This is a reprint from NewsBred.
Today, Times of India (March 5, 2016) has three stories on its front page:
Government says no to visit by US Panel: US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been denied Indian visas to "discuss and assess religious freedom." (NewsBred had an insightful take on it at least four months back, which you must read if India concerns you).
India takes US to WTO over visa: India has hauled US in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over their controversial new visa rules.
India rules out joint naval patrol in South China Sea: India refuses to join US in joint patrolling in South China Sea (all you read on South China Sea is hogwash. Read this and you won't need to read anything else on South China Sea ever).
INDIAN EXPRESS HAS NONE OF THESE STORIES. FROM ITS FRONT PAGE TO ITS LAST-- FROM ITS MASTHEAD TO IMPRINT LINE.
May be Express, busy as it is with all its resources on Kanhaiya affair (just count on the stories in today's editions--I gave up after 1-2 dozens), just couldn't free its reporters on other India issues (but that's ok, they didn't have time and space to discuss Indian budget).
May be, Express thinks other India issues are not important. (Remember they didn't have time for India's win over Pakistan in cricket on its front page; instead writing a fictional "mahaul" story for which got an official rap.)
May be, they genuinely missed the 3 stories since all international news agencies AP, AFP, Reuters blocked these stories too from reaching newspapers offices (I couldn't find one in google search). Never mind if these same agencies cried themselves hoarse on India's promised joint patrol with US in South China Sea.
The only Express story on US in today's edition was on its business page, Pg 19: "Monsanto threatens to exit India."
So the facts established: Issues that India take up with United States didn't find space in Express. Issues that United States takes up with India (like Monsanto) is a screaming headline.
What is Monsanto? Well it's been dubbed as the "most evil corporation on earth." We won't waste time here on Monsanto. Readers can take their own sweet time to find about it.
Is Express of today a one-off thing? Or has there been a pattern?
The pro-US role in Indian Express is increasingly getting established. It publishes US envoy Richard Verma, president Barack Obama, Moody's, Ford Foundation (which had infiltrated Nehru government to the core) and Greenpeace, etc on issues where these divine voices question India's freedom of speech, tolerance, etc. (Even though the world knows that US has quarter of world's all prisoners; its horrific track record against blacks; it snooping and spying on its citizens; the Patriot Law etc probably qualifies it as a "deep state" today).
I won't get so far as to question how Express runs without advertisements on its pages. There must be godly-souls in this world who would do anything for "tolerance" and "freedom of speech" issues. Or for that matter the allegations of "foreign funds' to Kejriwal's AAP for which, it must be told to readers, got a clean chit from none other than the Modi government last year!!! (Can't help taking a potshot: Kejriwal talks of "freedom of speech" but let's not forget what he did to Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan---it wasn't the best case of "freedom of speech, was it?)
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