Why the Indian Media Got It Wrong

Omar Sahib . . . an honest attempt at an analysis, but just a few points . . .

a) there is a very strong vernacular and tier-2 media, print as well as electronic, which consists almost totally of non-urban people. The main-stream media, including the ones which seem to be more cosmoplolitan, also have fairly large numbers of people from non-urban backgrounds. Sahara, one of the larger new-generation groups in India, also has a strong non-urban bias. Barring The Telegraph from Kolkata, the rest all got it wrong. I don`t think there is an urban bias in employment positions in the Indian media, and I don`t think that was the reason Indian media got it wrong.

b) There are certain truths to democracy, which include violent as well as non-violent methods of securing victories by means other than basic voting. When you look at the mathematical analysis, of votes differentiating BJP and Congress, you would see how good management makes so much difference.

And finally, yes, fact remains - the BJP and their allies lost due to their own arrogance, as well as a dependence on very aged people. That, the victory of fresh over stale, is the real joy of these elections.

For the rest, especially in context with Indo-Pak relations and the secular/non-secular stuff, it is all so much tweedle-dee-dum versus tweedle-dee-dee.

That the Congress-led Government will now make sure the country benefits from the same initiatives gathering momentum over the past few decades is visible to us, as we look forward to another great monsoon this year.

That there are other external forces who would like to try to make this difficult is also visible to us. Luckily, politics is just one of the many pillars India stands on.

rgds/Veeresh

ps: here is an inside tip - the success of the electronic voting machines in India has prompted Pakistani authorities to put in an informal request for a closer look as well as trials. That is great! Can you imagine - Indian EVMs being moved on Indian trucks into Indian air-conditioned porta-cabins where people eat Indian ice cream from Indian refrigerators while Indian technicians oversee the application of Indian indelible inks?

Veeresh:

``there is a very strong vernacular and tier-2 media, print as well as electronic, which consists almost totally of non-urban people. ``

The second part of your statement is not true. The English speaking elite of India assumes that vernacular is read in the rural areas. In actuality, it is very much read in Urban areas outside the four metros and the audience is differentiated by income levels rather then literacy levels. Your staement may read true for Kerala and also parts of rural Maharashtra but not so for the the other ststes. Ofcourse, I assume you mean villages when you say rural and not small urban areas like Allahabad, Lucknow, Gorakhpur etc.

while I cant pinpoint why the media got it wrong, it is naive to say media had a city bias.

in fact, when ppl do exit and opinion polls they try to make sure they have a representative and random sample. for this they go to rural areas as well as urban areas as well.


maybe thier algorith was based on swings from previous elections and calculate the votes from there. i am not sure. but this urban rural divide is pure BS which one has been seeing in the indian media now. how come the rurals of an impoveshed state orissa voted overwhelmingly for NDA and from the neighbouring jharjhand rejected them by the same margin?

i think it was just a state wise election and the media could not read that trend.

a few random thoughts on the english language press/media in India.
1.the writing is cliche ridden-if we are talking about the budget-is the word used is ``dream`` without bothering to expain why that particular adjective is being bandied about and is it appropriate-and it is used by virtually all newspapers.(I have the luxury of reading a fair number of the online editions)

2.Ad Nauseum use of a few phrases -enough to set ones teeth on edge-``india shining``,``feel good factor``.These are election slogans or a party`s hype-I dont think prior to the elections anybody tried to dissect this and see how much substance there is behind these claim.totae ki tarah keep repeating the same things.there are very few good analysts to help us see the big picture.

3.too much fluff-i agree with the author-enough already about beauty contests.

Speaking of Indo-pak relations: Seems like the new minister Natwar Singh has set a cat among pakis - he says put ``core issue`` on Back burner - just like the chinese.

And pakis are jumping up and down at his statement.

I agree with ankit. The media was focused totally on the cities. Mr.Kureshi you being a journalist should know this. Why do you have more questions than answers?

Rediff Interview:

Asma Gull Hasan, 29, considers herself an All American Girl. Her hobbies include collecting Barbie dolls, skiing and snowboarding. But she is also a serious-minded Muslim who continues to be in her faith because of the guidance and ecstasy she receives from it.



Two years ago she published American Muslims: The New Generation. Now she has a new book Why I am a Muslim, published by Thorson Element, a division of Harper Collins in England and America.



She wrote her first book as she was graduating from the New York University School of Law, where she was a staff editor on The Review of Law and Social Change. The book came out as she accepted an offer with the world`s largest law firm, Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells, to work in international corporate law.



