Barely two days after the ghastly murder of an 80-year old Swami, Somini SpinGupta sets the wheels in motion. This NYT report is a study in the art of evasive reporting. I recommend repeated readings of this report to learn how to perfect the art. Right from the title, which says, Hindu-Christian violence Flares in India.
The attack on the orphanage on Monday, in an isolated district called Bargarh, came after the killing Saturday of a Hindu leader who had been associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, and who was leading a drive to wean local villagers from Christianity. Radical Hindu groups like the council are vehemently opposed to conversions to Christianity, which in India tend to focus on traditionally downtrodden lower-caste and indigenous groups, and have lately taken to conducting mass ceremonies to convert them back to Hinduism.
The Hindu leader who was killed, Laxmanananda Saraswati, was among five people slain by unidentified armed men who stormed a Hindu school in the nearby district of Kandhamal. The police blamed Maoist insurgents who prevail in the area.
Notice, the immediate focus is on the "radical" VHP and allied groups, while the Swami’s murder is made to look like routine. Also, the clever reference to Maoist insurgents despite news of involvement of Christian groups behind the murder. A blogger like me with limited access to news sources can unearth this update, but SpinGupta, a mainstream journalist cannot. Or does not want to report the update?
SpinGupta also reports on the Hindu-Christian "tensions" dating way back to the fanatic, Graham Staines.
Fights broke out in Orissa last Christmas Eve, when one person was killed and churches and temples were damaged. In 1999, a Hindu mob burned an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two children while they slept inside their car.
But conveniently conceals what led to the fights. The same Swami was attacked by Missionaries. It is also interesting to ask a basic question: why was there no Hindu-Christian tensions in Orissa before the first ever missionary set foot in the state?
This report is a mere precursor to the actual spin, which she will begin. Here’s some arsenal, which she will need and use.
Hindu nationalism, which is fomenting attacks against Christians, is like a cancer that is undermining inter-communal coexistence, which is the foundation of Indian society. The roots of this nationalism, expressed especially through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or National Volunteers’ Organisation, are in Hitler’s Nazism.
Scroll down that web page. All links to related news reports uniformly portray the sad plight of Christians in India echoing the sentiments of assorted Evangelists, of how nationalists are attacking the Church, which will "will be the light for generations to come in Orissa.”
Give a few more days. SpinGupta will write an angry op-ed on Hindu nationalists. She’s entitled to her biases. But the most tragic part of the present report is that it doesn’t contain a word of condemnation of the murder–nor sympathy for the unfortunate 80-year old man who sacrificed his life battling the scourge of Conversion.
Hey, my email to AP. You need to write to Sohini Christian Spingupta to fix her. You have to meet these guys head on else they will walk all over you and lie through their teeth. Best to write a strong letter to the times complaining about bias and that you need fair reporting from them
Dear Associated Press,
It is pretty disappointing to see one-sided biased reporting in your story below. It is evident from the same that your have allowed religious biases/ colonial attitudes to color your story. The following facts are testimony to the issueFACT 1: The Hindu Swami was murdered by 28-30 fanatical Christians who objected to his ministering of the tribals thereby competing with their conversion targets. No where in the story have you mentioned that. Infact there is a deliberate attempt to portray the Hindus as the aggressors. FACT 2: Ask anyone in India and you will know that missionaries convert through coercion and bribery. I am from a missionary school myself and I know how much pressure they put. Just walk along the countryside and you will see how many people convert for a bag of rice and/or free treatment. In your story you have deliberately covered up that fact and made it seem as though Hindus are putting false accusations.FACT 3: Hindus are referred to as Hardline whilst the Christian fanatics are positioned as the kind souls protecting and saving souls. That is the same colonial perspective that led to enormous atrocities on Native Americans and African Americans. The same perspective that demolished the original culture of South America. This is shockingly blatant coming from a reputable organization (not so reputable anymore). Your report smacks of bias, racism and neo colonialism.We expect more balanced reporting on this issue as soon as possible. Nishka
Nishka,
While I applaud your effort at writing to the AP; it is a futile exercise. The press-wallahs are not disinterested reporters, but are in fact being true to their Macaulay-Marx reflex.
I do believe that the issue is not real or perceived bias in reporting - the problem is India’s weak institutional and national response. Here is an example of another country in the Christian “persecution complex” machine recently
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080821.wcodueck21/BNStory/specialComment/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail
The thing to notice is not how the report has been written-up. Notice it’s absolute Christian bias emphasizing that Missionary Christianity is not denationalizing (in fact it is), or that it now has more numbers than Communist party (rival ideologies trying to save men’s souls).
The thing to really notice is that the Chinese, by a sustained and focussed national response (or the communist hammer) have brought things to a point where these people are reduced to bleating like lambs while playing in the Olympics.
The biggest problem is that the mainstream Indian media will have a similar reflex. Sandeep has already documented how the coverage for Swamiji’s murder is different from Graham Staines. The English media I have read today are guilting the VHP and Hindus in general for riots that caused a nun to be killed (even the Pioneer report had it). Was a woman not part of the five-six people killed with the Swamiji? If yes - why not any sense of rage then?
