Newslaundry Podcasts

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by The Hindu's diplomatic affairs editor Suhasini Haider, The News Minute's Pooja Prasanna, and filmmaker Hansal Mehta.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by former Executive Director, Air India, Jitendra Bhargava, and Executive Editor of The Frontier Manipur, Paojel Choaba. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Jayashree Arunachalam, Shardool Katyayan and Raman Kirpal are joined by Aditya Ramanathan, geopolitical expert research analyst at The Takshashila Institution.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Raman Kirpal are joined by Washington Post's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Gerry Shih and journalist and author Jyotsna Mohan.The conversation spans global and domestic developments, with a focus on the Israel-Gaza conflict and the legacy of Indian journalism.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior journalist and CGNet Swara's co-founder Shubhranshu Choudhary.We start with a discussion on the killing of 27 suspected Maoists in Chhattisgarh this week and analyse if the Maoist movement in the state has declined. Shubhranshu says, “We don't agree with the strategy, but it is hugely successful… This war has been won by the Bastariyas (residents of Bastar) themselves who gave information.”However, he warns that unresolved issues like mining and lack of development could reignite tensions, asking, “What will be our development policy? That will determine whether Maoism will be dead.”Jayashree raises concerns about the accuracy of government claims, questioning, “Should we be more suspicious when the government says it's killed dozens of Maoists?” She highlights the lack of judicial scrutiny in encounters, citing, “I think of thousands of encounters that have happened in Bastar in the last 25 years. There've only been two judicial inquiries.”Abhinandan adds, “There's an overlap of mining interests in media interests – even in ownership,” and Manisha stresses on political representation for a better future for Bastar's residents. “If militants in the Northeast can join the BJP, why not here? Political representation matters. It gives people real options.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Song: Blowing in the windTimecodes00:00:00 – Introductions 00:06:51 – Headlines 00:16:59 - Operation Black Forest01:13:52 – Letters01:36:04 – RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced by Priyali Dhingra.Recorded by Hassan Bilal and Anil Kumar. Production assistance by Ankit Raj. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Anand Vardhan and Jayashree Arunachalam catch up on all the letters – over 45 of them – that we've received from subscribers.Hafta letters: India-Pakistan, podcast ideas, team feedback, thoughts on patriotismWe have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:02:30 - Subscriber letters01:41:30 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAbhinandanCapitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AIIs Trump Losing? A Debate | The Ezra Klein ShowRamanThe Way I See ItAmerican Manhunt: Osama bin LadenManishaDying For SexAnand Nehru's First Recruits by Kallol Bhattacharjee Jayashree Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green ZoneProduced by Ashish Anand and Hassan Bilal; recorded by Anil Kumar. ​​This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by The Hindu's Dinakar Peri, who covers defense and strategic affairs.The episode opens with a discussion on the India-Pakistan military escalation, focusing on both the media narrative and strategic implications of the recent strikes.Critiquing Indian news media's coverage of the conflict, Manisha says, “In the middle of operations… the Army… was putting out fact checks, contrary to what these channels were doing.” She underscores how the media acted counter to national interest. “PSYOPs are directed at enemies. They're not directed at your own people drowning them down in misinformation.”Responding to a few journalists' arguments that the ‘misinformation' was part of India's warfare, Abhinandan adds, “It suddenly appears that it is somehow a journalist's job… to become cheerleaders for the military.”Dinakar, speaking as a defense journalist, emphasises how this hinders real reporting, “Nowadays, the bigger part of journalists is to actually defer the real news from the fake news… You spend a lot of time trying to find what is correct… because social media goes to a different level.”Anand adds, “Even if you are pedaling falsehoods, you have to look serious… If you are doing it in a melodramatic tone… no one is going to take you seriously.”The panel agrees that much of the media coverage undermined India's credibility. As Abhinandan puts it, “If you cannot trust them at war time, why should you trust them in peace time?”The conversation then shifts to military strategy and diplomacy. Dinakar says, “From a military sense, it kind of sets up a threshold… a differential between the two countries in terms of military symmetry.” Anand sees strategic gains for India, “One obvious gain… it has called out Pakistan's nuclear bluff… and it's a good advertisement for India's weapons set.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions 00:05:26 – Headlines 00:12:26 - Journalism and conflict00:33:28 – Breaking down the 5 days of conflict01:11:56 - Special AD break01:14:06 – Letters01:25:42– RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by retired Brigadier Kuldip Singh.In this tense news week, we begin by dissecting India's Operation Sindoor and strikes on terror camps in Pakistan on May 7. “Neither side, particularly India, wants a full-scale war,” says Brigadier Singh, referring to past confrontations like the Uri and Balakot strikes. He adds, “This time, the strike is far greater in intensity and in the number of targets.” Jayashree, acknowledging public sentiment but questioning the nature of response, says, “What we're seeing right now feels more like muscle-flexing.”Shardool highlights how the United States and Western nations are responding differently to the current crisis compared to earlier years. “The U.S. is far less interested now…One reason is that they don't need Pakistan the way they did before.”Manisha points out that Operation Sindoor marks a shift in the Indian government's stance. She says what it signals is that the government “now has a clear intention: to state unambiguously that Pakistan is the enemy”.This and a lot more. Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions 00:05:03 – Headlines 00:13:25 - Operation Sindoor and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan00:48:22 – Brig. Kuldip's recommendations01:29:40 – Letters01:42:25– RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. Production assistance by Tista Roy Chowdhury.