Fear Monger Trump

According to US President Obama, Donald Trump is waging a White House campaign based on “simplistic solutions and scapegoating”. Stating that the real estate mogul has been appealing to people’s fears and uncertainty about the future, Obama added that the message being put out has had adherents through history. » Another lapse in security at the Pathankot Air Base is gaining light. According to media reports, NIA sources have claimed that the security outside the air base allowed villagers entry with their cattle for a price of Rs 50. This is how the terrorists might have possibly entered too. However, the NIA was quick to deny such reports. » Two Iraqi journalists were shot dead in war ridden Iraq. Journalist Saif Tallal and his cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki were killed as they returned from a reporting trip with the head of security command responsible for the province, according to a Sharqiya news presenter. Reporters Without Borders said 11 journalists were killed in Iraq during 2015, the most in any country.

Boom-Boastic

North Korea announced yesterday that it tested its first ‘Hydrogen bomb’ which created an earthquake of magnitude 5.1. North Korea’s history of exaggerated military claims has taken one more leap with their fourth nuclear test claim since 2006. The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting on the reported test, “strongly” condemning the move. Read more. » US President Barack Obama became tearful as he remembered 20 elementary school children shot dead three years ago in Newtown, Connecticut. On Tuesday Obama formally announced executive measures that will make it harder to buy and sell weapons, albeit he admitted they might not stop the scourge of mass shootings. Advocating stricter enforcement of existing gun laws, improved mental health care and increased research into gun safety technology, the announcement led to the hashtag #StopGunViolence trending worldwide on Twitter. » Aamir Khan’s remark about intolerance has once again created a controversy. Yesterday, a section of media reported that the Centre had removed him as the brand ambassador of the Incredible India campaign under Tourism Ministry. However, refuting these rumors the Tourism Ministry has issued a statement confirming their association with creative agency, McCann Worldwide and Aamir Khan.

Beefy Party Causes Trouble

Mayank Jain, a Delhi based journalist, was detained by the police for 7 hours. Merely going to cover an event called ‘Beefy Party’ organized in protest of the Dadri lynching, he had his business card torn by the police stating that he had “offended the feelings of a lot of people” for which we would be “punished”, wrote Mayank as a first-person account on Scroll.in. » Dainik Jagran continues to downplay the Dadri lynching contrary to its competitor papers. Failing to mention the incident on the first page of its Rajdhani edition, Dadri-related news found space on page 9 on October 6, 2015. » The attacks on the media have come under fire from several journalist bodies including the Editors Guild of India. Expressing grave concern, PCI said it was examining the reports of attacks and has sought a response from the West Bengal government. » Germany and Karnataka appear to be strongly tied together in the historical cultural landscape. Rev. Hermann Friedrich Mögling, a German was responsible for the first ever Kannada newspaper, Mangalooru Samachara, in 1843. While, Rev. Ferdinand Kittel compiled the first Kannada-English dictionary in 1894. Forgotten in their birth-land, both these pioneers are remembered in Karnataka even over a century later. » US President Obama has been told that he is “not welcome” to meet the Umpqua shooting victims. Conservative Oregon newspaper complained that Obama had politicized the tragedy by mentioning gun control measures during his initial remarks at a Press Conference.

Communal Paranoia

Police in Texas arrested a 14-year old boy Ahmed Mohamed after teachers mistook his homemade electronic clock for a bomb. Hashtag – #ISupportAhmed rapidly became Twitter’s top trending topic with support pouring in from a number of people including Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. » Mumbai-based journalist John Dayal has allegedly received death threats over Twitter posts. Tweeting about the arrest of St. Xavier’s School’s Principal’s molestation case, he commented that the owners of the school were connected to the ruling party. » The Cyberabad Police have launched a ‘Social Media Management Center’ at their HQ in Gachibowli. Anurag Sharma, DGP stated that such initiatives are the need of the hour; enabling people to easily reach the police, alerting them about crime instantly with photo or video evidence using social media.

Men on a Mission

On a one of its kind campaign trail, President Barack Obama will trek through the Alaskan wilderness for a special edition of NBC’s “Running Wild with Bear Grylls.” The episode, which will be taped and air later this year, is meant to call attention to the effects of climate change on that area. PETA however, did not take the news well; releasing a statement criticizing the show. » Reliance Broadcast Network owned 92.7 Big FM undergoes revamp, unveiling its new logo. A rectangular blue panel with its name with the ‘big’ is in a yellow circle in the center, the network’s new logo is described as contemporary, young, optimistic and fun. “On a mission to reach, engage and enrich the lives of India’s vast populace, the new logo is a positive change and we are looking forward to creating yet another benchmark,” said COO Ashwin Padmanabhan. » To mark Sanskrit Diwas celebrations, DD has launched an exclusive page on Facebook and a handle on Twitter to cater to its specific audience in Sanskrit. Officials also added that the DD News has also decided to shift the timing of its Sanskrit programme ‘Vaartavali’ from afternoon slot on Sundays to evening prime time on Saturdays in order to meet a long-standing demand from viewers.

Ethics or Reality

The Huffington Post reports on the plights of Bangladeshi journalists and how murders and assaults are reported in graphic detail. Reporters seem to argue that they serve an audience deeply affected by violence, which is the reality of developing countries racked by conflict and crime.  The article cites, “The media… is landed with the job of keeping the public’s attention harnessed long enough for an investigation to be launched – just long enough for the cops to start chasing the killers.” The controversy arose as the story of a 13-year-old child labourer being brutally beaten to death came into focus.  The video went viral in Bangladesh with major TV channels and local news websites showing extracts of the footage. In contrast, international outlets neither publicized the video nor showed the boy’s face clearly, citing standards of good journalism. Al-Jazeera compressed the boy’s photo to a mere 250×139 pixels tucked into a sidebar, while The Independent completely blurred out his face. » “The notion that I am content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails, Major, that’s nonsense, and you should know better,” President Obama told Major Garrett, a White House reporter for CBS News who asked the question about American citizens languishing in Iranian jails at a time when he led a successful negotiations with Iran on the nuclear deal. Garrett did not ease up, “Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content, with all the fanfare around this deal, to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation, unaccounted for in relation to these four Americans?”

POTUS

It’s official! @POTUS – the official government account of the President of US  on twitter is here. His first tweet said “Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.” The handle gathered 1 million followers in just 24 minutes after his first tweet. According to a White House official, @POTUS handle will transfer to the next President when Obama leaves office on 2017. The account is flooded with remarks welcoming Obama to 140 character world.

Make in India: The Modi-Fied Suit!

In a digital market where selfies are the norm and personal promotion, a brand building formula, the world witnessed Indian PM in all his fashion glory. Trailing a blaze alongside the Obamas’, “PM gave Michelle Obama stiff fashion competition” (Reuters) with his name delicately embossed “on the pinstripe bandhgala suit” (Financial Express). Designers interviewed by India Today, lauded Modi’s choice and called “it a customised marvel”. PM Modi definitely understands the value of his brand and is “not afraid to wear his name on his sleeve” (WSJ).

#NObama Day for Agra

Agra’s media were duly on standby awaiting the arrival of US President Barack Obama who was due to visit the Taj Mahal today. Skribe spoke to Dilip Sharma, City Chief Editor of Dainik Jagran’s Agra edition, who remarked, “Our team was all set to cover the President but as its stands there’s a no show. When Bill Clinton visited, he called Agra a ghost town, as the whole city was shut down and turned into a fortress – tight security preludes journalists to even get close to the historical monument!”