jobs cuts was another reason which was going to ruin the quality of the news stories.

"The relentless impact of commercialization has seen our journalism reduced to churnalism" said Nick Davies.

Neil also added, that though online journalism is doing well, websites do not have much of an impact on the sales of newspapers.

Sharing some of his personal sentiments on leaving the Guardian to join the Wall Street Journal next year, Neil said, that Guardian was a wonderful place to work in as there is a huge amount of freedom of writing. "It is extremely hard to leave the Guardian - not many people do" said Neil.

OLD PEOPLE AND THE NET

(http://www.huntsdc.gov.uk/Health/Services+for+Older+People.htm)

http://www.businessstrata.com/Win/News-Archive/Marketing-News/?storyId=12878&title=Number+of+older+internet+users+in+the+UK+continues+to+grow
Marketing news says: Number of older internet users in the UK continues to grow.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/nov/18/onlinesupplement3
Article by Jim McCllelan on old people and the internet, includes some facts and figures in 2004.

http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/2011/2011article5.htm
Percentage of different age groups using the internet in Australia, showing the old age group to be the fastest growing.

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/010824/d010824b.htm
A link showing the minimum usage of the internet by people 60 and over in Canada in 2000.

http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:MLPWbIjl-FkJ:www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Seniors_Online_2004.pdf+percentage+of+old+people+using+the+internet&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=uk&client=firefox-a
A report by Sussanah Fox called 'OLD AMERICANS AND THE INTERNET'


http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum10/3970.htm
A blog discussion by people on the use of the internet by 'oldsters' with some facts.

The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail, which was first published in 1896, has always been known as a newspaper mainly for women. It has always taken a soft yet a strong approach towards issues.

Comparing the online and the print version of the newspaper, it is clear that though the two are similar in some ways, yet they have their differences. A main point to be noted is that, the print version has limited space to utilize, whereas, the online version has a lot of space to play around with and to try new and different things.

Some other general differences that can be see between the two versions are; it is obviously easier to access different stories and advertisements on an online version as compared to the hard copy. It is also convenient to go back to any news story in archives, immediately. The online version of the Daily Mirror is extremely interactive, as they receive a lot of comments on their stories. They also have a different section for debating certain hot issues and this gives a chance to the public to share their opinions.

Talking about The Daily Mirror individually, in terms of multimedia, it is not very active. The website does not consist of many videos and the few that do exist, are taken from youtube. But the website definitely does believe in big pictures, as it can be seen that, many news stories are supported by pictures to make it more interesting.

Lastly, The Daily Mirror, is hugely targeted at women, as it has a separate column called Femail, where all the women gossip is available.

Teen pregnancies higher in India than even UK, US.

A still from the movie 'Juno', which dealt with teenage pregnancies.


Shocking as it sounds, teen pregnancy in India is high with 62 pregnant teens out of every 1,000 women. In comparison, 24 British teens get pregnant before their 19th birthday while the figure is 42 in the US.

I came across this article, 'Teen pregnancies higher in India than even UK, US' which states, that in India the reasons for teen pregnancies are, child marriage, illiteracy and high infant mortality. India’s neighbours Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are also struck by similar problems with younger women getting pregnant, whereas the number of pregnant teens in Pakistan is much lower at 36.

Interestingly, this article states all facts and figures about teenage pregnancies in various countries and the reasons for it. The consequence of this unfortunate problem is the death of a large number of women, as they do not get proper care.

Personally, I feel that though India has come a long way, there are still a number of social evils that exist in its society. The country is not very open to certain issues such as sex education, which can be extremely helpful in avoiding teen pregnancies. At times, young girls do not even know that they are pregnant until the fifth month of their pregnancy.

Also, child marriage is another matter that has the Indian social structure messed up. Though, there has been a drastic decrease in this, the country still has a lot of work to do. Getting young girls married off and then forcing them to have children at such a young and innocent age, not only takes their childhood away from them but in many cases, it has taken the lives of many.

In a nutshell, I feel that all of us must stand up against such an unfortunate problem that has not only, India but the entire global society diseased.