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special episode for Press Freedom Day, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande and Jayashree Arunachalam, are joined by historian and author Ramachandra Guha. The panel begins with a discussion on the history of press freedom in India. Ram reflects on the similarities and differences between 1975's Emergency and today. “The Modi regime has gone farther than Indira's regime by weaponising agencies in a much more systematic and planned way.” Commenting on the ‘downfall' of mainstream media, Manisha adds, “The sheer anti-people quality of the media, painting minorities as threats, is relentless and unprecedented.”The panel discusses the history of violence in Kashmir and the attacks on Kashmiris across India after the Pahalgam terror attack. “One word from Modi and it would have stopped,” says Ram. Jayashree notes, “People are very happy to believe the worst qualities about Muslims and Kashmiris right now, and the media is feeding into it.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions 00:02:08 - Special Press Freedom Week offer00:03:43 – Headlines 00:10:16 - Press freedom in India00:49:04 – Understanding the Kashmir conflict01:14:37 – Ramachandra Guha's recommendations01:16:51 – Letters01:29:16 – RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by diplomatic and foreign affairs expert Manoj Joshi. The Pahalgam terror attack was at the centre of the discussion, with the panel exploring various aspects of the incident, including security lapses, recent developments, India's immediate diplomatic response, its potential long-term impact, and possible future measures India might take to handle the situation.Highlighting the severity of the attack, Manoj says, “This is happening for the first time in the past 20 years, where defenceless tourists have been attacked like this.” Remembering the Chittisinghpura Sikh massacre in Kashmir, Raman says, “The buildup of terror attacks has significantly changed over the past 24 years.” In light of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's statements about the attack, Manoj comments, “There is an obvious split in the Pakistan Army after Munir's appointment. The Pakistan Army has a tradition: whoever the chief is, everyone listens to him. But now, the situation is different. So, it's a move to survive in one's position.” Referring to JD Vance's presence in India during the attack, Anand points out, “Security should have been much stronger when foreign dignitaries were visiting India.”The panel agrees that Kashmiri people are unanimously protesting against this terror attack. Manisha remarks, “An average Kashmiri today doesn't see their future with Pakistan.”Focusing on how world leaders are viewing this attack and what their standpoints might be in the evolving diplomatic relationship between India and Pakistan, Abhinandan says, “When two nuclear-armed states are on a standoff, it's everybody's business. It's the world's business.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements00:02:35 – Headlines 00:07:57 – Chennai meet-up announcements00:09:10 – Pahalgam terror attack01:09:51 – Manoj Joshi's recommendations01:15:10 – Media coverage of Pahalgam attack01:27:02 – Letters01:43:22 – RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Ashish Anand and Priyali Dhingra. Production assistance by intern Pragya Chakroborty.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior journalist Nirmalya Mukherjee and NewsX editorial director Priya Sahgal. The panel first discusses communal unrest in West Bengal's Murshidabad, where protests against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent this week. Nirmalya says, “This is the first time that Bengal is going to face a situation where religion has become a very important issue.” On the West Bengal CM's response to the violence, he says, “Mamata first blamed the riots as a Congress conspiracy. Then, the blame shifted to the BSF, and now [it's an] international relations conspiracy.”“No riot can happen without the complicity of the state,” Jayashree notes.The panel then talks about Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi being named in the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet in the National Herald case. Raman says, “If you dissect the case, it's extremely vague right now. And misappropriation doesn't carry a strong criminal connotation.” Priya mentions that it is important to take into consideration the timing of the ED chargesheet. “Most of the battles in India are perception,” she says. This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements00:03:09 – Headlines 00:13:24 – Murshidabad violence00:45:38 – National Herald case01:18:53 – How are Trump and Modi similar?01:25:58 – Letters01:43:47 – RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. Production assistance by intern Pragya Chakroborty.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Semafor's business reporter Rohan Goswami and political consultant and federalism expert Tara Krishnaswamy. On Trump's flip-flop on tariffs and the escalating trade war with China, Rohan says: “Trump created tremendous panic. He got what he wanted. World leaders are calling and begging him... but a 90-day pause is not enough.” He highlights that, unlike the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis, America's current market chaos is a “self-inflicted situation”.Manisha analyses the common threads between Narendra Modi's demonetisation policy and Trump's tariffs. Shardool adds, “Trump is famous because he is funny. He should be made the TV-President because he understands TV best.”The panel also discusses the Supreme Court's scathing remarks about the Tamil Nadu Governor earlier this week. Tara remarks,“The time has come to either define the Governor's role – starting from appointment to powers – in a bilateral manner, or abolish the position and assign its duties to the appropriate authorities.”Raman adds, “The battle between chief ministers and governors has increased tremendously since 2014.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements00:04:48 – Headlines 00:15:34 – Trump's tariff flip-flops01:05:29 – Supreme Court on TN Governor01:32:12 – Letters01:48:08 – Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. Production assistance by intern Pragya Chakroborty.