CNN IBN cannot handle ‘Sushubh Effect’?
Published by sushubh February 28th, 2006 in Miscellaneous, News Channels in India, Online News WebsitesEverything seems to be going well when something stupid happens. CNN IBN is probably the first Indian media outlet, which has noticed the power of blogs on the internet. So much so, that they have everyone on their board Blogging about something or the other on their website.
So far so good. Nevertheless, they do need third party independent bloggers to get a fair amount of topics covered on their range of blogs. So, they contacted my good friend Dr. Abhishek Puri who seems to have an opinion about anything and everything.
So far so good. Apparently, they could not provide Mr. Puri a functional backend with enough security so the deal was a bit delayed (or perhaps their were some other reasons… but I got to hear this excuse). Their were some exchange of mails and Abhishek discussed about it with me. I told him to get them to provide him a Blog with WordPress to get the things in working order. A Blog is after all a Blog.
Dunno, what went wrong but the guys at CNN IBN now have issues with me Blogging about it. If they read my Blog oh-so-regularly, they must have known by now that I tend to have problems with everything and everyone around me. Now, they have apparently taken back their offer for Mr. Puri to Blog on their website citing my comments on MY Blog!
Leads me to believe that CNN IBN cannot handle the ‘Sushubh Effect’, which was oh-so-visible during the initial days of WordPress development cycle.
I am actually very shocked at these two incidents. How can Indian Media outlets be so egoistic? We are the consumers they are serving. We watch their news channel. We read their blogs. As long as we do not become a part of what they are, we are whom they are serving and you cannot be so arrogant with your customers.
Just because truth won’t come out in the public. Just because we do not have the power to highlight what goes in the backend of how the TV Shows and online blogs are operated does not mean you can get away with how you react to criticism or user opinions.
Hmmmmm, I see what you mean Sushubh.
However, because of increasing competition between tv news channels, staff working there can get insecure at the drop of a hat, or, in this case, a blog!
Also, the media really needs to be taught how to accept and give CONSTRUCTIVE critcism! One day, I’ll run a course on this! Would you care to join me when I do?
Cheers,
Kina.
:)
Well, I dont know as to how the things are working out at the moment.
Though good news is that CNN guys asked me to file in reports as a citizen journalist. I refused the offer but am ready for providing in inputs.
Here is the forum thread
http://broadbandforum.in/Media_needs_inputs_for_Broadband_hassles-t4337.html
And chill out! Evidently, they would surely look in the matter.
Sushubh,
It is a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened to say that CNN-IBN has issues with you blogging about anything. If that was the case I would have raised it on the your blogs than take it up with Abhishek. In any case, whatever happened was a private email conversation between me and Abhishek, at no point were you party to the conversation and whatever you know about it is through Abhishek. Why I’ve finally come around to commenting here is because of the misrepresentations. I am not asking you to do anything or change your opinions, I am only trying to say what actually happened, now that there are other people commenting on the issue without having the faintest clue about what happened.
I never told Abhishek that the deal is off because you blogged about it. That is simply wrong. What I did ask him was that if he felt that we were “hounding” him I would rather end the deal because that is something which won’t happen under my watch. How it came out to be a case of hounding (which is a fairly serious charge) could be possible only in two ways 1) Abhishek felt that we were hounding him and told you about it 2) You felt that we were hounding him irrespective of what he told you. In either case there is a problem. So I asked Abhishek if we were hounding him, to which he answered that what was on your blog was your personal opinion. I do not know how you would see it, but asking someone politely if they would want to write for us (btw, Abhishek had first written to us asking for full text RSS feeds which got the ball rolling) is not what most people would call hounding. So there is a fair bit of misrepresentation here one way or the other.
As far as the technical nature of the problems are concerned, Abhishek, by his own admission does not know much about it. So your perception of our “issues related to common sense and sensibility” are at the best based on guesswork. If I were egoistic I’d not have written back to Abhishek asking if we had mistreated him at any point, nor would I have gotten him in touch with the correspondent who is now going to do the series on the pitiful nature of broadband in India. Nobody’s asking you to not be critical. This (http://www.ibnlive.com/comments/post_comments.php?id=5661 ) is just one of the instances where we’ve carried comments which are far from being charitable on the website. But calling people out based on partial information or guesswork is not criticism, constructive or otherwise.
Regards,
shyam
good enough, you wrote what happened, i wrote what i thought was happening.
the point remains that abhishek told me that you took back the offer after pointing towards MY blog post where i called you guys lacking sense and sensibility.
now i think he has another offer to act as a ‘citizen journalist’ from the same channel which has i believe no connection to the blogging department.
Raaahhh…
Peace!