Senior Editor Arthur J Pais spoke to her recently.



How did you get to be known as the Colorado Muslim Feminist Cowgirl?

When I was submitting a proposal for my first book, I wanted to write a catchy cover letter. I described myself as the Colorado Muslim Feminist Cowgirl. Eight years later people still talk about that description.



I wanted to tell the world that I am a Muslim and I am a feminist. I wanted to show that Islam and women`s right are not non-inclusive.



I grew up in a small city in Colorado. I went to Wellesley College, well known for feminist activities, before I joined New York University.



I ride horses and I am not scared of the outdoors. To me being a cowgirl meant someone who was spirited, independent, bold and at the same time someone who cared deeply about people.



So I called myself a Muslim feminist cowgirl and the term got attached to my name. Some traditional Muslims did not like me calling myself a Muslim feminist.



Why?



They thought Islam had enough provisions for women`s rights. By explicitly declaring myself a Muslim feminist, they thought, I was telling people that the two terms -- Muslim and feminist --were not compatible.



How would you describe Why I am a Muslim?



It is part memoir, part guide and represents the side of Islam that is left out of daily newspapers and television.

And that would be…

A vision of Islam that is ethnically diverse, tolerant of others, and supportive of women`s rights. The book is about my personal journey, of growing up in America, going to the best of schools, studying law, and being modern and Muslim.

Would you tell us about the readers you have in mind for your new book?

It is meant for mainstream readers everywhere, in America, in England, in France or any country. It is for people who want to know more about Islam. I also have Muslim readers in mind.



What kind of Muslims do you have in mind?



Those who know little about the faith they were born into. Also those who ought to know that religion is much more than a list of dos and don`ts.

What is your ideal concept of religion?

Every religion should feed one`s soul and spirit in the first place.



Your book also extols Sufism. What does Sufism mean to you?



Sufism focuses on inner divinity that is in all of us. When Sufis sing and chant, it is electrifying. Sufis believe that one should keep an open heart to welcome the divinity.

How have you experienced Sufism in your life?

Let me give an example. I was thinking of writing a hard-hitting book following 9/11. I wanted to shout how wrong Islam`s detractors were.



Suddenly I heard from a publisher that they wanted a book called Why I am a Muslim. They wanted a young female to write it. The book came to me, unlike the first time around when I had to look around hard and found a small publisher.



I decided to write the book in seven chapters. Seven because the number has religious and mythical connotations. Sufism also provides me with easy-to-remember life lessons.

What kind of life lessons?

For example, if one is open to God, we will know that bad things happen so that good things can happen, too. Sufis will tell you to remain calm amidst disappointments and setbacks. As I was worrying about my second book in response to 9/11, I got the offer to write Why I am a Muslim. Instead of a hard-hitting book, now I have a book that is more spiritual. Surely the world needed this book more.

What is the story we hear about you upsetting Catholic nuns?

(Laughs) I only know what I heard from my mother. I was about five or six when I heard a teacher tell the class that Jesus was the son of God and he was God himself. I had been taught otherwise at home, that Jesus was a revered holy man, a prophet. When the teacher stepped out of the class, I told my classmates that she wasn`t telling the truth.

I kind of felt like it was a little secret I had to myself. She heard about what I had said, and I was reported to the stern nun who was the school principal.



My mother was promptly summoned to school and I was asked to go home. I could return the next day but that day I had to be punished. My mother scolded me but she knew I was a mere child.


You have also talked and written about halal dating. What is it?


Young American Muslims have come up with creative solutions to dating -- they fall into roughly three categories.



The first group is Strict Muslims who date halal (in an Islamically permissible style).



The second group I call Eid Muslims, because many are not strict in practice and attend mosques only on holidays. While technically they date haram (unlawfully in Islam), without chaperones, they keep physical intimacy to a minimum and parental involvement at a maximum.



The third group dates Sex and the City-style (definitely haram), openly and freely leading a non-Islamic lifestyle, having premarital sex sometimes in a series of monogamous relationships.



Halal dating is a practice gaining much popularity in the American Muslim community among Strict Muslims and Eid Muslims.


Why is that?


Halal dating is the first cousin of arranged marriage, with young people finding their mates -- within the guidelines of Islam -- instead of their parents arranging marriages. Because the Koran advocates equality between the sexes, it does not permit premarital sex.



Young Muslims who engage in halal dating seek a commitment first and are vigilant about staying true to their religion.