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Manisha Pande are joined by The News Minute's Sudipto Mondal and Supreme Court lawyer Talha Abdul Rahman.On the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill, passed in Parliament this week after long fiery debates, Talha says: “Every Waqf that is now created will have to register themselves with the central depository.” He adds that the statute is “a translation of a WhatsApp forward.”Sudipto questions the motivation behind bringing in the legislation and the manner in which it will be used. He says that the new bill will now “weaponise” bulldozer demolitions, which are increasingly becoming the norm. Manisha puts focus on the misinformation being spread in mainstream media about the bill. She mentions one anchor claiming that the new bill will ensure “no one can stop the Prime Minister's plane from taking off because Waqf can no longer claim the airport.”The panel also discusses the student protests in University of Hyderabad against tree felling on 400 acres of forest land. Commenting on the Supreme Court taking suo-moto cognizance of the case, Sudipto says, “It's a great victory for people's movements, students' movements.” This and a lot more. Tune in!Hafta letters: Uncle behaviour, patriarchy, the right to existWe have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Song: Tanha Tanha Yahan Pe JeenaTimecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements 00:04:34 – Headlines 00:13:17 – Waqf bill 00:58:34 – HCU protests 01:11:06 – Letters01:32:40 – Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Saif Ali Ekram, and Anil Kumar. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by comedian and screenwriter Anuvab Pal.The panel first discusses the Kunal Kamra controversy. Jayashree lays down the timeline of incidents and Abhinandan highlights the Supreme Court's comments on free speech in the Imran Pratapgarhi case.Anuvab says: “We [comedians] take very special care of the names we mention, especially if the video is supposed to go up online…I don't see any mobs in defense of Kunal Kamra – just the mobs that vandalised the venue in Mumbai.”“It's always the sidekicks who want to please the master”, Anand remarks. “Now we know who the real Shiv Sena is!” says Jayashree on the vandalism by Eknath Shinde's followers at The Habitat.The panel then digs into the mystery of burnt piles of cash found at Justice Yashwant Varma's official residence last week and the subsequent inquiry into the matter. “There are too many inconsistencies in how it played out”, Jayashree says.Raman then briefly summarises the Delhi government's recently announced budget for the 2026 financial year. On how the center has now “started doling out money” for Delhi, he says: “This year, Rs 24,000 crore more was provided by the centre. This shows that the previous government was gagged.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements 00:04:47 – Headlines 00:14:37 – Kunal Kamra controversy01:06:27 – Justice Varma cash row01:23:48 – Delhi budget 01:26:50 – Letters01:48:06 – Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Ashish Anand, and Anil Kumar. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande are joined by The News Minute's Dhanya Rajendran and The Wire's Seema Chishti.The panel first discusses the recent crackdown on pro-Palestine student protests in US campuses and deportation of two Indian students, Ranjani Srinivasan and Badar Khan Suri. Dhanya says, “Ranjani insisted that she was not a huge part of the protest, but Indian newspapers had already labeled her a Hamas supporter”.As the panel draws parallels between what is happening in the US and the clampdown on student protests in India, Manisha says: “I always thought that in American universities, despite their issues, there was a certain freedom to voice your opinions. For that to go away is quite something to see."Abhinandan then moves to discussing if the concept of patriotism can be considered primitive. He says: “Patriotism is love for your country, but your country may be pursuing values based on whichever government is in power. And that value system may not align with yours.” As the panel debates what it means to be a patriot, Seema adds, “True patriotism should be about wanting better lives for fellow citizens, not blind devotion to the government."The panelists then talk about how the English news media gets to set the narrative in India. On regional media's limited influence compared to its English counterpart, Manisha says: "English newspapers still have an outsized influence because bureaucrats, judges, and policy-makers read them”. However, English news channels, she points out, “are losing relevance”. “Politicians now prefer giving interviews to local YouTubers and regional media because that's where the numbers and voters are”.This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements00:04:26 – Headlines 00:21:16 – US campus crackdown00:34:40 –Defining patriotism 00:46:48 – English media's dominance01:08:55 - Letters01:44:02 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Ashish Anand, and Anil Kumar. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by writer and podcaster Amit Varma. The panel first discusses pre-Holi communal concerns, including a Sambhal cop saying Muslims should stay inside this Holi if they don't want to be smeared with colour. Jayashree says communal provocations during Holi have become normal: “We have this delusional idea of Hindus and Muslims holding hands and celebrating Holi. But that is not the country we live in now.” Anand explains the history of Bhojpuri Holi songs and the evolution of vulgarity. “The sexualised space has been taken into account by the pop music industry for its titillation value…These songs were not always vulgar, some even represented female desire.”The panel then moves on to the controversies around the recently concluded Champions Trophy. Abhinandan says, “There was nothing offensive about the Indian team not wanting to go to Pakistan due to security issues. Look at what has happened with the Balochistan train hijack this week.” Amit explains the tariff wars with the US: “Of all that Trump is doing, tariffs are the most bizarre. They are a disaster, period, and this has been the economic consensus for the last 200 years.” This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements 00:03:22 – Headlines 00:19:33 - Holi and communal narratives00:26:41 - Holi and vulgar songs00:42:52 - Introduction to tariff wars00:45:37 - Champions Trophy and cricket controversies01:01:08 - Tariff wars01:39:38 - Amit's recommendations01:42:17 - Panel recommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Hassan Bilal and Anil Kumar. This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Dr Sumeet Mhaskar, professor of sociology at Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, and Ajoy Bose, veteran journalist and author of Behenji: The Rise and Fall of Mayawati.The panel first discusses the controversy triggered by Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi's remarks on Aurangzeb while addressing the Mughal emperor's portrayal in the film Chhava.Sumeet provides historical context to the interpretation of Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's legacies in Maharashtra. Explaining how they are shaped by competing narratives, he says: “Much more communalised interpretation is projected through movies, history textbooks, and plays”. The return of Aurangzeb to headlines shows that