Rising influence
Sir — Social media influencing — a form of marketing by bloggers who sway public opinion on online platforms — has long been rejected as a fad. Well, not anymore. A university in Ireland will be offering a first-of-its-kind degree course on influencing from 2024. The need to tap into the lucrative business — the global influencer market is worth $16.4 billion — which is especially popular among the Gen-Zers, seems to have spurred such a decision. Perhaps along with training students, the university can also offer crash courses to the existing influencers given the amount of misinformation some of the influencers peddle online.
Vivek Gautam, Mumbai
A rejoinder
Sir — The news report, “Terror whip on media house” (Oct 4), published in your esteemed newspaper states “Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa said that [Prabir] Purkayastha — a septuagenarian who was jailed during the Emergency...” This piece of information was not given to the mediapersons while briefing them and the mediaperson in this case has distorted the Delhi Police’s official statement and misled readers with wrong information.
The attribution of the content to the PRO is misleading, unethical and highly objectionable as Ms Suman Nalwa, PRO/Delhi Police, has not made any statement to this effect.
It is, therefore, requested that the person concerned be asked to issue a clarification for this irresponsible act and that a rejoinder be issued in this regard.
ACP/APRO, Delhi Police
The Telegraph correspondent replies: The portion of the report at issue is not a direct quote. The reference to Prabir Purkayastha is routine journalistic contexting of his jail term during the Emergency. This is why the reference is clearly framed as a sub-clause within a parenthesis without quotation marks. It is not a quote and was not intended to be one.
Sir — The early morning raids on the offices of the news website, NewsClick, and the arrests of reputed journalists like Aunindyo Chakraborty, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh, among others, by the Delhi Police are reminiscent of the clampdown on press freedoms during the Emergency that was imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975. The news portal is known for publishing articles critical of the ruling dispensation. The raids can thus be called politically motivated.
K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam
Sir — It is deplorable that the government continues to take coercive action against media houses. This is evident in its targeted arrests of journalists working for NewsClick on allegations of receiving funds from Chinese sources. The statement released by the Editors Guild of India, expressing concern about the government’s action, is heartening.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Sir — The Narendra Modi-led dispensation at the Centre makes loud noises about India being the ‘mother of democracy’. Yet, in practice, it does not think twice before unleashing investigating agencies on media institutions that do not toe its line (“Another blow”, Oct 5). India slipped 11 spots on the 2023 World Press Freedom Index to rank 161 among 180 countries. This is a marker of the declining press freedom in the country. The recent crackdown on the journalists of NewsClick as well as authors and academics thus does not come as a surprise.
Freedom of the press is a hallmark of a vibrant democracy. Any attempt to muzzle the press should be resisted.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — The Centre has shown unusual promptness in arresting the journalists of NewsClick based on an article in The New York Times that claimed that the news website received money for pushing Chinese propaganda. One wonders, then, why has the government not been proactive in taking action against the Adani Group, which has been accused of misappropriating funds and stock manipulation. Is it the business tycoon’s closeness with the highest political office that is keeping him from arrest?
Radheshyam Sharma, Calcutta
Sir — The National Democratic Alliance government’s record of upholding press freedom is abysmal. The arrest of the journalists of NewsClick in a terror case is yet another instance of the increasing weaponisation of State agencies to muzzle dissenting voices (“Fightback against bullying”, Oct 5). A recent report listed India as one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media. This reflects poorly on the country that is hailed as the ‘mother of democracy’.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Stem the tide
Sir — At least 14 people have been killed and 102 others have gone missing after a cloudburst in North Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta (“Scores missing in Teesta flash flood”, Oct 5). Unbridled construction in the region has led to extensive environmental degradation. Authorities should enforce regulations and conduct inspections to prevent such disasters from recurring.
Jahangir Shaikh, Mumbai
