Reply to Barkhas clarification in Radia Tapes

Dear Barkha, We at Media Watch thankyou for taking times to clarify your position wrt Radia Tapes expose. We think it’s a victory albeit partial to the relentless campaign by netizens . However, It would have been wise if you could have temporarily stepped down from your position until your name is cleared by an impartial investigation a stand often taken by you for politicians who are under scam radar.

In this article of Media Watch, we would like to analyze your response as something's donot addup or as supreme court would have said “there is something rotten” there

As a journalist, whose work has been consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister, I am astonished, angered and hurt to see the baseless allegations against me in sections of the media this week.

The first story regarding 2G scam appeared on December 11, 2008, on Raja’s main real estate front company, Green House Promoters. The details of other companies and hidden irregularities in the spectrum scam were published over the following days.

The Mint, a leading business daily, ran a front page comment Nov 11 2008 headed “Raja should be fired”, pointing out that decisions taken by A.Raja, the telecom minister, “have cost the government dear”. The Business Standard ran an editorial on October 31 headed “Licensed to make a killing”, and mentioned how spectrum had been “handed over” to a few “select” (another neat choice of words) firms.

We are fairly confident that as a Journalist you would have read and understood the implications of these revelations.

Your conversation with Radia working as Lobbyist for DMK happened on May 22, 2009, full 6 months after 2G scam came into public knowledge. But not once we repeat NOT EVEN ONCE, you brought this up during your conversation with Radia whose work for DMK would have resulted A. Raja being appointed as Telecom Minister. FYi, Raja was mentioned 8 times in your published conversation with Radia. Now isn't that strange coming from Journalist who claims to be “consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister”

The edited conversations between PR Representative Nira Radia and me have been headlined to suggest that I misused my role as a journalist to "lobby" for A. Raja, a man I have never met.

You as a journalist very well know now a days headlines rarely represent whats in the body of news. Even NDTV is not immune to this. You can look for several such examples in this blog itself. So you re just another victim. Our Sympathies

It may be true you may not have lobbied for Raja specifically. But per the Radia tape transcripts you seem to be providing a communication bridge between DMK and Congress which would have resulted in Rajas appointment as telecom minister and it is surprising that as a responsible journalist “consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister” you never brought up 2G scam?  

Allow us to quote some relevant portions of the  transcript

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time 10:47:33

RADIA: No, they wanted to; they didn’t want any infrastructure, that’s what Prime Minister said, so he said that’s why they give him labour, fertiliser, chemical---and telecom, IT, they said for Raja. So what has happened is, is that message not relayed to Karunanidhi?

BARKHA: Oh I see!

RADIA: They might have told some minion down the line or told Maran who is not relaying the truth.

BARKHA: I think they have told Maran.

RADIA: Yeah, now what they need to do is, they need to speak to Kani so she can set up the discussion with her father, because even the Prime Minister’s discussion was … she was the one who’s translating, and it was a very brief discussion for two minutes.

BARKHA: Okay.

RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not you know take it a hasty easy decision. That’s the type of conversation that happened.

BARKHA: No, I’ll set it up as soon as they get out of RCR.

RADIA: What she saying is that, you know, that someone senior like Ghulam [Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader]---because he is the one who is authorised to speak. ….

BARKHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

RADIA: Right? Was to speak to her then she can tell her father that I have got this message from the Congress.

BARKHA: Theek hai, not a problem. That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad---I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR [Race Course Road, presumably, the PM’s residence].

So atleast to a laymen like us here at Media Watch; you seem to have taken the responsibility of clearing the confusion between DMK and Congress (since a minion did not do proper job) knowing very well IT was for Raja!

By definition, the insinuation of "lobbying" implies either a quid-pro-quo of some kind or a compromise in how I have reported the story. As anyone who has watched my coverage of the ongoing 2G scam over the past year would know - to suggest either is entirely absurd.

QPQ can come in any sizes and shapes it can even be the “story exclusives” which directly contributes to reputation which in a way can be linked to several gains.  If I were a well paid Journo, my motivation would have been enhancement in reputation. Anyway, we at Media Watch have nothing to prove or disprove whether a QPQ was involved in this case.