we are using the present to judge the past, rather than letting history inform our present, he notes.Commenting on Aurangzeb's legacy, Manisha adds, “When you look at the Mughals, I would say Aurangzeb was the worst of them...He's an odd hill to die on, especially for current politicians.”The panel then analyses the “political decline” of Mayawati, and her decision to suspend nephew Akash Anand from the Bahujan Samaj Party.Ajoy terms the suspension as a “significant moment”. Commenting on Mayawati's “disruptive” thinking, he says: “If Kanshiram was the strategic genius who thought of using Dalits to become a political force, Mayawati was the person who delivered”. On where things went wrong for Mayawati, he remarks, “She got quite distracted by her prime ministerial dream being thrashed and made fundamental mistakes in handling the social alliance which brought her to power.”As Abhinandan and Sumeet point to BSP's cadre being the strength of the party, Anand underlines Mayawati's “lack of political agility” as one of the reasons for BSP's decline. This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements00:03:09 – Headlines 00:03:09 – Was history always controversial?00:17:24 – Aurangzeb's return to headlines 00:53:19 – Mayawati and the future of BSP01:32:03 – Sumeet's recommendation01:39:30 – Ajoy's recommendation01:51:06 – Letters 01:59:40 – Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Nitin Pai, director of Takshashila Institution, and The News Minute's Shabbir Ahmed.The panel first discusses the inception and functioning of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – a new department set up by the United States government and headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.Nitin says the reason behind something like DOGE “is not just efficiency.” “The ideological reason is to create a government full of people who will act according to the rules of Donald Trump,” he says, adding that federal government employees were laid off en-masse to create fear and uncertainty in the minds of rank and file civil servants. On the importance of “small governments,” Shardool says that any system meant to be working fairly working for citizens will be complex. “Mandates given to governments are not for them to run in a fiscally efficient manner, but to run fairly and independently,” he adds. Jayashree then delves into the ongoing “language wars” between the Tamil Nadu government and the union government over the National Education Policy's three-language formula. “The implication that Hindi means the extermination of a local language is true,” she says. Shabbir adds that the union government demands the NEP to be accepted in its entirety: “The problem the TN government has is that NEP is a uniform policy on education, but education is in the concurrent list. States were not consulted before forming it.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements 00:04:01 – Headlines 00:11:23 – DOGE00:54:49 – Language row: Tamil Nadu vs Centre01:28:20 – Letters 01:48:40 – Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi and cartoonist Rachita Taneja. The show starts with a detailed discussion on the controversy surrounding the USAID funds allegedly released to “increase voter turnout in India” and an Indian Express fact-check that found that the said amount was meant for Bangladesh, never India.“The Election Commission is allergic to the thought of taking money from anyone outside India…We had enough funds and enough self-respect,” says Dr Quraishi, adding that he is also “very confident” about his successors.On Donald Trump cancelling USAID funding for several projects, Jayashree says, “What he's doing is terrible…but there is a tendency to paint US aid as US generosity.” The US has used aid programs as part of its foreign policy, she points out.The panel then moves to discussing the midnight notification issued to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner. “If you need to be bipartisan, you have to have someone who is not a politician,” Raman says about Kumar's appointment. On the selection process, Dr Quraishi says that India has the “most defective system of appointment” despite having the “most powerful election commission in the world.” The panel also discusses the Indian government blocking Tamil news website Vikatan after it published a critical cartoon depicting PM Narendra Modi and Trump.Rachita, who runs the popular page Sanitary Panels, says: “I don't know where to draw the line between censorship and self-censorship. If you are being given threats or being told that you can land up in jail, is that not part of censorship itself?”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements 00:02:57 - Headlines 00:09:19- USAID controversy00:34:30 - CEC appointment process00:53:06 - Blocking of Vikatan website01:30:14 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan are joined by The Caravan's Hartosh Singh Bal and Delhi University professor Tanvir Aeijaz. The panel begins the show by discussing Narendra Modi's meeting with Donald Trump which Manisha terms “a test of statecraft” for Modi. The discussion then moves to the Delhi election result, which saw the BJP returning to power after 27 years. “This is a new BJP. It has gained strength since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” says Hartosh. “...These elections were not fought on Modi's back. The party now has organisational strength. Even if Modi falls to the wayside, it does not make a difference to the BJP.” As the panel discusses the AAP and Congress's performance, Abhinandan says, “One thing BJP has pulled off well is that they won Delhi without a [chief ministerial] face.”Tanvir talks about the controversy surrounding the new UGC draft guidelines that give state governors a prominent role in selecting vice-chancellors. “This regulation comes in the backdrop of the idea that we need to have one curriculum, one education system across the country,” he says. “But education is a concurrent subject…everything in a monastic form creates a problem for federalism.”This and a lot more. Tune in!Hafta letters: Economies and ‘police states', the question of ads, courts and paroleWe have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/9Az11BtCKQ8Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements00:04:57 - Headlines00:11:48 - Modi in America00:18:20 - Delhi elections 00:45:13 - Manipur developments00:51:20 - UGC guidelines 01:22:16 - Tanvir's recommendation01:29:55 - Hartosh's recommendation 01:33:17 - Letters01:46:01 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by Supreme Court advocate Mihira Sood and journalist Govindraj Ethiraj.The panel discusses the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand. Mihira says, “There are many peculiarities of the law, but the strangest is that registration of live-in relationships is more cumbersome than a marriage…The penalty