Peter Griffin is Editor, Special Features, at Forbes India and ForbesLife India. He always considers himself as a student. He also handle social media for both publications. Last week the magazine carried a cover story on Flipkart and created a “HO HO” !! Based on the last week’s brouhaha on the cover story and that Peter being a late convert from advertising into journalism, he has listed nine lessons he learnt about Journalism practiced today. He writes in his column in Forbes India magazine :Being a late convert from advertising, I’m probably the least experienced journalist in the Forbes India team aside from our interns. So I’m always grateful for the lessons the world can teach me.
• It is possible to pronounce judgement on an article based purely on a headline and/or tweets about it.
• A critical cover story must be a marketing gimmick by the subject of the article in collusion with its “critics,” because, after all, as Mr Barnum said, bad publicity is still publicity.
Read the full piece by Peter in Forbes 10 lessons on #journalism from Twitter
Note from Jeetu Shah: Yesterday the full text of the post was published here, but the author objected to that terming it as unethical and directed me to just include part of it and give the link to read the remaining post, which I did. However, I think how grave the crime was it, if the full piece was posted? So, I wrote back to Peter and tried getting some education from him. ” Lesson # 10 in Journalism”.
Below is, what I wrote back to an Editor, Special Features of a globally acclaimed publication:
Peter, It depends on how we interpret ethics in a certain profession. However, since you are the author and I have committed a sin of letting know the readers of my blog about the 10 lessons you learnt, I shall honor your wish.
I still do not understand though, what difference will it make if I go back to the post, edit it, just include a short excerpt and a link and tax the readers to click the link and visit your whole post? If blogging was my profession (money making) it would be 100 % unethical to earn my livelihood on somebody labour (here writings). And is it really unethical that on a non-money making blog even after I have extended all due credits (authors name/fame, picture, magazine’s name, its link, etc) to the related post, even tendering an unconditional apology, for the “sin” I have committed, instead of just taking it lightly, you are so insistent on making me edit the post and update it again? What will one achieve out of it? Can’t we, as a fellow journalists, just be cool about it? Forbes & you are now globally acclaimed identity and people already know you and admire your work.
Even though you are an Editor, you are so down-to-earth & modest to write that you are ‘always a student’, I was inspired to include the full text of your post (instead of making the readers travel on the net), so that people who know & do not know you, can also admire you (especially after the brouhaha about your Flipkart cover story). In many of my other postings, I normally do what you ordered me to do with your post. But this was a relatively small piece, so I thought an honorable journalist of your stature won’t mind.
But, now I know it’s not you, the designation after your name who is hurt. Thanks for teaching me lesson # 10th.
But, my dear friend remember, it’s always good to get respect by one name and work, as the “belt”(designation) doesn’t remain permanent. Though, I am also a journalist (25+ years), I am also from the trader community being a Gujarati. We usually have a signboard in our shop which says,” These days will also Pass” (whether good or bad). I wish you well, Peter. ~ Jeetu
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Hi.
You\’ve copied the entire post. That\’s way beyond fair use and rather unethical.
~peter
Dear Peter, I have given due credit to you and the magazine and the link to the magazine. My blog is all about it. Please view the other postings on my blog. Instead of interpreting anybody’s writing and impressing the reader that I have written it, I try to put the original text written by the author. That’s why I have your post is in Italics, so that the reader knows that it is yours.However, still if you feel that it is ethically inappropriate, please accept my unconditional apology ~ jeetu
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INDIA’s AGNI MISSILE on VATICAN & AMERICA
India’s ballistic missile Agni can also be used for destroying Americas military bases in the Indian Ocean including the Diego Garcia base….…….increasing the length breadth width fuel capacity of the Agni missile means the Agni missile can reach to Europe all the way to UK………the Agni missile has also been designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads…..all of which means if the Indian government wants it can make the Agni missile capable of destroying multiple targets in Europe & UK including Vatican paris Lisbon Madrid hamburg Amsterdam Berlin Switzerland LONDON etc etc etc………OFCOURSE the Americans Britishers Europeans also have the capability to destroy Indian cities………..but an ideal situation should have been for governments to stop wasting tax payers money on making missiles & nuclear bombs and instead divert tax payers money for providing better healthcare pensions insurance infrastructure drinkingWater education twochildpopulationcontroltools goodeducation cheapElectricity etc etc etc etc to all citizens.
