Once upon a time, there lived a Blog called Mediaah! It provided vivid commentary on what the Media was up to. It carried news we would have otherwise missed because none of the newspapers, magazines and websites we read would carry them. In short, Mediaah! was slowly but steadily turning heads.
Unfortunately for Pradyuman Maheshwari and Shivani Maheshwari (the people behind Mediaah!…they got noticed. For people like us it is fine to get noticed…in fact we go around wanting to get noticed. But when you are standing up for something, getting noticed means trouble.
The Times of India Group got wind of Mediaah!, and swung into action immediately. It only helped that 19 of the posts on Mediaah! were about the media group. A sure-fire reason for the Goliath-like media group to send a legal notice to Mediaah! Their contention was the posts on the Blog were defamatory in nature. Surprising…that it came from a media group that used to consider freedom of expression as one of the corner stone of a democracy. Or have their priorities changed?
Surprising still, because the media gets to criticize and pass judgment on everything under the sun, and yet starts sending legal notices when somebody does the same to it.
It is only in Bible stories that Davids beat Goliaths. In the real world, it might happen…but has not happened yet. Mediaah! stopped publication on March 10 2005, and ever since many Bloggers have joined hands to seek justice.
I agree we can’t hit the road asking for Times to withdraw its legal notice. But we can let people – like you and me – know that the media group has sent a legal notice to a Blogger, for what he thought was his opinion…his expression.
You could get in touch with Pradyuman Maheshwari at pm@mediaah.com and express your solidarity.
Believe me, this movement is going to take on gigantic proportions. And the initiators could be the people behind a brilliant idea to create another Blog called Mediaha! (a take off on the original Mediaah!).
The initiators of Mediaha! know a thing or two of Brand placement. Their emphasis-line is “A blog set up to mourn the muzzling and demise of Mediaah!”
Here are the nineteen exhibits that the Times Group found offensive – One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen.
If you feel you have to be part of this movement, go and sign the Online Petition. To see how many have already signed the petition, Click Here.
And pray, I don’t get a legal notice 😉
*If you want you can spread the word by copy and pasting/or linking this content…I won’t send you a legal notice.