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» » Detailed Story ‘Bad journalists’ M K Chandra Bose
The book reveals the underbelly of the media and is a good read for anyone
interested in the news...

Beyond the Newsroom,

By Oswald Pereira

Frog Books

Pages 255

Rs 245.

In the eighties when a coterie of reporters in Bangalore were acting as the
drum beaters of a chief minister, some of their ilk in Bombay were dancing
to the tunes of an underworld don.

They included journalists from the lowly tabloids to the mighty national
dailies. The unholy nexus between politicians and journalists has been
written about but very little is known about the underworld clout with the
fourth estate. Beyond the Newsroom fills this void.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. Through this work of fiction,
journalist Oswald Pereira manages to bring out the bitter truth of what
goes behind the news– crime news in particular. It is the horror
story of suppression and distortion of news to suit the needs of a mafia
don. The don is Narayan Swamy, the semi-literate bootlegger -turned
Bombay’s most dreaded crime lord who manipulates ministers,
legislators, criminals, police officers, lawyers and journalists to do his
dirty jobs.

He has a special liking for journalists as he has found them to be ideal
intermediaries.

A handpicked triumvirate of journalists including a leading business writer
acts as his eyes and ears. It is their job to alert him, to suppress
unpalatable news, to intervene on his behalf at the right time and advise
him on making his ill-gotten wealth white. Those on his payroll never fail
him. His escape to Madras by hoodwinking a posse of 400 policemen makes big
headlines.

Not many of the interesting characters are fictitious. The Godfather is
modelled on notorious Varadaraja Mudaliar who ruled the Bombay underworld
with an iron hand. He built a multi-crore financial empire but wanted to
turn over a new leaf. Some of the politicians and the super cop on the
don’s trail are easily identifiable. One of the crony journalists has
shades of a scribe who writes on Bombay underworld.

It is a thriller which can be read at one go. As a novel Beyond the
Newsroom is a modest success. It is more like investigative journalism at
its best but won’t find a place in any newspaper. The harsh truths
tumbling out are severe indictments of a noble profession debauched by
unscrupulous scribes.

What appears as a scoop is often a plant by some vested interests to serve
their ends. Often the reader won’t get the real news as there are
journalists willing to hide it for a few pegs of Scotch. Pereira’s
expose on the dirty deeds of some black sheep is a timely reminder when the
Indian media scene is witnessing a churning process. The book will be of
interest to every one who cares for news. Other Headlines »
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