 "The mystery of ToI ignoring Times Now's Koda exclusive")
What’s up with this story? Times Now reports that one Anil Bastawade, supposedly a key contact of Madhu Koda and a ‘missing link’ in the investigation into a Rs 4,000 crore Jharkhand mining scam, has been tracked down to a small mining town in Indonesia, living the life of ‘a tycoon.’ Times Now has sent a senior editor to Indonesia for the story, and the channel has been repeatedly playing out the story in prime time. What is curious is the absolute silence of its sister news product The Times of India. The video of the story is not available on Times Now’s website. A search for ‘Koda’ or ‘Bastawade’ on Google news fails to throw up a result with a reference to Times Now or The Times of India. [caption id=“attachment_336561” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Screengrab of Times Now’s Koda video”]  [/caption] You can watch a recording of the show here, though. Is Bastawade indeed a critical element in the alleged scam? If he is, why is The Times of India not playing it up – as it is the TV channel owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), which has exclusive visuals and conversations which pertain to the story? It is the fact that The Times of India is ignoring the story that flummoxes. In an era when news media continuously chase one another in breaking news, the story, thanks to the fact that Times Now has exclusive footage, would have been an exclusive for newspaper as well. Another curious fact – what is the opposition doing? Why isn’t the BJP demanding that the government responds to the claims of Times Now? Equally, why isn’t the Congress baying for blood as well? Or is it, simply, that the Bastawade story is a non-story, utilised only to fill up the prime time with seemingly important and exclusive news on Times Now? Or is every politician afraid of opening another can of worms right now?
A news breakthrough by Times Now seems to be dying an unsung death as no other publication in the group seems to be picking it up.
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines. see more
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