Wiki introduces Barkha Dutt as an Indian television journalist, news reporter and columnist, associated with NDTV as a group editor.Barkha Dutt was born on 18 December 1971 to S. P. Dutt, who is an official in Air India and Prabha Dutt who was a well-known journalist with the Hindustan Times. She has done her graduation from St. Stephen's College, Delhi with a degree in English literature. She received a Master's in Mass Communications from Jamia Millia Islamia Mass Communication Research Centre, New Delhi.
There are several talks about Barkha Dutt's personal life. As per some reports, she is married twice and both of her husbands are Kashmiri Muslims. The name of her first husband was Mir and after divorcing Mir, she is married to Dr. Haseeb Drabu, was the Chairman of J & K Bank when Barkha proposed her. Both have dated for some time and then got married.Even some reports also suggested that, Barkha has married to a person who is linked to an anti-India organisation. ( IH unable to confirm the facts on its own.)
The daring women had given the reportage of Kargil War. She has won many national and international awards.But she was also accused as "face of the Radia tapes scandal", as she was one taped in the Radia tapes controversy.
But even more sadly, one bigger question mark on her career is that while covering the events of 2002 Gujarat violence, Barkha identified mob attackers as 'Hindus" and victims as 'Muslims', "surprisingly only of this particular case of 2002 riot" on television, flouting the guidelines of the Press Council of India.
INDIA HONEST surprises that, if this has unknowingly exposed one often alleged blame on Barkha's communal bias ? Moreover the opponents world over took advantage of the coverage to question India's secular credentials
and even pushed US to ban issuance of visa to Modi, { :) (Obama must have repented this now}, which many allege was a Congress conspiracy in alliance with few of such biased media agents, that hurt national interest more than the small political benefit to few by "giving upper hand" to the "Communal Terror Elements in Pakistan for Ever.
In 2008 Mumbai attacks of Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident, Burkha Dutt had covered the live attacks. But Dutt was even severely criticised for her coverage of 2008 Mumbai attacks, during which she reported from Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident. and was blamed for sensationalising the events, putting lives at risk and causing deaths by identifying on live television where the hotel guests might be located.
Writing for the New York Times, Lydia Polgreen even wrote that critics viewed Dutt as extremely "theatrical and melodramatic" in their coverage of the 2008 attacks
Yes it is a true fact that in 2008, the Indian government the UPA 1 led by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi awarded Barkha Dutt the Padma Shri,India's fourth highest civilian honour. But as the critics are always there and in the 2012 book Corruption Free India: Fight to Finish, Yasir Hussain described Barkha Dutt as a "controversial" and a "pro Sonia Gandhi" journalist.
Many FAQ, from time to time, are found if you go in history as : "How did Barkha Dutt get a Padma Bhushan, the fourth highest civilian honour of India?" ........"Is it true that Barkha Dutt is a pro-congress journalist?" INDIA HONEST wishes let readers deliberate and judge it.
Even some nasty and ridiculous questions are raised by some visibly looking angry readers as : "Why do most people think NDTV and Barkha Dutt as Congress Dalal ? Are there any evidences ( Youtube video) for that? " or..........."Why is NDTV the news channel so anti-Modi or so pro-Congress?"
INDIA HONEST hopes, all this must be and should be debated seriously and yes, not whimsically, more in the interest of establishing continuity of a free and fair Journalism and the Role of Media in India. Don't we need opening up ouselves, "When there is nothing to hide in free and fair journalism" ?
Barkha Dutt has her involved in several controversies, as once on live television, she has described Gujaratis as "traditionally effete people". In 2011 Britta Ohm wrote that Dutt has attracted "substantial criticism" over the past few years for her various aspects of her reporting. Ohm had also written that Dutt is criticised for "secular shrillness", betraying the cause of Kashmiri Pandits, over-the-top nationalism in the reporting of Kargil conflict, and for soft-pedalling Hindutva.
INDIA HONEST argues that healthy and true debate is the essence of democracy and the journalists play important role in fixing that media coverage free and fair, and that only sustains people's trust on the fourth pillar of democracy.
Though politics misguides us many time to get a false conclusion on national issues but the role of unclean and dishonest journalism turns out to be much bigger evil as it's reach is bigger and has greater effect in moulding the national perception on things. On the eve of Delhi election, the violent Christian protest with non-stop continuous media focus has its relevance in the pattern in minority voting to favour a particular party.
Or otherwise why out of thousands riots in India since Independence, only one, the 2002 Gujarat riot, which had instantly boom ranged in retaliation of "Godhra carnage by burning of fifty or more persons travelling as a group of Rambhakts", was given such vast publicity of hated revenge killings, that the world was made to believe that what Congress leader Sonia Gandhi uttered of Narendra Modi as "Mout ka Soudagar" as a true and correct view.
Yes here the so called free and fair media has definitely played it's biased role , when Rajdeep Sardesai and Burkha Dutt became the most important secular journalist, all on sudden on Congress prodding.
INDIA HONEST wishes the people and the nation needs to deliberate deeply on this that ruined nation's secular thread and feels to raise a question, "Was this True"?