Then your defense is your coverage of 2G scam. 2G scam is one largest of scam India has ever seen. According to CAG, It caused India a loss of 1.76 Lakh Crores. So my question is as a Top journalist in main stream media house could you have afforded not to cover it! Madam you had no choice but to cover it. So your defense that you have covered 2G scam is meaningless, your defence would have made sense if you had made any exclusive exposes on 2G scam. We have not heard of any.

As a matter of record, I never passed on any message to any Congress leader. But because she was a useful news source, and the message seemed innocuous, I told her I would. Ultimately, I did no more than humour a source who was providing me information during a rapidly changing news story.

Call us naïve, idealist dimwit but we tend to believe in what people say. If someone says I am going to talk to someone, we do believe he/she is telling the truth. Lets see what you told Radia

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time 09:48:51

BARKHA: Also, but, but the Congress needs to tell Karunanidhi that we have not said anything about Maran.

BARKHA: Okay. Let me talk to them again.

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  10:47:33

RADIA: Yeah, now what they need to do is, they need to speak to Kani so she can set up the discussion with her father, because even the Prime Minister’s discussion was … she was the one who’s translating, and it was a very brief discussion for two minutes.

BARKHA: Okay.

RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not you know take it a hasty easy decision. That’s the type of conversation that happened.

BARKHA: No, I’ll set it up as soon as they get out of RCR.

RADIA: What she saying is that, you know, that someone senior like Ghulam [Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader]---because he is the one who is authorised to speak. ….

BARKHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

RADIA: Right? Was to speak to her then she can tell her father that I have got this message from the Congress.

BARKHA: Theek hai, not a problem. That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad---I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR [Race Course Road, presumably, the PM’s residence].

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  18:09:06

RADIA: She doesn’t want to attend no because her father told her to come back. She has to follow what she’s father says, no. Call Ghulam then.

BARKHA: Let me call him.

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  19:23:57

BARKHA: You see, what happened was everybody I know in the Congress was at the swearing in, so I haven’t been able to speak with the top guys, and now I just finished and I am going to make my set of calls.

Now you see Madam, We have a problem. Per the Radia Tapes you have promised Radia atleast 4 different time that you will call congress leaders. You being one of most eminent Journalists in India conferred even with PadmaShree an award given by the Government of India generally to Indian citizens to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity, we tend to believe your word. Wont the entire press collapse if people start to disbelieve their journalists?

But your statement “never passed on any message to any Congress leader” implies that you never spoke to congress leaders. Do you want us to believe that you lied to Radia?

would notice that the conversation is essentially a journalist soliciting information from one of the many people plugged in - something all journalists do as part of newsgathering. And as journalists, we also often humour our sources without acting on their requests.

We also noticed that (from the published tapes) it was Radia who always called you. Is it wrong if one would expect a “journalist soliciting information” to have made the call atleast once?

And lastly every time Radia called you there was something she wanted from you and atleast to a untrained it seemes that you were happily tagging along complying to various requests. We have nothing with us which would prove or disprove whether you acted on her requests or not. You being a  PadmaShree we would have to your word at it.

The only "benefit" I ever got from talking to Nira Radia was information; information I used to feed the news.

We would kindly request NDTV to release tapes which would prove you have published the news as soon as you got it from Radia. This would rest all the doubts. Curiously, you have not attached any Videos from 23 may 2009 which would have established that you have reported information garnered from Radia

It is important to remember that at this point, in May 2009, none of us were aware of the present investigation against Nira Radia

Madam, you seem to be missing the point. The issue is not whether you spoke to Radia or not. Issue is whether your actions helped in appointment of Raja as Telecom Minister who everyone knew was mired in 2G scam.

This controversy has made me look at the need to re-draw the lines much more carefully.

Madam, This country had (Yes had) highest regard for you. We adored the brave girl who went to front during Kargil. I personally have conversed with you several time in twitter asking “where did we lose that girl”. Media Watch really wish and pray to almighty that India regains the “innocent brave girl” who seem to be lost in the murky world of politics.

Its important for nations future that Role Models donot Fall!