MAJORITY of WHITE PEOPLE in Western Countries have stopped attending Church service because they find the Church rituals doctrines rules regulations teachings too OUTDATED & sermons of the Clergy/Pastors too BORING………..somebody will have to reform & reinvent the Church rules doctrines teachings sermons etc etc etc making it user friendly & community driven keeping the core values intact……………Education, medicine, physics, biology, the arts, social justice would not be as advanced or developed as they are today if it were not for the Church……Law scholars would also remember that it was the Church through its canon law system that invented the evidence based trial system……It has after all been the morals and beliefs of the Church that have led to many of Western Civilization’s greatest advances. Universities for examples were the invention of the Catholic Church……..It was the Church that help funded the Renaissance and the amazing art and music and social developments that came along with it. Again it was the Church and its dedicated scholars who developed many of the early scientific theories of physics and biology……….The Church has been around for 2000 years, it has seen Empires rise and fall. The current attacks on ridiculing the Church, Christ & Christianity by some people in secular media – bollywood – hollywood – atheists – rationalists – etc are simply one in a long line…………Over the last 2000 years the people who have been ridiculing the Church, Christ & Christianity always seem to vanish as quickly as they had arisen.
If North East people were dark skinned it would not have been easy for them to get jobs in call centers, private-airlines, 5-star hotels, etc in delhi bombay noida gurgaon bangalore………if Gujaratis Marwaris Sindhis Jains Punjabis Parsis Uppercastes Brahmins etc were dark skinned they would have also not been wealthy & prosperous……if Sonia Gandhi was dark skinned she would also not have been in the senior position of congress party……..only dark skinned people like dalits tribals africans etc are at a disadvantage………it appears that God has not been kind to dark skinned people…………The ancient Hindu caste system dates back to 1500 BC when fair-skinned Aryan tribes invaded northern India. The newcomers conquered India’s dark-skinned indigenous Dalit Tribal Dravidian inhabitants. Though occupation and rank originally determined caste, over centuries caste came to be associated with skin color.
World listens when you have power of money or power of weapons……..today the world listens to China & India because both China & India have power of money & power of weapons……..but on the economic front China is way ahead of India because the Chinese govt. has strictly been following a development & population control policy for the last 20 or 30 years…….although China’s fast development has resulted in massive environmental disasters and their one child policy has resulted in massive female foeticide……….India may also face massive environmental disasters if the govt. passes on more and more land to the SEZlobby & Builderslobby for setting up more and more industrial & real estate zones…….in India female foeticide problem is mainly prevalent in hindu sikh & jain community……….If Muslim & Christian community (which are largely beef eaters) can be kind to its daughters, why not Hindu, Jain & Sikh community.
The Maharashtra government has recently banned the sale of panmasala & gutkha in Maharashtra………..but tobacco & alcohol are also injurious to health…..why is the Maharashtra govt. not prepared to ban the sale of Cigarettes & Alcohol in Maharashtra.
An excellent catholic parish priest in India is the one who apart from taking care of the spiritual needs of the catholic parishioners also does his small bit to improve the health wealth housing of the catholic parishioners……..who discourages the catholic parishioners from drinking alcohol & consuming the unhealthy & unhygienic bakery maida pavs……who does not give boring sermons during Sunday mass…..…..who utilizes vacant church properties for the housing needs of catholic parishioners…..who ensures 50% seats are reserved in parish school for children of catholic parishioners……who encourages those catholic youth who are good in studies to dream & work towards becoming ias ips ifs irs officers doctors enginners etc etc….and encourages the catholic parishioners to aggressively apply for govt. jobs – bank jobs – police jobs etc etc.
Indian govt. has cleared a proposal for setting up of a missile defence shield for Bombay & Delhi in order to protect the financial & political capitals of India from the nuclear bomb loaded ballistic missiles of Pakistan & China……….but who will protect the ecology environment openspaces creeks mangroves estuaries saltpanlands ponds wells forestland lakes rivers gardens wells playgrounds parks agricultural-lands in the Bombay Metropolitan region from being grabbed by the builderslobby slumlords sezlobby landmafia sandmafia miningmafia illegal-migrants mhada sra bmc rightwinghindugroups landencroachers slumdwellers……………ONLY GOD CAN SAVE THE BOMBAY METROPOLITAN REGION FROM ANY FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.……..the Bombay metropolitan region comprises the districts of the north konkan region i.e. Bombay, Thane & Raigad………..instead of giving priority for setting up new engineering colleges, medical colleges, cateringcolleges, commerce-arts-science-degreecolleges, automobilefactory, pharmaceuticalcompany, manufacturingindustries, etc in the bombay metropolitan region the Maharashtra govt. only gives priority for setting up of HUGE residential projects and slums……….the MPs, MLAs, Corporators in the Bombay metropolitan region are heavily dependent on the builderslobby for funds and the illegal-migrants residing in slums for votes so expect more & more buildings & slums all over the Bombay metropolitan region……..the constitution has given the people of India the right to live and work anywhere in India but the constitution has not given any right to anyone to encroach land and build slums and live illegally…….but under the vote bank scheme all illegal migrants residing in the slums of the Bombay metropolitan region have been given legal protection and are provided with rationcards votingcards waterconnections drainagefacilities electricconnections etc etc etc and their slums have also been regularized and they are now entitled to free housing in the new buildings that are being constructed under the SRA scheme………timesnow ndtv cnnibn headlinestoday etc are not going to report on the real issues that plague the Bombay metropolitan region maybe because they don’t want their offices in bombay to be vandalized by the slumdwellers & landmafia & slumlords & politicalgoons & buildersmafia………….ANOTHER INTERESTING POINT TO note is…….people from rural & backward districts of Maharashtra & other parts of India keep migrating to the Bombay Metropolitan region because they don’t have better job opportunities & better standard of living & education & healthcare in their native places……….if there is proper development in industries agriculture housing healthcare education & strict enforcement of two child policy in rural & backward districts of India then only the people from these rural & backward districts will stop migrating to Bombay metropolitan region, delhi and other cities.
