MANUFACTURING NEWS - TIMES OF INDIA STYLE : Unethical journalism?
Times Of India's DELHI Edition Headline says "BJP Attacks Christian Chaplin" while BANGALORE Edition carries different headline.
Why the change in Delhi Edition Headline - why blame it on BJP when protest is from locals cutting across party lines and religion? Did TOI Delhi Editor want to please certain Italian Madam to show off their anti-BJP stand?
It is well known in Karnataka that Times Of India has been carrying a campaign against State BJP govt ever since govt started implementing court order to close pubs by 11:30PM. With liquor ads being main source of income, naturally Times Of India had to support their sponsors so has been carrying campaign against police, BJP Govt and its ministers for months now.
Below are some facts about this so called "Protest against Charlie Chaplin Statue" row
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INTERNATIONAL MEDIA FALL FOR PUBLICITY STUNT / PRANK!
Almost reminiscent of PenPricks blog expose in Goa - where a group of bloggers fooled National International media about a "prize Nazi catch" story, so called protest against Charlie Chaplin statue in Udupi District, Karnataka has now become International news with gullible Associated Press Indian bureau picking it up without knowing that whole issue is a publicity stunt / prank played by an unheard of Kannada Cinema director!
FACTS ABOUT SO-CALLED PROTEST AGAINST CHARLIE CHAPLIN STATUE near Maravante / Byndoor in Udupi District:
1. "Director" Hemant Hegde never received permission from government to install a statue in an ecologically sensitive zone which comes under CRZ (Coastal Regulatory Zone)
2. Kannada filmworld has never heard about this so called director "Hemant Hegde" till now. He has acted in minor roles but is not known as a director.
3. Kannada film budget hardly goes above 1 or 2 Crore rupees and director is claiming he wants to spend 35 Lakh rupees (30% of the budget for a statue!?) out of that for a statue simply does not seem realistic. This inflated numbers make it clear that Hemant Hegde never had any intention of constructing a huge statue, but simply wanted publicity for his film. It has become common these days to drop "Guinness Book of World Records" for silliest ventures to get cheap publicity.
4. Locals (belonging to Hindu, Muslim, Christian) leaders did not protest because Chaplin is Christian. They just asked for proof of permission when Hemant Hegde barged in with dozens of workers and started digging ground right near a temple entrance. Temple has been around for hundreds of years and is visited by people of all religions.
5. It was Hemant Hegde who abused protesting locals and showed off his "contacts in media world". It has to be noted that Hemant's local fixer is one Janardhana Maravante, a journalist and known Kannada cine journalist Girish Rao Jogi is a close friend of Hegde - and we all know how things work and word spreads when journalists are involved in a "story"
6. With no permit in hand and locals objecting to his illegal act of constructing a statue in govt land, Hemant Hegde plotted a scheme to pressurize State Govt. "Let us blame it on Hindutva!!". Piggybacking on nationwide witch hunt of "communal","radicals","Hindu talibanis" living in Coastal Karnataka, Hemant Hegde and his journalist friends concocted a story about "Hindus opposing Christian Chaplin"
As we all know to get free publicity now is very simple when you blame Hindutva for every acts.
And hey presto, this has become International News now. Hemant Hegde and his journalist friends are getting their 15 minutes of fame for a movie which has no screenplay, no actors signed up but has already received free publicity at International level!
