tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316176782026-10-10T22:31:45.519+05:30ulti khopdiThis blog is written by a journalist based in Mumbai who writes about cities, the environment, developmental issues, the media, women and many other subjects.The title 'ulti khopdi' is a Hindi phrase referring to someone who likes to look at things from the other side.Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.comBlogger563125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-89382752319765475792026-10-10T22:31:45.518+05:302026-10-10T22:31:45.518+05:30Spectacle isn’t the story: What the SIR protests are drowning outBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on October 8, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/10/08/spectacle-isnt-the-story-what-the-sir-protests-are-drowning-outMuch to the discomfiture of the Modi government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the apparent irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls refuses to die down. In fact, it has Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-43904524152787882932026-09-29T15:08:34.249+05:302026-09-29T15:08:34.249+05:30Inside the ECI’s ‘black box’: IE investigation proves print journalism still has bite Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on September 25, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/09/25/inside-the-ecis-black-box-ie-investigation-proves-print-journalism-still-has-biteMainstream print media “abhi jinda hai” (still alive). That’s the conclusion we can draw from the September 23 investigative report helmed by Ritika Chopra of The Indian Express on dissent within the Election Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-51779246435191922312026-09-15T17:14:37.282+05:302026-09-15T17:14:37.282+05:30Nepal flash floods: When disaster becomes contentBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on September 10, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/09/10/nepal-flash-floods-when-disaster-becomes-content August 26, 2026, will be remembered by the people of Nepal for a long time, a day when a wall of water, rocks, ice, and cement cascaded down from the mountains and swept away bridges, hydropower stations, settlements and thousands of people Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-41144900654594458262026-09-02T14:16:43.521+05:302026-09-02T14:16:43.521+05:30The stories the media sees only in a crisis are now being told by schoolchildren Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on August 28, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/08/28/the-stories-the-media-sees-only-in-a-crisis-are-now-being-told-by-schoolchildrenThe fallout of the student protests at Jantar Mantar last month, culminating in the police crackdown on July 20, and the ripples created throughout the country have yet to settle.One of the significant outcomes hasKalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-45065954416720843092026-08-10T12:47:00.320+05:302026-08-10T12:47:00.321+05:30As CJP protest wrapped up, media found its ‘villains’ and buried all victimsBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on August 6, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/08/06/as-cjp-protest-wrapped-up-media-found-its-villains-and-buried-all-victimsJuly 20, 2026, is a day that will be remembered for a long time. Not just because of the massive response to the call given by the Cockroach Janta Party to march to Parliament. Not just because of the recorded evidence of policeKalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-53322381082994641722026-07-12T16:41:57.649+05:302026-07-12T16:41:57.649+05:30Be it NEET or Ayodhya, BJP’s accountability problem is getting harder to hide. Media must keep askingBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on July 9, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/07/09/be-it-neet-or-ayodhya-bjps-accountability-problem-is-getting-harder-to-hide-media-must-keep-askingAccountability and corruption. These two words are now haunting the Modi government. Not just because of the ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janta Party and its followers in New Delhi demanding the Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-91289636168068421172026-06-26T11:29:12.945+05:302026-06-26T11:29:12.946+05:30Documenting the PandemicBook review in The India ForumPublished on June 23, 2026 Link: https://www.theindiaforum.in/book-reviews/documenting-pandemicDocumenting Lost Time: Reports from a Recent PandemicEdited by Nalini RajanOrient BlackSwan, 2026The Covid-19 global pandemic, which stretched three years from 11 March 2020 to 5 May 2023, has left behind questions that still await answers, scars that have yet to heal,Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-5092389133789253042026-06-19T13:07:43.104+05:302026-06-19T13:07:43.104+05:30Mainstream media is losing a generation. Cockroach Janta Party is merely a symptom Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on June 11, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/06/11/mainstream-media-is-losing-a-generation-cockroach-janta-party-is-merely-a-symptomA pest entered the news cycle recently. One that most people would like to either squash or obliterate with a deadly spray. So far, it has not been either squashed or obliterated. Only time