In the end - we need to focus on the fact that when institutional response is weak - these other people will take advantage of you. We should simply do what needs to be done (as Mr. Modi is doing) and eventually these barking dogs will quieten down
Sandeep spin was expected. Why blame NYT or AP, just have a look at SPINdia Express or read what the Congressi rag HT say!
Sandeep you say, “A blogger like me with limited access to news sources can unearth this update, but SpinGupta, a mainstream journalist cannot. Or does not want to report the update?”
They simply do not ‘report facts’ these days, they tailor the news according to what they wish to convey or are asked to convey. They first make an ‘opinion’or knowing what opinions are, then they look at facts available or simply invent if ‘available ones’ are contradictory to their ‘opinion’. This is what is ‘Sec Soc’ Journalism.
And of course I am not going to blame this ‘SpinGupta’ or whoever, since she too has to make a career and what better way to ‘Climb Up the Ladder’ than ‘Hindu Bashing’ after all it is a Multi Billion Dollar/Pond/Euro industry! And some ‘Padamshrees’ awarded for 2008 (Barkha, Rajdeep and wonder of wonder Vinod Dua too!
hahahahahah! After all, he appears on NDTV Hindi with a Nehru Jacket and a Rose on).
Nishika:
“This is shockingly blatant coming from a reputable organization (not so reputable anymore). Your report smacks of bias, racism and neo colonialism.We expect more balanced reporting on this issue as soon as possible. Nishka”
“reputable organization” and “balanced reporting”
Aye! Sleeping still? Wonder how you type this words while dreaming.
You are asking for the Moon.
PI.
Sandeep, the Pioneer link(involvement of Christian groups) is not working. Are you reffering to this article: Widespread anger in Kandhamal
From the article,
“The police have arrested Pradesh Kumar Das, an employee of the World Vision, a Christian Charity, from Khadagpur while escaping from the district at Buguda. In another drive, two other persons Vikram Digal and William Digal have been arrested from the house of Lal Digal, a local militant Christian, from Nuasahi at Gunjibadi, Nuagaan. They have admitted to having joined a group of 28 other assailants.”
rawem,
You are correct. Pioneer uses obsolete technology for their website, the links don’t stay.
Guys,
Sorry but Marvel is right. I am always amazed by the fat flubbers in delhi who will have elaborate weddings and spare nothing for charity. This includes devout Hindus who think that if they are giving old clothes away, it is charity. Well it is not, several shastras mention that 10% should be given to charity for man and environment. SO unless all of us commit to this this discussion as Hindus is futile.
Also, there are several Hindu charities we can give to which are pretty secular (for your information Marvel, they don’t demand that people convert for food or medical treatment).
I’ve attached a list below
http://www.geocities.com/hinduismcharity/charity
Come on guys, if all well-off Hindus give 10% things could change in India. These are our people, our own people who are destitute
“the telegraph” writes nonsense:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080827/jsp/opinion/story_9745586.jsp
only “sangh” coverts forcibly u see, missionaries are absolute angels despite the goan inquisition and other brutaities worldwide.
and of course the are “nature” worshippers well because Hindus worshipping rivers and trees dont count.
The above edit was most likely written by a Christian fundamentalist, because note that the fanatic doesn’t a have word of condemnation for the Swamiji’s murder and even justifies it obliquely.
Christian extremists have systematically penetrated English lang media. Every major newspaper has a disproportionately high number of Christians on its payroll. The report yesterday in ToI from Orissa was filed by a Christian — it is unapologetic in its anti-Hindu prejudice and pro-Christian-proselytizer bias. In other words, Christian journos in our publications do NOT feel under pressure like their Hindu counterparts to project a sense of balance. Much work has gone into arriving at this state of affairs, and I believe that the Church is continuing to invest in training Christian “journalists” and in planting them into major media outlets in the country as we speak.
Ot’s comment is pretty accurate. Look at NDTV’s chennai journos for instance. you can imagine what kind of coverage you will get out of any event in TN from NDTV.
Regular, honest, middle-class, people are avoiding many fields of late, and this kind of control that vested interests have in those fields might well be the reason. How many of your bright, young relatives and acquaintances choose media, journalism or even law, medicine of late? Medicine and law are particularly alarming in TN - you got to look at the kind of ‘law’ students coming out of TN. They would all be card carrying dravidar kazhagam members. The Sastra university in TN tried to introduce a law course - there is apparently no other non-government law college in TN. And the other ‘law’ students started a violent orgy to prevent that.
OT and reason, about rabid xtians infiltrating media check this about NDTV’s Jennifer Arul:
http://www.india-forum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2068&pid=87158&mode=threaded&show=&st=&#entry87158
The more things change, the more they remain the same. During the British years there was this same problem with the English Media, except at that time the editors were actually white. It was the vernacular media that fueled the Swadesh movement, the ELM wanted Christo-British hegemony.
Now we have the same thing, except its an Christo-Coconut hegemony. The Hindus have the internet, but we could probably use more inroads or translations into vernacular papers, preferably at the national level.
http://www.viewzone.com/noah.story.html
by gene matlock
Did the Hindus Help Write the Bible
and Give the Ancient Mexicans Their Religious Traditions?
A very thought provoking article
Thnx
Jai hind