for not registering a marriage is nothing, but the penalty for not registering a live-in relationship can be imprisonment.” Commenting on the backlash to inter-faith relationships in the state in the recent past, Manisha adds, “What we know from newspaper reports is that registrations will be scrutinised by the Bajrang Dal…What the Uttarakhand government wants to do here is just police people who are living together.”On the new budget announced for 2025-26, Govindraj says there's “nothing really landmark” in the budget but the “benefits offered to the middle class are a good thing”. “It is correcting a problem of the recent past – the pressure of inflation on households and incomes not growing as they did before,” he says.The panel also discusses the continuing depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, and the ‘unease' of doing business in India. This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements 00:02:12 - Headlines 00:13:37 - Uniform Civil Code00:44:08 - ‘Unease' of doing business00:49:57 - Budget 01:11:05 - Depreciation of the Rupee01:23:27- Letters01:45:00 - Recommendations Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand, edited by Hassan Bilal. This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior advocate Indira Jaising and independent journalist Saurabh Sharma. The discussion starts with tax authorities axing The Reporters' Collective's non-profit status. Indira says the I-T department's action against the investigative news outlet is part of a “strategic and calculated crackdown by the government on independent media and journalism”. She says everyone should stand up for the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and ensure it is not eroded.The panel also talks about the tragic stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. Saurabh breaks down all that went wrong leading up to the tragedy. “There was absolute radio silence from the government for nearly 19 hours about how many people died,” he says. Saurabh adds that he believes the death toll is higher than the official government figure: “I went to the morgue and counted at least 59 bodies.” Raman blames Uttar Pradesh's VIP culture for the chaos at Kumbh. Abhinandan and Manisha take note of how legacy media attempted to drown out the news of the stampede. On the government's PR push, Manisha says, “All you are trying to do is show the good news, but that is not going to get you good global coverage.” This and a lot more. Tune in!Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/5o8WY9UVKGkWe have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements00:03:35 - Headlines00:13:55 - The Reporters' Collective loses non-profit status00:43:16 - Indira's recommendations00:44:32 - Kumbh stampede01:01:38 - Saurabh's recommendations01:02:25 - Mismanagement at Kumbh, VIP culture in UP01:25:43 - Letters01:43:08 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Tista Roy Chowdhury, and Anil Kumar. Production assistance by Hanshul Mohan. This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by author and political analyst Sanjaya Baru. The discussion begins with Donald Trump being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America. The panel analyses the fears of a second Trump presidency. “He will do a lot of damage, yes, but the fear of Trump is greatly exaggerated,” Sanjaya says, adding that India, and the world, historically, has shown the ability to withstand imperialist powers. Jayashree adds, “Trump comes off as unhinged, but he is the essence of what America is like.” The panel also addresses the Indian media's exaggeration of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's presence in the ‘front row' at Trump's swearing-in ceremony. Commenting on India-US relations, Manisha says, “The Joe Biden administration was kind to Narendra Modi's administration…if Trump is not accommodative, it will affect BJP's ‘vishwaguru' politics domestically.”The panel also discusses how the CBI and TMC government are appealing for the death penalty in the RG Kar case, and catches up on all the subscriber letters we've received so far. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements 00:03:04 - Baru on his book ‘India's Power Elite' 00:08:12 - Headlines 00:20:28 - The return of Donald Trump 00:40:43 - Economic impact of a second Trump presidency 00:55:27 - Baru on Manmohan Singh 01:02:43 - Baru's recommendations01:04:43 - Death penalty 01:16:44 - Letters 01:59:46 - Recommendations Check out Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by journalist Nidhi Razdan and economist and writer Vivek Kaul.The panel begins with the Delhi polls, and Abhinandan says the BJP's USP is primarily centred around portraying Kejriwal as a horrible politician. Shardool points out that the BJP is “organisationally strong” but doesn't have a face in Delhi. Nidhi talks about the AAP's shortcomings and Kejriwal's struggle to hold onto his image as an aam aadmi. She also says the Congress is entirely missing from the conversation.The conversation shifts to the current state of the media and the lack of accountability in newsrooms. Nidhi says, “Things that we thought were just shocking or immoral or unethical or unconstitutional – everything is being normalised. And part of the reason is because the media doesn't ask difficult questions.”Vivek then unpacks the rupee falling against the dollar and its repercussions. He emphasises that this isn't a crisis, saying, “The rupee will keep depreciating against the dollar for the simple fact that inflation in the US is usually lower than inflation in India.” He also explains the downfall of the Indian economy in the last few years. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:00:20 - Announcements and appeals00:01:54- Special message00:03:28- Panel introduction00:04:38- Headlines00:10:58 - Delhi elections00:37:50- Current media landscape01:12:34 - Rupee crash01:55:44 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra.This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Manisha Pande are joined by author Amitava Kumar and academic Joyojeet Pal.The panel discusses Amitava's new book The Green Book: An Observer's Notebook, and Amitava explains the role that journaling plays in his life. “Journaling is a means of self-discovery and a tool to document our times. Personal narratives can preserve truths and challenge erasures of history,” he says. He also says journaling helps counteract misinformation since it's “about creating a record that endures beyond fleeting news cycles”. Manisha adds that reading her own journals from her childhood “makes me cringe at times, but they're a reminder of how far I've come”.The conversation shifts to Meta's decision to terminate its fact-checking partnerships. Joyojeet warns, “Abandoning fact-checking opens the floodgates for radicalised communities to define their own truths.”Jayashree says, “ A lot of this is about changing things that are associated with liberalism. And that's exactly what that revised policy says. It says that you can now make allegations of mental illness or abnormality based on gender and sex. You're allowed to compare people to faces and filth based on protected characteristics.”The panel also explores Elon Musk's controversial claim that social media is the new media, how algorithms shape narratives, and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:00:44 - About Fight To Breath Campaign00:01:50- Panel introduction00:05:08- Headlines00:09:57 - The Green Book and journaling00:30:47- Announcements00:32:10- Meta's fact-checking decision01:02:02 - Social media as news01:23:03- Special message01:25:50 - Subscriber letters01:40:51 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by The News Minute's Pooja Prasanna.The panel begins with protests in Bihar against a ‘paper leak' in the Bihar Public Service Commission preliminary exam. Jayashree explains, “The normalisation process for exams has been rejected outright by the BPSC, but it's a standard procedure in other competitive exams.” Shardool emphasises systemic delays and negligence, stating, “Students are aging out of eligibility because of these recurring delays – it's a vicious cycle.”The conversation turned to the lynching of a Muslim man in Moradabad over allegations of cow slaughter. Shardool calls it an “economic issue as well as a social issue” since “most victims of lynchings are from the lower economic strata, unable to defend themselves legally or socially”. Jayashree criticises the media's reportage of such incidents: “We don't report these as murders; they are contextualised as actions driven by allegations – almost a justification.” Abhinandan adds, “It's telling that the prime minister and government are quick to comment on global issues but remain silent on hate crimes within the country.” Pooja highlights the impunity enjoyed by repeat offenders: “In Karnataka, a hate offender live-streamed attacks and continues to engage in hate speech, even while out on bail.”The panel closes with predictions for 2025. Raman predicts worsening economic conditions, saying, “Public sentiment is unlikely to favour large-scale protests despite growing discontent.” Abhinandan sums it up, “If we want systemic change, citizens need to harness collective power to push politicians to act. Protests alone won't be enough.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Video timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:01:39 - Announcements00:06:36- Headlines00:18:54 - Bihar paper leak protests00:30:58- Moradabad Murder00:41:51 - Hindutva's growing influence and economic motivations00:53:26 - Panel's predictions for 202501:10:11- Special Message01:12:46 - Subscriber letters01:32:24 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal were joined by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan Lokur and political journalist Neerja Choudhury.Neerja describes Dr Manmohan Singh, who died this week, as a “gentleman politician and a unifying figure” who will be remembered for his “decency in politics” and landmark contributions such as the RTI Act, MGNREGA, and the Indo-US nuclear deal. Justice Lokur says, “He was a great man and a great loss for the country.” Manisha reflects on the media's role during Singh's tenure, saying, “Back then, leaders were judged critically but fairly, without fear of retribution.”Abhinandan adds, “Manmohan Singh's leadership taught us that decency is not a weakness but a strength in politics.”On the media and judicial accountability, Justice Lokur acknowledges the increased public scrutiny on courts. “There must be ways to check judges without undermining the institution,” he says, referencing the need for mechanisms beyond impeachment. Neerja criticises the sensationalism that's come to define election coverage, saying the media's role “is to hold power accountable, not amplify divisive rhetoric”.The panel also reflects on key events of 2024. Neerja cautions that the “challenge to Modi's leadership might come from the extreme right within the BJP itself”. Manisha points out the troubling rhetoric in election speeches, adding, “The prime minister's speeches targeting minorities were demoralising and crossed a line.”Raman highlights the year's highs and lows, saying, “The coalition government formation was a relief for democracy, but the political language this year hit new lows.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/k8HF_V5_RG8Audio timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:02:49 - Headlines00:09:53 - NL Sena announcements00:11:18- Manmohan Singh's legacy00:34:52 - Media, judiciary, and key events of 202401:03:06 - Announcements01:11:46 - Subscriber letters01:19:14 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced & recorded by Prashant & Priyali. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pandey, and Jayashree Arunachalam were joined by parliamentary affairs expert and journalist Meghnad Saha. On the debate on the One Nation, One Election bill, Jayashree says that “the proposal reflects a strong anti-federalism stance.” She pointed out that while the bill may reduce costs, “it could strip states of their power”. Manisha says, “In terms of organising this it could be a mammoth task, especially with the inclusion of panchayat elections, making it an expensive exercise.” Abhinandan asks, “Is Modi the right leader to bring about such changes?” The panel then discusses the row over scuffle in parliament between the opposition MPs and those in the governing parties. Meghnad says, “It's like a WWE match in Parliament.” Abhinandan questions its media coverage, “Do you feel any shame or guilt about the way you work? How do you face your children?” This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rayJQarf4SkAudio timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:00:27 - Announcements00:08:20 - Headlines00:15:42 - NL Sena Announcement00:17:55- One Nation, One Election00:46:49 - Parliament: Scuffles, allegations, and theatrics01:10:37 - Subscriber's letters01:50:08 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced & recorded by Prashant & Priyali. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Manisha Pandey were joined by journalist Faye D'Souza.On the BJP's narrative against George Soros, Abhinandan says, “Adani money is good, Soros money bad? No sensible discussion has happened around it.” Faye says, “We are living in a post-truth world where ridiculous claims take root and attention spans have shrunk too much for nuanced conversations.”On the Congress's response to allegations about links with Soros, Manisha says, “Their communication is stale. You can't keep repeating the same thing without innovation.” She points out that news channels have been quoting dubious sources like “nancho.net” to accuse Sonia Gandhi of collusion with Soros.The panel then discusses the misuse of dowry laws and the tragic case of a techie's suicide in Bengaluru. Anand says, “Lawyers often weaponise these cases, and the Supreme Court has already intervened to mandate preliminary investigations before arrests.” Faye emphasises the need for balanced discourse. On media coverage of the issue, Abhinandan says, “The TikTokisation of news has taken over.” On the Kapoor family's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manisha says, “The event was supposed to honour Raj Kapoor, but it ended up being all about praising Modi.