You have also spoken against certain traditions that have become part of South Asian Muslim communities. Could you tell us more about it?



Take the practice of six happily married women accosting the bride to meet the bridegroom. This is not mentioned in the Koran. Yet so much is made of this tradition even in America. At such ceremonies, when we ask for volunteers every woman wants to be part of the group because no one wants to be seen as unhappily married. No one wants to let others know she is having a rough or loveless marriage.


When did you first think of this arrangement?


When my sister married four years ago. I was in law school, and I wanted everything to be done with due diligence (laughs). I did my own search and I found six women who were genuinely happy in marriage.


Would you have six women leading you to your would-be husband?


I am not sure I will marry in the South Asian community.


Imagine you marry a South Asian. What happens?


If my naani insists, I will go through it. It will be for her sake. But I will find out if the women are truly happy with their spouses.


And will they be Muslim women?


They don`t have to be. Remember that the tradition is not part of Islam, to begin with.


What is the next book?


I am thinking of a couple of books. One could be a book about how religion has often united people and led to much good.



The second one could be a novel based on some experiences of my father and his parents when they migrated from India to Pakistan and then to America. It will have a lot of fascinating and life-affirming stories.


Could you tell us about one or two stories you cherish the most?


My father was about eight when he was living in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Everything was scarce: food, medicine, clothes. Every time supplies reached the camp, one person got the provisions first. My father wondered who he was. Even at age eight, my father told himself that he would want to be like that man. He soon discovered that the lucky man was a doctor.



My father decided he too would become a doctor. He achieved his goal.

Stuka 2 . . . well, when I say non-urban, I would mean the towns and population centres which can be describer as ``non-metro``?

I mean, if we take NH-4 from Bombay to Bangalore as an example, then Pune would be considered urban/metro, and the rest (Satara, Karad, Belgaum, Kolhapur, Hubli, Dharwad, Davangere, Tumkur etc.) would be non-urban, in my books? What do you say?

Villages have hardly got any media, so I was not thinking about them.

And as for a lack of writing/reading material about rural areas in India, Omar has it correct there. I would, however, suggest P. Sainath (Everybody Loves a Good Drought) and the Centre for Science and Environment (Down to Earth) as essential reading to those interested in the subject.

On another topic, am keenly scanning the Pakistani media to see what they have to state about the Saudi attacks . . .

******* FIRST THING

``a large middle-class (in absolute terms) it provided enough of a market for the corporate world and the multinationals to come running and put in tons of foreign investment``

Sir, I consdier it wrong assumption on ur part... the foreign investment is more a function of conducive economic policies & stable political environment than of people or class of people in an economy. I have prove that in my term paper by econometric model. This is the major reason why Pakistan in unable to attract DFI and IFI, despite its 140 million of population and etc



******* SECOND THING

``It appears that since most Indian journalists - and the offices of the publications and television channels - come from the urban areas, a built-in bias crept into the reporting and coverage of issues``

Sir, this could be rated as a major factor but not the only factor. There were many miscalculations made by the analyists. Like BJP`s major card against the Congress was that Sonia Gandhi is Italian but the card back fired. No voter give a damn unless she promised a healthy and prosprous India. This case is similar to AWOL card of Kerry against Bush ... and I know that would help them either.

Another small factor was rampant unemployment which BJP failed to address during their role and Congress used it as a major policy tool to attract the vote bank

A small factor that media expected but failed to address was the image of Fanatic BJP and Normal Congress. The victory of Congress in India has proved that they are peace loving nation and want South Asia to progress for a better world



****** THRID THING

``The other problem with the Indian media was its hyped up coverage of entertainment and fashion, much of which now makes it to the front page of most mainstream newspapers.``

Sir, I also dont agree to this. We, Pakistani, are just jealoused of the fact that India has a booming (mashallah) fashion industry. While in Pakistan, the designer are still struggling & fighting with image of darzi(tailor) implanted on them. It not untill winter of 2003 that people of Lahore for first time saw a cat walk on some local city`s TV channel (Style Duniya). And cat walks have yet to register any scenes of bikini (despite the models, designers, choreographers & organizers are willing to go for it). So if we dont give a damn to fashion industry ... it doesnt mean that its nothing and plays no role in life of humans. BTW wearing Ehraam (white unstitched chador) during Hajj is also a fashion according to definition and shaving head after hajj is also a style requirement. Muslims also do fashion ... veil, special caps, types of beard, types of ja namaaz, beads, sceneries, calligraphy and etc .... all this is fashion. Do you know there are more genere of caps that muslims wear than the types ( not designs) of bra`s avaialble in the world ? Both of them are made for purpose of covering and part of clothing. ( havnt said this to humilate anyone but to just give u idea how centered and stifling our thinking is that we dont see our own acts).



