Like sheep following sheep, Newsweek latches on to the perfidy spread by the Indian secular media. This article would be laughable on the counts of non-research, extreme bias, and poor understanding of Indian politics. But, as Koenraad Elst observes elsewhere, Western journalists writing on India don’t bother with such trivialities as research when it comes to India watching. They rest content by peddling the same trash that their Indian journalist brethren pass on to them. It is just another damn stinking, dirty Third World news report. But it is not laughable because it treats serious issues flippantly.
The slack in four of the contests may be taken up by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—a Hindu nationalist organization that’s surging in strength in a new, more aggressive form. In an especially worrisome twist, police say they recently uncovered possible links between BJP-associated Hindu nationalist organizations and suspected Hindu terrorists—a first for a mainstream Indian party.
That is a very dangerous accusation unsubstantiated by any evidence. Indeed, with newer details of the complete botch-up by the Rogue Intelligence Agency (aka ATS) surface everyday, the evidence points in the opposite direction.
Hell! The writer also gets actual facts wrong.
Now the worldwide financial crisis has sent inflation spiraling and slowed growth, further damaging the government’s chances. The BJP hopes to capitalize on the bad economic conditions when voters head to the polls in Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan this month.
Strange, the writer doesn’t mention the BJP’s strident attack on Blue Turban Manmohan Singh’s failure in stemming inflation, which had breached record peaks (12%) just a few months ago.
by July 2008, the key Indian Inflation Rate, the Wholesale Price Index, has risen above 11%, its highest rate in 13 years. This is more than 6% higher than a year earlier and almost three times the RBI’s target of 4.1%.
By attributing the current high rate of inflation only to the recent worldwide financial crisis, Newsweek obfuscates the fact that the UPA had actually well-screwed the Indian economy long before the current financial crisis.
The rest of the piece proceeds on familiar lines: hardliner Advani, militant/extremist RSS, and Narendra Modi (yes!) but Muslim radicals, separatists or Maoist revolutionaries. The real sources of violence threatening to disrupt the Indian state are mere radicals and separatists (them poor aggrieved souls) but guess who are the terrorists?
Oh by the way, guess who Newsweek quotes as an authoritative political analyst? Praful Bidwai.
But then the article panders to an audience, which wants somebody to reinforce its biases about India. So a new addition to the sick CCC: caste, curry, cow and Communalism.
Postscript: Whatever that maybe, Newsweek needs to set its house in order by removing the indirect reference to BJP as a party that supports terrorists, or provide evidence for such an assertion.
10 Comments on “Does Newsweek Research?”
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24.11.2008
Prohit to CBI : Togadi funded Abhinav Bharat.
TIME WILL NOT BE FAR AWAY WHEN SOME ONE WILL NAME ADVANI / MODI AND ALL THE HINDU HARDLINERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BOMB BLASTS IN INDIA.
Posted on November 24, 2008 at 11:01 PM.
Newsweek is determined to proving its a bigger joke than I first thought.
How better than to feel a little better admist all the economic turmoil induced gloom in America by showing how much better off they are in comparison to the messy third world in general and one of its rising stars in particular.
Another entertaining magrag I used to like - the Economist - has become so besotted with India baiting these days that its not funny anymore. Luckily for us, bad karma catches up with these pests and their supposed importance in framing perspectives of those who matter remains overrated, IMHO. Investors, the good kind such as pension and retirement funds, are flocking to Indi and voting with their money ignoring all the recycled BS these rags dish out.
Good that NaMo is getting visibility even on these rags. Past evidence shows that the harder dhimmedia tries to badger his image, the more its bolstered amongst his increasing fan base. Bring it on, I say!
Posted on November 24, 2008 at 11:57 PM.
All of this allows me to plug my theory again:
1. Let the anger among people grow. Blogs, web sites etc are doing a service to India. (BJP is starting its TV and FM channels too). Writing to the less than useless rags like Newsweek is a waste of time. The only way these rags will get their due is : one day, people will say, “Oh, that piece of news/analysis–don’t worry about it, its from that rag Newsweek..relax”.
2. When the anger grows amongst the people, psecs slowly sort themselves out: they subtly change their positions and become less and less leftist (not that this matters in itself, but something to keep tabs on).
3. The overarching principle of principles:
Everybody likes a winner, nobody likes a loser.
-If Islam/Christianity is seen as cool, brave, and daring, people will join it
-If westernization is seen as cool, young yindoos will run after it
-If being Hindu is seen as cool (ie the truth about Dharma, Islam, and Christianity–is told, no holds barred), young yindoos will run after it.
Posted on November 25, 2008 at 1:07 AM.
“BJP is starting its TV and FM channels too”
Great! But will that have any credibility, I wonder! If political parties start their own channels, they finally end up as propaganda and spin, however noble the initial intentions might have been.
A better way is to gather all the Vedic scholars (genuine ones :)) from all over India and start a channel to educate Indians about rAjaneeti shastra. If the people are enlightened, the politicians will set themselves right.
Posted on November 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM.
Whate fun!
Posted on November 25, 2008 at 6:11 PM.
Kedar:
Yes, that needs to heppen too..but BJP channel is a step in the right direction. If psecs can swear that teh BS they see on IBN and NDTV is the real absolute truth, then some people will start comparing it to what they see on BJP channels and start to wonder what the truth is. Also, right wing junta like us will be able to talk to our undecided friends with some visual reference points from BJP Tv. Of course, as you say, BJP TV etc will have no credibility with hard core psec types who dream of drinking Madam’s charaNAmrut..:-)
Posted on November 25, 2008 at 10:13 PM.
Ashish,
The only problem I see in this argument is that channels are often detrimental to the very party they aim to support. We see that many people like us have got really fed up with the curent MSM and congress’s games have been exposed more because media spin has become too much to digest even for the “naive natives of country”.
Such a situation is not inconceivable regarding a BJP channel as well. We are supporting BJP only because its much better than congress. But it still needs to go a long way, because all along it has had to play the same kind of dirty games that congress taught it.
I can understand if you pitch for a channel that has right-of-center affiliations. But a BJP channel is suicidal for BJP in the long run.
Right now, RSS is the moral torch bearer and disciplinarian for any deviations in BJP. We need a channel that can take this responsibility and reach to the public.
Posted on November 26, 2008 at 11:51 AM.
Shame on Kaangress and the media- http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/26talks-pak-seeks-details-of-samjhauta-blast-probe.htm
Posted on November 26, 2008 at 12:35 PM.
Kedar,
Yes, RSS channel would be better..But most people would instantly turn away from the word RSS, unfortunately, the brainwashing is that deep. Giving the channel a name like “Channel Bharat” or something like that would work, even though RSS is the one who runs the programs.
BTW rssonnet is the new rss site..
Posted on November 27, 2008 at 4:43 AM.
seriously BJP needs someone who will treat the party per se - critical and fair. not like what we have now with ndtv and the co called (pseudo) secular turds.
i now hate the word “secular” - its been mangled, beaten and twisted for the purpose of selfish individuals in india.
worse still - it suits the hardliner media organizations of the west who have a heavy influence from the vatican.
Posted on December 9, 2008 at 11:01 AM.