It is deeply upsetting that some students are convinced by the article in Ei Samay which accused students of assaulting a professor at Aurobindo Bhavan yesterday. I, and others have already posted about what actually happened and why there is good reason to believe us. In fact, given that we were merely asking for some clarificatory statements and that the authorities totally ignored us for hours (and even tried to escape with the help of guards), the situation could easily have turned ugly. But it didnt. I couldnt help feeling slightly proud of the fact that we did not engage in violence, even though I had been slightly discomfited by a couple of slogans which seemed too aggressive for a movement asking for cooperation. But in return, what we got from Ei Samay was a malicious, callous, pathetically shoddy piece of journalism. I have a few specific points to make about that. 1. For whatever its worth, I urge everyone who was present at Aurobindo Bhavan yesterday to write to the editor of Ei Shomoy, expressing their grievances and demanding more evidence in the face of such a serious allegation. The article not only slanders the people who were present there, but on a practical and more significant level, it could actually impede a movement working towards a fair investigation. There is also one important fact which needs to be mentioned here--today, this article appeared in the TOI. timesofindia.indiatimes/city/kolkata/JU-panel-gets-a-week-to-submit-molest-report/articleshow/42053410.cms This article maintains a perfectly neutral tone. We know that Ei Samay belongs to the Times Group. Surely, the Times of India would not have had any trouble getting their hands on information regarding something as serious as an assault. Why should there be this divide between an English and Bangla newspaper? Jara English newspaper pore na, tader ki khobor-er dorkar nei? Ki odbhut byapar. 2. Let us not forget that we (those who are pressing the authorities for more cooperation and transparency) ourselves shared a report in Ei Samay in order to make a point in favour of our movement. If we find this same paper so untrustworthy, we need to be very careful about EVERY SINGLE MEDIA ARTICLE WE SHARE. We need to specify whether or not we agree with everything in it--tone, content, etc. We need to present our own opinions as distinct from (even if affirming) those of the newspaper. We need to make ourselves clear at every point. We cannot afford to lose credibility now.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 17:03:47 +0000
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