******* FOURTH THING

``existing narrow base of media coverage``

Sir, all I can do right now is to laugh on this comment. Seriously, just dont write such stuff in elated newspapers like DAWN atleast. If some american writer with biggest media would have written it, I would have accepted it cuz they might miscalculate in their spin of pride. But for a country like Pakistan and a knowledgeful person that you are, this statement can only be taken as hilarious.



******* FIFTH THING

Sir, a couple of weeks back I was telling my unlce that there is a dawn`s writer on a website that I frequently visit. So he added to my knowledge that OMAR is a very talented person and told some Kardar/Omar days stuff. So I tried to trace your ilogs and posts. But I really feel very sorry to say that I am throughly disappointed with this post of yours.

I can tell from the personal experience that this city bias is very much a reality in the media, at least in the Pakistani media. They thrive on urban issues and stories, whereas the voice of the massess and the rural community generally goes unheard. While working in the newsroom we were always focussing on waht`s happening in big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. And on the other hand the fates of the rural communities are dictated to by the urban political elite. All these politicians who make it big with the help of rural voters, generally dont live in the rural areas. And the media only subsists on the utterings and doings of these non-representative politicians. The moral of the story: the voice of the 80 per cent people goes unheard.
Another side of the story is that in Pakistan to make it to the assembly you need good relations with the militaryand bureaucracy, and they dont give it a damn as far as the problems of the massess are concerned.

It is a fact that there is a fair sprinkling of fashion and entertainment news in Indian newspapers, but to corelate this with the failure to predict the election results correctly is absolute BS. Exit/Opinion polls are conducted by noted psephologists. Fashion/Entertainment events/news are reported upon by fashion/entertainment correspondents. No way in the world can you corelate the two. And no newspaper worth it`s salt will focus more on fashion and entertainment at the expense of genuine news.

And as Ankit said, an exit poll is always conducted with a representative sample in view and this sample includes every section of the population. While it is still not clear as to why the opinion polls got it wrong, to assume it happened because of the reasons the author has put forward is rather naive.

malyck -- just to respond to one thing you said which is factually incorrect -- you said you told your uncle of `some Omar` who interacts on this site and he talked about kardar`s days -- i think you uncle has me confused with Omer Kureishi, the cricket commentator (I think more than twice my age) who freelances for Dawn and writes a couple of columns for the paper -- My name is spelt differently (in fact when I joined Dawn in 1994 I was told by the then editor to use my middle initial `R` which I have since, to differentiate between myself and the cricket commentator) and I work full-time for the publication

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Omar:
You are partly right.
Your analysis is based almost entirely on the English newspapers and TV channels which do reflect mostly the urban mindset. But the local language newspapers are read in small towns and villages as well.
Yes, the Indian newspapers have gone into the paparazi mode in a big way. But that does not explain why they got it all wrong. You are right that they did not send their correspondents to villages, or not often enough. But how do you explain their missing the mark in the metros as well. The NDA was wiped out in almost all metros, shining-wyning notwithstanding.

The great puzzle is the total miscalculations by the pollsters; some of them like Prannoy Roy are themselves good social scientists and understand very well the importance of proper sampling. I saw the India Today sample and it did take into account the rural-urban proportions. I wonder if it has something to do with the Indian voters lack of frankness in expressing their opinions to a stranger.

Has anyone thought that the Indian media does not use correct statistical methods for predictions and are not a bit scientific? The gujarat assembly polls was one of the examples where the media (TOI) got it completely wrong. The reason: the pollsters group the undecided in the category of people favouring Congress.

Indian media, like most other public institutions in India, is mediocre and extremely prone to hyperboles - just like Indian democracy, secularism and other much-vaunted items. It`s all in form and scale - but no substance.

These folks crawled during Indira dictatorship, pay servility to the dynasties at a drop of a hat. They have been part and parcel of the rotten backward ideology that has kept has India in bondage of poverty and mediocrity.

they got it wrong before election - they got it wrong after the election too. 27% vote and 145 seats is touted as a ``mandate`` for woman who didn`t even declare herself as PM candidate before election. Commies and criminals are being touted as messiahs for poor - to bring in reform with ``human face``.

These folks learn nothing.