If any non-catholic in India wants to receive the eucharistic bread or communion bread during the Sunday mass or any other catholic mass then according to the rules & regulations of the catholic church that non-catholic will first have to get baptized into the catholic faith…………but there is no such Baptism Rule if any non-catholic wants admission for his son/daughter in catholic school……no Baptism rule if any non-catholic builder wants to purchase vacant church property from the church/clergy…….no baptism rule if any non-catholic builder wants to take over any one or two floor old building in possession of the church for redevelopment purpose and build a tall new building with many floors……no baptism rule if any non-catholic wants any property on lease or rent from the church……..under such circumstances the catholic church/clergy in India should also give the eucharistic bread or communion bread to non-catholics without any baptism rule……………the lay catholic associations in India especially on the west coast of India are more interested in organizing football tournaments & Drinking-and-Dancing parties and are not interested in persuading the catholic church/clergy to utilize church resources assets wealth properties institutions for the benefit of those catholic parishioners whose ancestors were converted when the Portuguese & European missionaries were around and the lay catholic associations are also not interested in agitating for 5% quota in govt. jobs, govt. housing, govt. facilities, etc for catholic parishioners.
Excluding Kashmir & Nagaland the leaders financers cadres officebearers activists footsoldiers of the hindu terrorist groups the rss, vhp, bajrangdal are actively involved in anti-christian & anti-muslim activities in all others states of India……..the hindu terrorist groups cannot fight the heavily armed islamic militants in Kashmir & christian rebels in Nagaland and hence prefer to operate in only those states where muslims & christians are not armed………the secular Congress Party led UPA/Indian Govt. has banned many Islamic groups, christian rebel groups, etc but not banned the hindu terrorist groups the rss vhp bajrangdal why this hypocricy……ANY GROUP INVOLVED IN VIOLENCE SHOULD BE BANNED.
The members of Team Anna agitated for 10 years to get the RTI Act passed by parliament so expect another 10 years for the JanlokpalBill, RighttoReject, RighttoRecall, etc to get passed by parliament……….After Hitler and his Nazi gang severely depleted the military assets & manpower of the British Empire in the second world war the Protestant Britishers were not in a position to crush the freedom struggle in their colonial possessions including India…..and just two years after the end of the second world war the British fled from their colonial possessions………..once India got freedom the new leaders should have abolished all laws, acts, rules, regulations, etc invented by the Britishers and setup new laws, acts, rules, regulations with inputs from socialactivists, Gramsabhas, environmentalactivists, villagepanchayats, citizenactivists, farmer tribal fisherfolk representatives, etc…….but since the new political leadership did not want the power of the government, politicians, sarkaribabus to go in the hands of the common man hence all britishraj laws, rules, acts, regulations has been carried forward.
India’s natural resources water land food jobs etc are meant for less than 500 million people but there are now 1250 million people in India so obviously there is going to be serious competition for the same number of resources jobs etc etc………..the population of Europe is declining and there is ample scope for people of India to migrate to Europe for jobs food etc……….instead of opposing population control & birth control it would be very kind of the Pope/Vatican to call upon the European govts. to allow 500 million people from India to permanently settle in Europe without any passport visa travel documents…….to begin with the Pope/Vatican should allow 10 Lakh Slumdwellers from Bombay to settle in & around Vatican city and also instruct the catholic missionaries caritas catholicreliefservices to utilize their foreign funds to hire passenger ships to transport the slumdwellers from Bombay to Vatican city.
ONE MAN CRUSADE NOT ENOUGH IN POLITICS…..NUMBERS AND UNITED SHOW OF STRENGTH MATTERS.
Jorge Monteiro
jorgemnto@gmail.com
Bombay.
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