Sushubh isnt popular with CNN-IBN producers and vice versa….
I hope the matter rests here.
Though, technically speaking I am an “employee” of Techwhack, my “boss” ought to know whats happening. I believe there has been some mis communication from both the ends, perception varied and wham…this blog entry elicits a mail saying whether I was being Hounded!
No never. The main purpose of the mail initially was to highlight grammatical mistakes, yes grammatical mistakes in one story write up. I have to fish out the link. And the RSS feeds happened to be later. I am not reproducing the mail here in interests of confidentaility- still setting the record even more straighter…..Can you beat it? Massive bloopers on some stories and blog entires? Atleast the ones I came across randomly. Neh, not expected of this “premium” website.
Let’s see how the blogging thingy works out- still there is no firm answer, nor the CMS set up and neither a word on setting up Word Press.
As for the citizen journy thingy, I dont have time nor patience and now no interest. Camera would make me to do weird things and I am sure the CNN guys wont be able to air it at all!
Forgot about the Sushubh effect. It’s there on WP and I hope that there is an official Oxford Dictionary entry soon!
Abhishek,
I did reply to you email that WP is not an option for us.
I also said that the interface is almost done and that we won’t get much breathing space till the budget ruckus dies down to test/roll it out.
Like I said before, saying we are hounding people to write for us is a fairly serious charge and I guess I am well within my rights to ask for an explanation to set the record straight.
Simple point being that you don’t need to do it if there are so many issues. We are not perfect, we have our own technical issues, but hey, who lives a perfect life anyway?
pl. wash u r dirty linen somewhere else,,,,,,,, we want to blog
wow..he said i said he thought i thought …
very girlish, Boys!
heh :)
No, but trust me some of the things they write on their blog space is damn weird but make interesting reading. check this out by one of their reporters
From Navapur to Geneva…!!
Posted by George Koshy on Monday , March 06, 2006
A week you are in Navapur in Nandurbad district of Maharashtra.Nine hours from Mumbai by road, this place is on the Maharashtra -Gujarat border. The temperature, 37 degrees, the reason- You are covering the Bird-flu outbreak. And the next week you find yourself in Geneva-Switzerland, the temperature minus six degrees and this time, you are covering the Geneva Auto Show.
What a contrast….what excitement….what differential pleasure in doing both the stories….!!! They are both two different stories, two different genres…two different beat….But they both demand common things from you….An equal level of commitment…an equal amount of effort…and an amazing sense of belongingness backed by a passion that demands the best every moment you are on it.
Well that’s what journalism is all about…..it always demands the very best from you while throwing a spirited sense of “variety” at you that is unparalled. And this probably is it’s essence that so strongly attracts ‘dorks’ like me who may not have had any previous experience in it. But just a sublime blind belief that this is the only thing that we ever want to do in life.
Three years in management after an MBA in the UK can do things to you that plead for a break….a chance to break away from the clutter…and do something different with your life…something that throws surprises at you….allows you to be creative, while letting you be your own self. Not a bit of upper lip or sophistication attached….!!!
Quite something that i found here in this profession - An atmosphere that take you back to your teens, An energy that prods you to be different each day. A reason to be a kid each day asking yourself and others answers to questions that everyone has an opinion on…but discovering a new answer each time.
An oppurtunity to touch other people’s lives without interfering with it. A chance to cry with someone who cries but still turn around and be able to wipe that tear.
And all these without losing your roots. Who says you can’t do an engineering or an MBA or even Philosophy and join journalism…??? This is a place for people who have a heart. Agreed, as journalists you cannot think with your heart-You report what you see. But it’s your heart that opens your eyes to things that thousands of eyes might so simply miss.
But the onus is always left on you to make the right decisions. To think ahead of others while thinking along with them too. To constantly ask those questions that keep giving you those bright ideas.
And all said and done, there’s one thing that Management doesnot give you so often. A call every once in a while from your school friends each time your story goes on AIR saying ” We saw you on TV….!!!!”
Posted by George Koshy at 21 : 17 hrs
Guys,
I appreciate the conversations being carried out here. But the question is what is the fundamental objective of this blog. It resembles a realm of chaos, with mud slinging and personal taunts being the order of the day. The entire blog resembles a Californian oil gusher - crude and unrefined. Wouldn’t it be more productive to discuss topics more dignified and fitting to the lay blogger? With some serious appellations involved in authoring their notions, this blog has stupendous potential to blossom into a serious forum for collateral exchange of ideas, philosophies, ideals and thoughts. Shouldn’t we be adopting a more appropriate course for brainstorming? It is hoped in earnest that the point has been driven home.
Nonetheless, i enjoyed perusing throught the posts. Who hates watching wrestling matches?