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/BL8HPSF9NFsAudio timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:0:00 - Headlines00:18:00 - Adani vs Soros00:34:28- Special Message 00:35:27 - Dowry law misuse debate00:56:12 - Bollywood's Modi moment01:06:43 - Subscriber letters and recommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced & recorded by Prashant & Priyali. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by author Chetan Bhagat, academic Sarthak Bagchi, and journalist Dhiren A Sadokpam to discuss the Maharashtra government formation, the increased violence in Manipur, and the ‘foreign hand' allegations against OCCRP. On BJP's campaign in Maharashtra, Chetan says, “A little bit of humility has come to the BJP. The whole talk of building a larger than life image – the party feels that the voters don't need it right now.” Sarthak explains how the BJP may absorb Shiv Sainiks in the state, saying the party “wants to establish hegemonic dominance”. Moving on to the BJP's ‘US propaganda' allegations and primetime outrage against OCCRP, Abhinandan says, “I just find it fascinating that Indian media that is surviving on sarkari patronage is outraging about another media surviving on sarkari patronage.” Dhiren then explains the spike in violence in Manipur and what it's like to live in a state of war. “We need to understand the intersection between insurgency, ethnic violence, poppy cultivation, and national security,” he says. This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/PIiK-K8fbQ0Audio timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions00:04:36 - Announcements00:15:00 - Headlines00:19:00 - OCCRP controversy00:32:41 - Maharashtra government formation01:20:00 - New wave of violence in Manipur?00:49:38 - Maharashtra election results01:57:30 - Letters02:06:30 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced & recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Prashant Kumar, edited by Hassan Bilal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan to discuss the violence in Sambhal and the Maharashtra-Jharkhand assembly election results.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Raman Kirpal are joined by environment and air pollution expert Sunil Dahiya.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Newslaundry reporter Prateek Goyal.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Newslaundry reporter Prateek Goyal.On the revealing interview of Ajit Pawar with Sreenivasan Jain, Manisha says, “It has always been implied that Adani was present at these meetings and that he plays an important part in Maharashtra politics. Ajit Pawar also very casually says this.” She then asks, “Could he have said all this without thinking of repercussions?” Raman says, “Adani is a dirty word in politics. Congress also keeps talking about Adani. They always weaponise it to tarnish the image of the BJP. I think he [Ajit] just wanted to have a dig at his uncle [Sharad Pawar] who at this point of time is supporting Congress.”This and a lot more. Tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/7Uk0pno0EKAAudio timecodes00:00:00:00 - Introductions00:00:34:03 - Announcements00:04:32:08 - Headlines00:10:27:11 - Maharashtra Elections00:21:03:25 - Pawar's Interview00:32:48:10 - Jharkhand Elections01:09:39:06 - Letters01:31:10:01 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced by Priyali Dhingra, Edited by Prashant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri and Raman Kirpal are joined by Supreme Court advocate Shahrukh Alam and senior journalist Sreenivasan Jain. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Raman Kirpal are joined by Washington-based columnist Seema Sirohi.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has threatened to scrap America's Constitution, has denied the results of the last election, and has been charged with inciting a riot. His rival, Kamala Harris, is none of those things. Yet, after a high-voltage entry into the US presidential race, Harris seems to be losing momentum and is deadlocked at the polls. This is despite the Harris campaign raising a staggering 1 billion dollars, more than half of what the Trump campaign has raised. In the second episode of the three-part series Mandate 2024: US Edition, Sreenivasan Jain reports from a Harris rally in #GroundZero at Michigan – a key swing state – to understand the dynamics of why the US election has become a kante ki takkar.Jain speaks to Hispanic voters who are leaning Trump, despite Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, to Muslim Americans, angry with the US support to the war in Gaza. As Ilhan Omar, a Muslim Democrat Congresswoman, tells Jain, the Gaza conflict could cost Harris the election.Watch our compelling ground report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US election – a high-stakes battle between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – is being perceived as critical for the future of democracy in America. The fear is that if Trump wins, he will undermine key tenets of American democracy, like using government agencies to settle scores with his rivals. Despite this, he remains a formidable contender. In the first episode of the three-part mini-series Mandate 2024: US Edition Sreenivasan Jain reports from a Trump rally in Arizona – a crucial swing state – to understand what is driving Trump bhakti.Why do so many Americans buy into the cult of Trump, despite the red flags? Is it because he stokes fear of an immigrant invasion, of America's white majority being overrun? Or is there more to it?Watch our compelling ground report for answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After last year's October 7 attack, the Israeli army has justified its brutal offensive in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas. But the aftermath of October 7 witnessed an escalation of violence in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory not controlled by Hamas.In the final episode of our three-part mini-series Gaza: One Year Later, Sreenivasan Jain investigates fears that the West Bank is emerging as the new Gaza.Jain reports from Qusra, a village in Nablus, in the West Bank, which witnessed the biggest number of Palestinians being killed by Israeli settlers in a 48 hour period in the aftermath of October 7th, even as Israeli forces looked on. As an activist from Qusra told Jain, “The soldiers are always with the settlers”. Jain speaks to a member of Regavim, an Israeli settler group that is trying to speed up the demolition of Palestinian structures in the West Bank. As Israel's aggression ramps up, it is triggering an upsurge of armed Palestinian resistance. Jain meets fighters of the newly formed Jenin Brigade, who say they are willing to die for their cause. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On October 7th last year, Israel experienced a traumatic attack by Hamas: over a 1,000 killed, 250 taken hostage. The world mourned with Israel. But a year later, Israel's devastating response has raised questions within Israeli society itself, whether the country is at risk of losing its moral compass. In the second episode of our three-part mini-series Gaza: One Year Later, Sreenivasan Jain examines Israel's crisis of conscience through its treatment of Palestinian prisoners after the Hamas attack. Thousands of them have been jailed without specific charges, and tortured brutally. Speaking to Jain, Palestinian activist Nidal Haj Mohammad recounts being blindfolded while in jail, his hands tied, and being beaten up with sticks all over his body. Another activist, Noor Halawa, says that dogs were set on him. Far from sparking outrage, the torture of Palestinians has been cheered by political leaders and the Israeli media, a new dark chapter in Israel's history. But not all Israelis support the actions of the state. Jain speaks to Gideon Levy, who says, “If not now, when?...When we are shooting, that's the time to raise your voice…How can you keep silent?”Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Gaza war that erupted last year after the October 7 attack by Hamas – which left over 1,000 dead and 250 hostage – has left a trail of carnage in its wake. Israel has killed more than 40,000 Gazans. Large swathes of Gaza have been reduced to rubble. And the shortages of food and water amid Israeli army restrictions are so severe that the UN has said that Israel may be using starvation as a weapon of war.But the Israeli government and its army have claimed that they are fighting a moral war. In this episode of our three-part mini-series Gaza: One Year Later, Sreenivasan Jain reports from ground zero to put Israel's claim to test. Jain speaks to Palestinian journalists – the only source of information for the outside world – who challenge Israel's claims. Avi Dichter, a Netanyahu cabinet minister and former Shin Bet chief, asserts that there is “no fair play” and the war “could go on for years” while ordinary Israelis have their own doubts about why Prime Minister Netanyahu – beset by corruption charges – is prolonging the violence. Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by The Hindu's international affairs editor Stanly Johny and journalist and defence expert Colonel Ajai Shukla.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by financial crimes and corporate governance lawyer Sherbir Panag.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachal are joined by senior journalist Sreenivasan Jain and Lokniti-CSDS co-director Sanjay Kumar.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by freelance journalist Hridayesh Joshi and The Hindu's senior assistant editor Kallol Bhattacharjee.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's special free episode, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam, are joined by The News Minute's Pooja Prasanna and University of Michigan associate professor and author Joyojeet Pal.The conversation begins with discussions on the Tirupati laddu controversy and the Karnataka High Court setback for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysore Urban Development Authority case. Pooja delves into how life has come full circle for Siddaramiah. Abhinandan underlines the similarities between Indian and US news: “Top headlines on Indian channels is beef in laddus, while top headlines in the US are Donald Trump's ‘immigrants will eat your dogs' speech.” Joyojeet explains the nuances of the Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump presidential battle. He says, “Right now it's a neck and neck fight.” The panel also discusses PM Modi's visit to the US. On his address to NRIs in Long Island, Jayashree says, “Modi talked about his biggest achievements, such as new airports and better broadband services – because that's all that matters to NRIs.”This and more, tune in!Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/_X8eQttDXx0 Audio Timecodes00:02:51 - Announcements00:07:40 - Headlines00:22:46 - Announcement00:23:26 - Tirupati laddu00:32:06 - MUDA case - setback for Siddaramiah?00:43:48 - Pooja's recommendation00:44:45 - Subscriber letters01:00:44 - US polls & Modi in USA01:32:53 - Joyojeet's recommendation 01:38:46 - Subscriber letters01:55:20 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, edited by Hassan Bilal and Samarendra K Dash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we have an in-house panel, with Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Shardool Katyayan, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by EastMojo executive editor Amit Kumar.Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan discuss the controversy around Netflix's new show IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film Emergency, and subscriber letters. We're also joined by our subscriber Kanwal Narula, who presents a special gift to the team of Newslaundry. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan are joined by The News Minute's Dhanya Rajendran and digital creator Akash Banerjee aka TheDeshbhakt.On sustainable and profitable revenue models for news, Anand says that the subscription model might be prone to the problem of becoming “a groupspeak”, where “financial influences have been insulated, but the editorial leadership has a view” that becomes the identity of the platform. Abhinandan responds to this, saying, “This is not the limitation unique to the subscription model, but a limitation of the human condition.” Dhanya adds to the subject, saying the paywall adds a lot of pressure on reporters, who judge the value of their work based on whether it goes behind paywall or not.On the difference between journalists and digital content creators, Akash says creators are appropriating information available through journalistic platforms. Dhanya says that the line between commentators and journalists is already blurring.This and more, tune in!We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:05:50 - Headlines 00:18:41 - Models of news01:08:15 - Journalists and digital commentators01:40:09 - Final thoughts and recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal and Umrav Singh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.