Barkha Dutt Quits NDTV: My letter to her
Hello Barkha,
Today, I heard on Twitter that you are quitting NDTV. It came as quite a surprise to me, since I’ve always associated NDTV with you. I’m a “millennial”, and the oldest memory of journalism for me is watching you report the Kargil war. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those images.
While I was in my primary school, “We the People” was quite an influence on me. Back in those days, the internet wasn’t as powerful and freely available as it is today. So most of my opinions were formed by listening to shows like yours — and I’m quite sure that many from my generation would agree with me on this. “The Buck Stops Here” was one of my favourite shows.
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With the advent of Twitter, I was then exposed to the vitriol against you (which quite frankly was a big surprise to me). Off late, I don’t follow mainstream TV news that much (for a multitude of reasons). But I still have a lot of respect for NDTV, mainly because the “debates” are civilised at the very least. Who would like to see “experts” shouting at each other? (I certainly don’t)
I sense that a new wave of journalism is sweeping through this country of mine, and the role of “mainstream media” is likely to change dramatically, with new forms of media emerging. I’m sure you’ve thought your decision through, and I’m certainly excited to find out what you would do next.
Wishing you all the very best.
Shashank
-A Fanboy
