Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by independent journalist Angad Singh. Formerly with Vice News, Angad was “blacklisted” by the Indian government over a documentary called India Burning, which he worked on as a production assistant. He talks about dealing with court cases after being accused by the central government of portraying India in a “negative” light. He says his OCI card was taken anyway and talks about the sorrow of not being able to return to India anymore. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:01 - Angad’s story 00:30:29 - Recommendations Recommendations Angad Captivating the Simple-Hearted: A Struggle for Human Dignity in the Indian Subcontinent Sumedha Time Is Running Out for Rahul Gandhi’s Vision for India Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by independent journalist Astha Savyasachi and The Mooknayak’s Arun Kumar Verma. Arun reported on the rise and fall of the Bahujan Samaj Party. He delves into the ups and downs of Mayawati’s political career and explains how the BSP became sidelined. He also talks about the new leadership with Mayawati's nephew Akash Anand and what changes are expected from him to revive the party. Astha reported on how most Sainik schools across India are run by people with direct or indirect connections to the BJP or RSS. She explains how the central government essentially handed over 62 percent of new military schools to the Sangh Parivar, BJP politicians, and allies, bypassing eligibility criteria in the process. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:28 - BSP’s rise and fall 00:10:41 - Sainik schools 00:38:08 - Recommendations Recommendations Arun Amar Singh Chamkila Astha Centre hands over 62% of new Sainik Schools to Sangh Parivar, BJP politicians and allies. Shivnarayan How BJP ‘won’ in Surat: Unravelling 24 hours of peculiarities Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by independent journalist Rahul Singh. Rahul talks about his report on the shortcomings of the public distribution system in Jharkhand. He says despite the online mechanism, food security is poor in rural areas, and instead of helping, the system “is emerging as a hurdle” for the Adivasis. Basant reported on people falsely named as beneficiaries of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in a report by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which also claimed their farm incomes doubled in 2022. He shares how he found out the factual errors in the government body’s book. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:14 - Lok Sabha Election 00:07:57 - Issues in getting Ration in Jharkhand 00:25:21 - Farmers’ income 00:36:45 - Recommendations Recommendations Rahul Jawan Basant Scoop Media Ka Loktantra Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Shivnarayan Rajpurohit and The Quint’s Himanshi Dahiya. Shivnarayan talks about his profile of ANI and how it became the Modi government’s favourite media outlet. But the story isn’t that simple, he explains, because beyond ANI’s dismal coverage of the opposition are a number of contracts that the agency has signed with state governments. Himanshi reported on a Gujarat Dalit family that was “cheated” into giving a whopping Rs 11 crore in electoral bonds, of which Rs 10 crore was encashed by the BJP. She explains how the alleged scam took place and just how a company linked to the Adani group was involved. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:05 - ANI’s journalism 00:25:25 - Gujarat family’s electoral bonds 00:49:07 - Recommendations Recommendations Himanshi Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India 2024 Pro-Hindutva Films Were Funded By BJP-Linked People, Promoted by BJP Netas Shivnarayan Aamis Tanishka How National Creators Award Winners Amplified BJP’s Message Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Anmol Pritam and The News Minute’s Jahnavi. Jahnavi talks about her report on businessman P Sarath Chandra Reddy, accused-turned-approver in the Delhi liquor policy case. She says his firms bought electoral bonds worth Rs 55 crore, later encashed by the BJP, and also explains the ‘South Group’ connection to the case. Anmol was on the ground during the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He talks about the mood among the people, based on his interviews with locals, whether the Delhi police is being ‘biased’, and how the AAP believes their right to protest is being suppressed. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:31 - Kejriwal’s arrest 00:20:39 - P Sarath Chandra Reddy 00:29:06 - Recommendations Recommendations Jahnavi Anatomy of a Fall Anmol Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda Sumedha Aamis The arrest of Mr Kejriwal: A PMLA case Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Pooja Prasanna is joined by the Ramnath Goenka awardees from Newslaundry and The News Minute, to talk about the four awards they won this year. While Ayush Tiwari and Basant Kumar won in the environment, science and technology category for the plunder of the Aravalli series, Hridayesh Joshi’s video report on arsenic in water triggering diseases in several villages, supported by the Thakur Foundation, was honoured in the Hindi broadcast category. The News Minute also won two awards. While Azeefa Fathima, Balakrishnan Ganesan, and Prajwal Bhat won in the civic journalism category for their five-part series on exposing manual scavenging, Prajwal’s reports on the 2022 hijab protests in Karnataka were awarded in the political reporting category. They look back at their work to discuss its importance and impact on society. Tune in. Recommendations Ayush The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Basant 21वीं सदी : पहला दशक Hridayesh बड़े शहरों में जंगल? बिल्कुल, खुद देखिए [Forest restoration in Delhi and NCR] The Cooking of Books : A Literary Memoir Azeefa ACCESS DENIED These Precious Days Balakrishna 3 Body Problem Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Pooja Love Jihad and Other Fictions: Simple Facts to Counter Viral Falsehoods The Gentlemen The costs of Reliance’s wildlife ambitions Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram; recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and Basant Kumar. Both Prateek and Basant share their experience of investigating the patterns in political funding in India, and decoding the State Bank of India’s data dump on electoral bonds. They discuss how they found out about “a very strange pattern” of donation to political parties, with some companies donating or lapping up their donations after raids by central agencies. In some cases, the companies’ donations even surpassed their profit growth and revenue. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:21 - Donations to parties 00:05:18 - Electoral bonds 00:25:22 - Recommendations Recommendations Basant Project Electoral Bond (Report) Prateek Maamla Legal Hai Tanishka Plunder of the Aravallis Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep. Pratyush reported on the Assam police increasing security and barricading in anticipation of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which the government this week said it would soon implement. He says there’s a huge difference in intensity of protests between 2019 and 2024. But Basant points out the government laid the groundwork to make sure no protest could take place. Basant talks about his report on Uttar Pradesh appointing a chief information commissioner and 10 information commissioners last week. At least four have links to the BJP or are favourable to Chief Minister Adityanath, he says. He also explains his interview with Indrajeet Ghorpade, a 32-year-old techie and activist from Pune who has filed over 50 complaints against hate speech on news channels. Watch. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:05:53 - Cops try to quell Assam’s CAA disquiet 00:24:10 - Appointments of information commissioners in UP 00:33:42 - Interview with Indrajeet Ghorpade 00:34:48 - Recommendations Recommendations Pratyush In 15 more donors of BJP, 4 shell firms, 11 companies that faced central action by Prateek Goyal Basant Poacher on Amazon Prime Produced by Prashant Kumar, edited by Parikshit Sanyal, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Pratyush Deep and The News Minute’s Nidharshana Raju. Pratyush reported on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s media conglomerate, Pride East Entertainment, which is also the Northeast’s biggest media network. He delves into the hold of Sarma’s family on the media outlet and how its political leanings change as Sarma switches sides. Nidharshana talks about her report on the killing of a 22-year-old Dalit man by his caste Hindu brother-in-law in broad daylight in Chennai. She says the city has been witnessing crime against Dalits, but had not witnessed such a caste killing in recent years. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:12 - Himanta’s media empire 00:11:25 - Caste killing in Chennai 00:36:26 - Recommendations Recommendations Pratyush ULFA: The Mirage of Dawn Nidharshana Karuvadu: the wet world of dry fish Tanishka India’s iPhone factory is keeping women workers isolated Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and The News Minutes’s Korah Abraham. Prateek and Korah were part of Newslaundry and The News Minute’s joint investigation on political funding. They found that in a five-year period, donations of nearly Rs 335 crore were made to the BJP by at least 30 companies that faced action by central agencies during that time period. They explain this unique pattern – and what happens when the companies skip donating to the BJP for a couple of years. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:00 - Political funding 00:10:10 - Companies and BJP 00:25:34 - Recommendations Recommendations Korah The Caravan February 2024 - The Military Under Modi Prateek Poacher Sumedha Why Hindutva groups want to reshape Birsa Munda’s legend Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Aryan Mahtta andThe Quint’s Fatima Khan. Fatima reported on Muslim vendors and delivery agents employed by online platforms that leave them vulnerable to discrimination and hate speech. She says bigots use technology as a tool to spread hate and fintech companies do nothing to stop them. To some people, she says, simply being a Muslim vendor is a “crime”. Aryan reported on the ongoing farmers’ protests. He says it devolved into a stand-off between farmers and security personnel, since the forces were using a “very aggressive” approach towards the protesters. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:52 - Boycott of Muslim vendors 00:26:15 - Farmers’ protest 00:43:22 - Recommendations Recommendations Aryan Red Love: The Story of an East German Family Fatima The Day I Became a Runner: A Women's History of India through the Lens of Sport Basant Unfiltered by Samdish ft. Vikrant Massey | Powered by Woodland Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Prashant Kumar. Avdhesh talks about his report on the ongoing farmers’ protest at Shambhu border in Haryana’s Ambala, where thousands of farmers have gathered to march to Delhi. He delves into the police crackdown on protesters, demands of the farmers, and why they are accusing the government of fooling them. Prashant reported from ground zero at Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where violence erupted after authorities razed a mosque and madrasa citing “encroachment”, despite the matter being subjudice. He talks about the chaos and police action that unfolded in the locality, reportedly resulting in several Muslim residents leaving the locality. Tune in. By the way, general elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together. Choose an election project you would like to support and power our journalism. Click here. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:23 - Farmer Protest 00:08:36 - Haldwani Violence 00:39:46 - Recommendations Recommendations Avdhesh Jobless Youth : Jharkhand CGL Exam Paper Leak के चलते रद्द हुआ, तैयारी करने वाले छात्रों का हाल... Prashant MUJHE CHAAND CHAHIYE Shivnarayan ‘Govt concealing facts’: Caravan notice points to ‘absurd confidentiality’ of takedown https://caravanmagazine.in/crime/indian-army-torture-jammu-and-kashmir-poonch-bjp-gujjar-bakkerwal Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Tanishka Sodhi and The Caravan’s Sagar. Tanishka reported on the push for Ram temple consecration celebrations by resident welfare associations in Delhi. She talks about the discriminatory policies practised by many RWAs, resulting in the isolation of non-Hindus. Sagar talks about his reports on the Ram temple trust in Ayodhya. He delves into the “undeclared” collusion between Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra's trust and the government, and says the trust is involved in murky land deals. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:08 - RWA’s discriminatory “rules and regulations 00:18:02 - Shady deals in Ayodhya 00:43:43 - Recommendations Recommendations Sagar Peaky Blinders Tanishka A thank you where it's due NL@12 musical Sumedha The RSS: A Menace to India Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal and Mid-Day’s Neerja Deodhar. Neerja reported on India’s slipping rank in the Academic Freedom Index, placing it behind Sri Lanka and Pakistan. She says this is a result of the growing “culture of surveillance” on professors and faculty members which affects campus integrity. Sumedha reported on how prisoners jailed under the Public Safety Act in J&K are granted bail, but aren’t released since authorities want “clearance letters” that take time. Doesn’t this go against court orders? Listen to find out. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:04 - Academic Freedom Index 00:24:06 - PSA prisoners 00:35:21 - Recommendations Recommendations Neerja Abbott Elementary Sumedha Our Struggle Tanishka Merry Christmas Produced by Saif Ali Ekram, edited by Umrav Singh Gurjar, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Ayush Tiwari from Scroll and independent journalist Srishti Jaswal. Ayush reported on shady land deals in Ayodhya, where a firm linked to the BJP sold ecologically sensitive land to the Adani group. He explains how there have been other “crazy” land deals over the past years. Srishti talks about her report on the BJP’s data collection app, Saral, and what the party hopes to achieve from it. She says data manipulation in India is “too easy”. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:20 - Land deals in Ayodhya 00:20:41 - Data collection in India 00:44:55 - Recommendations Recommendations Srishti Faiz Ahmad Faiz Ayush The windfall gains made in the name of the Ram temple Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It Basant In Ayodhya, firm linked to BJP leaders sold ecologically sensitive land to Adani – for a big profit Ayodhya: Temple is inaugurated, ‘Balak Ram’ consecrated. What next? Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and Avdhesh Kumar along with independent journalists Shweta Desai and Kashif Kakvi. Shweta was in Ayodhya to report on locals’ fear and excitement over the Ram Mandir project. She says they’re happy it’s being built but are worried about the city’s ‘redevelopment’ wrecking their homes and livelihoods. She also explains why there’s tension between Ramanandi akharas and the temple trust. Basant spoke to youths in the temple town for their views on the BJP and Ram Mandir, and also visited the site of the proposed mosque – to find nothing there. Away from the Ayodhya mayhem, Kashif reported on the release of a Muslim teenager in Ujjain, five months after he was jailed for purportedly ‘spitting’ on a Hindu procession. He says there was no evidence and hostile witnesses, but the administration had bulldozed the accused’s home anyway. Finally, Avdhesh talks about why students were protesting at Jantar Mantar and why they’re upset with the government’s Agnipath scheme. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:34 - Ayodhya’s redevelopment 00:11:06 - Battle to control the temple 00:19:53 - Land acquisition in Ayodhya 00:34:31 - False cases in Madhya Pradesh 00:49:57 - Negative impact of Agnipath Yojna 00:53:53 - Recommendations Recommendations Avdhesh 'मैला ढोने, गटर में जाने वाले दलित...', Bezwada Wilson सरकारों पर बरस पड़े! Manual Scavenging |GITN Shweta Ayodhya: The Dark Night Basant Dhimi Wali Fast Passenger Kashif City Of My Heart Shivnarayan Exclusive: AAP govt procured drugs from 2 blacklisted pharma firms with many failed quality tests Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Naresh Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit. Basant reported on an ANI senior editor who allegedly “infiltrated” a dozen Indian army internal WhatsApp groups. He talks about how he stumbled upon the story and dug deep into the controversy of journalist Ajit Kumar Dubey entering these groups “by hiding his identity”. Shivnarayan talks about his report on Rohit Godara, the gangster who claimed the responsibility of the murder of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi and gang operations. He traces Godara’s journey from being a mobile technician to becoming a gangland godfather associated with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:59 - ANI’s ‘infiltrator’ 00:12:54 - Rohit Godara 00:30:38 - Recommendations Recommendations Shivnarayan 96 Basant Three of Us 12th Fail Mrityu Katha Sumedha ​​The rise of Narendra Modi Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the last episode of Reporters Without Orders for the year, so we’ve got a special episode featuring an all-Newslaundry panel. Hosts Tanishka Sodhi and Basant Kumar are joined by Avdhesh Kumar, Pratyush Deep, Sumedha Mittal and Prateek Goyal to pick through their reportage in 2023 and discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what impact they had. The panellists share behind-the-scenes experiences from their time on the field. They also tell you exactly why independent media outlets are vital to India’s democracy today. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:10 - Wrestlers’ protest 00:07:09 - Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh 00:14:24 - Manipur violence 00:22:35 - Sachin-Seema love story 00:32:50 - Controversy over flats for MPs 00:39:49 - Manual scavenging in India 00:44:14 - Changes at NDTV 00:51:24 - Nuh violence 00:54:29 - Balasore train accident 00:59:21 - Real-life Dunki Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Avdhesh Kumar from Newslaundry and Ayush Tiwari from Scroll. Ayush reported on the impact of the Ram Mandir construction on Ayodhya’s residents. He says some residents were evicted with poor compensation while others had their homes demolished by authorities. Avdhesh talks about his report on NDTV’s shrinking digital viewership. Comparing data before and after the Adani takeover, he says “more than 50 percent of viewers” have moved on from NDTV. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:36 - Ayodhya’s development 00:15:14 - NDTV’s shrinking viewership 00:29:25 - Recommendations Recommendations Ayush Ayodhya The Dark Night Avdhesh UPSC Wala Love - Collector Sahiba Basant Telgi: A Reporter's Diary Produced by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Naresh Kumar, and edited by Samarendra K Dash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Basant Kumar from Newslaundry, and Astha Savyasachi and Tapasya from The Reporters’ Collective. Astha and Tapasya had reported on how the Haryana government turned the state pollution control board “into a body that serves the potential polluters” by including it in the Right to Service Act. They explain how Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar weakened the agency and regulations to stay on top of the centre’s ease of doing business rankings. Basant reported on operational changes at BBC India – it’s metamorphosis into a new firm called Collective Newsroom that will be wholly owned by Indian citizens. He tells the panel why this had to happen to conform with Indian FDI rules. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:19 - Haryana’s state pollution control board 00:18:30 - Changes at BBC India 00:27:27 - Recommendations Recommendations Basant The inevitable evisceration of Sansad TV Astha Gandhi's Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India Tapasya Princess Mononoke Tanishka Masks are still being worn by some individuals—but not for health reasons Produced by Saif Ali Ekram, edited by Umrav Singh Gurjar, and recorded by Naresh Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.