will tell whether it can Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-88502790724005287042026-06-04T13:16:22.544+05:302026-06-04T13:16:22.544+05:30‘Let them drink water’: Media is burying the corporate plunder driving our climate crisisBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on May 28, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/05/28/let-them-drink-water-media-is-burying-the-corporate-plunder-driving-our-climate-crisisIndia is at boiling point, literally. The world's hottest cities are all in India, and most are in Uttar Pradesh. It is a crisis that impacts the majority, especially the poor. Yet, it is not the dominant Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-71586934583922044672026-05-14T13:01:10.923+05:302026-05-14T13:01:10.923+05:30Press freedom index puts focus on newsrooms telling India’s hardest stories Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on May 7, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/05/07/press-freedom-index-puts-focus-on-newsrooms-telling-indias-hardest-storiesEvery year we are informed that India is sinking lower on the World Press Freedom Index put together by Reporters Without Borders. India now stands at 157 out of 180 countries. “So what?” says the government. “We Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-59767748123221178842026-05-14T12:52:41.240+05:302026-05-14T12:52:41.240+05:30India’s media problem in 2 headlines: ‘Anti-women’ opposition, ‘mastermind’ Nida KhanBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on April 23, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/23/indias-media-problem-in-2-headlines-anti-women-opposition-mastermind-nida-khanIn the last two weeks, we have seen how easily Indian mainstream media echoes the “manufactured narrative” that the Modi government and its surrogates seek to amplify.Let’s start with what the media has chosen to call Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-75209394418466361892026-04-22T17:40:00.000+05:302026-04-22T17:40:01.712+05:30No gas and no vote: Inside the two-front war on the poor that mainstream media missesBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on April 9, 2026The US and Israel-led war against Iran might, or might not, end as the world holds its collective breath following the declaration of a ceasefire for two weeks. But in India, there are at least two wars that are affecting millions of ordinary people. As in West Asia, the people most affected did not ask for these wars.To get a sense of what is Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-67516773881791811882026-03-31T16:22:00.000+05:302026-03-31T16:22:06.802+05:30Fog of war or media smokescreen? When truth became a casualty in the Iran vs US-Israel conflictBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on March 27, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/03/27/fog-of-war-or-media-smokescreen-when-truth-became-a-casualty-in-the-iran-vs-us-israel-conflict The unprovoked attack by Israel and the US on Iran that began on February 28 shows no signs of abating at the time of writing. Instead, it has sucked the entire world into a time of uncertainty.InKalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-33659212842168882912026-03-18T16:07:00.000+05:302026-03-18T16:07:50.578+05:30For Western and Indian press, people are just footnotes in the performance of warBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on March 12, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/03/12/for-western-and-indian-press-people-are-just-footnotes-in-the-performance-of-war As I write this on March 12, we have entered the 13th day of the unprovoked war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran. Every day we are inundated with information, opinion, and visuals on this Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-59676946673270262082026-03-06T15:32:00.001+05:302026-03-06T15:32:19.686+05:30Media can’t kill India’s colonial mindset if it bows before VIPs Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on February 27, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/02/27/media-cant-kill-indias-colonial-mindset-if-it-bows-before-vipsThe coverage of the recently concluded India AI Summit 2026 in New Delhi tells you more about the status of mainstream media in India than any study or survey. It is also a commentary on how much ordinary Indians accept Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-5886278704927285082026-02-19T15:15:00.000+05:302026-02-19T15:15:29.243+05:30Connecting the dots: From ‘Devbhoomi’ to Mumbai, the communal targeting media won't see Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on February 13, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/02/13/connecting-the-dots-from-devbhoomi-to-mumbai-the-communal-targeting-media-wont-seeThere is news. And then there is barely any news.When headlines are dominated by what politicians say, by accusations and counter-accusations, it is virtually impossible to get a sense of what is really Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-37676749602317691012026-01-31T13:22:00.000+05:302026-01-31T13:22:18.474+05:30The bigger story in Kashmir is the media’s silence on action against its ownBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on January 23, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/01/23/the-bigger-story-in-kashmir-is-the-medias-silence-on-action-against-its-ownThe job of a journalist, in any part of India, is to observe, investigate, verify and report. But if you do precisely that in Kashmir, you are in big trouble. That is what journalists associated with major English Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-82556805133117368042026-01-16T15:29:00.003+05:302026-01-16T15:29:24.510+05:30SC’s baffling bail order rattled the press. Voter rolls exercise should terrify it Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on January 9, 2026Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/01/09/scs-baffling-bail-order-rattled-the-press-voter-rolls-exercise-should-terrify-itIt is rare for India’s mainstream media to speak with one voice on an issue that makes the government uncomfortable. It is remarkable, therefore, that almost every major newspaper made strong editorial Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-82105659707107538812026-01-05T13:08:00.000+05:302026-01-05T13:08:05.004+05:30TV media sinks lower as independent media offers glimmer of hope in 2025 Broken News2025 in ReviewPublished in Newslaundry on December 22, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/12/22/tv-media-sinks-lower-as-independent-media-offers-glimmer-of-hope-in-2025As we come to the end of 2025, how do we assess the state of our mainstream media? Can it sink lower than it already has, given that it stands at 151 out of 180 countries in the World Press Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-33324123536663652892025-12-08T14:01:00.000+05:302025-12-08T14:01:29.055+05:30When media ‘solves’ terror cases, Kashmiris are collateral damage Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on November 27, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/11/27/when-media-solves-terror-cases-kashmiris-are-collateral-damageThe story about the Delhi blast on November 10, where a car exploded at peak hour in the Red Fort area, killing 15 people and injuring many more, continues to unravel as we read every day about the police and investigating Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-58594224916266532072025-11-23T17:14:00.002+05:302025-11-23T17:14:36.876+05:30From one WhatsApp to every frontpage: How ‘sources’ dictated the Delhi blast coverageBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on November 13, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/11/13/from-one-whatsapp-to-every-frontpage-how-sources-dictated-the-delhi-blast-coverageEvery time a suspected terror attack takes place in India, you can be certain about how it will play out in the Indian media. Without waiting for verifiable information, there will be confident Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-83496007832358335252025-11-05T12:31:00.001+05:302025-11-05T12:31:47.393+05:30Washington Post’s Adani-LIC story fizzled out in India. That says a lotBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on October 30, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/10/30/washington-posts-adani-lic-story-fizzled-out-in-india-that-says-a-lotWhether the story had substance or not, it is intriguing that there has been little to no follow up in mainstream print media to the Washington Post expose about the Life Insurance Corporation’s investments in Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-73147330338270601292025-10-27T17:05:00.000+05:302025-10-27T17:05:31.515+05:30Taliban’s male-only presser: How media failed to fact-check Afghan minister’s pro-woman claimsBroken NewsLink: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/10/16/talibans-male-only-presser-how-media-failed-to-fact-check-afghan-ministers-pro-woman-claimsPublished in Newslaundry on October 16, 2025He came. He got his way. Then he relented, somewhat. And then he left.I am referring to the events surrounding the recent visit of Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the current Taliban-led Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-44109323802387572592025-10-13T18:16:00.000+05:302025-10-13T18:16:28.012+05:30Jimmy Kimmel to Kunal Kamra: Trump’s US follows a familiar playbook from Modi’s India Broken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on September 25, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/09/25/jimmy-kimmel-to-kunal-kamra-trumps-us-follows-a-familiar-playbook-from-modis-indiaWhat do the current government of the United States, headed by Donald Trump, and the government in India, led by Narendra Modi, have in common?I would suggest at least three aspects, although there are Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31617678.post-35519559075743718722025-09-17T12:44:00.003+05:302025-09-17T12:44:39.666+05:30Media spotlights leaders, but misses stories of those affected by their decisionsBroken NewsPublished in Newslaundry on September 11, 2025Link: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/09/11/media-spotlights-leaders-but-misses-stories-of-those-affected-by-their-decisions While Trump and tariffs continue to dominate our headlines, there is an important difference between why he is in the news, and why our leader, Narendra Modi, also continues to dominate the news. That Kalpana Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16361711690359164151noreply@blogger.com0