Last week one of the highest selling news daily in Goa created ripples not only in Goa but all over the world with irresponsible, inaccurate caption that 45 percent of Goans are alcoholics. Several requests to the editor to issue a corrigendum fell on deaf ears; furthermore the issue was further muddled with an editorial which said that 45 percent of Goans consume alcohol.
Now whom do we believe the reporter who has actually filed the news item or the sub-editor who captioned the story or the editor. This is yet to be clarified by the newspaper but still today this news daily is keeping its readers and Goans all over the globe that check the online edition in suspense. This is irresponsible reporting that Dr. Joe D’souza had recently written about in his article titled, “The crisis of scientific reporting in Goa.”
The incident occurred with some personalities associated with Alcoholic Annonymous (AA) issuing a press-note as a run-up of its worldwide convention in Goa, wherein it was stated that, “approximately more than 45 percent of Goans consume legal alcohol – way ahead of the Indian average of 25 percent for other states. It is estimated that there might be about a lakh of alcoholics in Goa.” The reporter seems to have filed the news item as per the press-note without verifying the facts or maybe to quantify his daily stories.
Firstly the personalities who issued the press-note had to be questioned on the veracity of the facts and figures, secondly the reporter should have had knowledge that AA is not allowed to provide percentages or figures as they do not gather statistics. The reporter miserably failed to adhere to the basic norms of journalism that is to verify and confirm facts and figure placed before him by somebody else.
Secondly the sub-editor in-charge of the front page acted in most the irresponsible manner while giving the caption that screamed, “45% Goans are alcoholics” It is very evident that the careless journalist read only the first two sentences of the news item and did not understand those two lines also but went ahead with the caption.
If one pauses for a minute and ponders the caption sounds ridiculous because such a high percentage roughly adds to around six lakhs out of the total 14 lakh population. This means seeing a Goan fallen by the roadside or in a gutter would be common sight. The rate of domestic violence would have been higher, unemployment should have been much higher. Then we have a vibrant economy, tourism is thriving with lakhs of youth have a stake in it, young entrepreneurs have become prosperous and more are in the making. But this simple logic or thoughts did not seem to have struck the sub-editor while giving the title.
Now coming to the second aspect of the news item that states, “there might be about a lakh of alcoholics in Goa.” The sub-editor should have taken a note of this as for one lakh does not add to 45 percent. At the same time the usage of term ‘might be’ should have sparked a light in the reporter’s as well as the sub-editor’s head, it is an irony that it did not. Worse still the report appeared on the front page of the news daily which indicates that it also had the sanction of the chief sub editor and the news editor but nothing was done to rectify the underlying damage such an irresponsible report would do to Goans all over the globe. It is a height of incompetency.
Taking the argument further that there are one lakh alcoholics in Goa. This is including migrant population like night loaders, day coolies, construction workers, daily wage workers, factory workers. And more importantly those alcoholics who have attained sobriety are also included in this bracket. So what is the correct percent of Goans being alcoholics.
I am not saying that alcoholism is not prevalent in Goa, it is very much present but given Goan scenario like our life style, brewing two types of feni’s in thousands of homes, enjoying Urrak during summers in almost every household in Goa besides easy availability of other alcohol across lakhs of counters, in taverns, bars and restaurants and shacks the percentage of alcoholism is comparatively low. By this I surely mean that we cannot lie back and relax, we have to arrest the growing menace of alcoholism among the youth.
Alcoholic Anonymous is doing a great among the alcoholics but the state government should set mechanism in place to educate youth about the ill-effects of the consuming alcohol. Then there should be stringent punishment to those who sell and serve alcohol to youth below the age of 18 years. Of course that is another aspect of alcoholism.
But this news daily which is widely sold in south Goa has done is unknowingly joined hands with the Bollywood, which have been portraying Goans as drunkards or boozards for time immemorial. In recent times the national news channels and print media has termed Goa as the rape capital of India, even though the rate of rapes in other parts of the country is much higher, but some incidents of rape of a foreign tourists in Goa tantamount to being termed as rape capital and that too when police investigation and CBI investigation in the murder of Scarlett Keeling has revealed that the victim was not rape. And now our own local news daily with a huge following on the online edition has hammered the last nail in the coffin by smearing the image of almost half the population of Goans as alcoholics.
God save Goa and Goans from the politicians, builders, mine owners and now irresponsible journalists.
10 comments:
The Press in Goa is sentimental to the feelings of the politicians and their chamchas. Herald will not publish anything what their political masters wouldn't like. Navhind times is just the same with highlights on Rane and his coteire. Gomantak times is still better than all but is controlled on certain issues that affects a certain community. Times of India, Goa edition is blind. It creates ripples but no waves.
Press should be free from political pressure and be able to report things as they are. This report about Goan Alcoholics is bound to provoke spirited discussion in every place where it is broached and look upon Goans as drunkards.
This daily is no other than Herald that dances according to the fancies of the politicians. Still, our Catholics think that it belongs to them as a matter of interest. Herald is fattened now because of political patting and is grateful to the politicians for obtaining so many advertisements filling it's pages. It's paying back time for Herald to these politicians.
Herald is totally a bought on news paper. Totally controlled by the politicians. Herald enjoys the patronage of the politicians. I remember it was Herald that published about the Goans being drunkards. Herald has not guts and b..ls to publish about the corrupt politicians. Herald it the crumb eater of the politicians. The christian population of Goa fail to understand Herald. Goans open up your eyes to the mischieves of herald.
The news lines of Goa will never publish the truth. In fact if you send comments to some of the online news blogs, they ask you for proof as I was asked by him. This online news fellow has a new studio built by being the crumb eater of the Politicians. The Politicians have built and given him a new studio for media news to be relayed. This man is seen pleasing the politicians and gets money in exchange. So to write comments one needs proof. Thank God we have Niz Goenkar where we can express ourselves. Now I have a proof in emails of the above mentioned editor.
The print version of o`Heraldo is more useful these days as Toilet Paper or wrapping up vegetables and meat & fish.
It is only useful, to find out about obituaries,deaths,dances,Tiatrs,public figure felicitations,weather report,Foreign exchange rates,price of gold.
Most people that read it`s Political views nowadays do it for its comic value.
Its "online" Business section has not been updated since Feb. 2010.
By night its reporters are seen in the company of Corrupt politicians and their agents.
The Editor is "shit" scared of the politicians.
The Editor is there to promote the politicians...not the true Goan people.
The other News Papers do not fare any better.
Goa has long lost good press reporters. It began once the journalists were given plots in Porvorim by Rane's government. Now there is not a single reporter who is ready to write against any government with the fear that he will not receive any goodies from the government that be. Herald editor Ashwin Tombat is a changed man we knew in the Gomantak Times. His editorials speak for itself. Sometimes his editorials are pro Catholics of Salcette cause he is frightenend for the readership to fall. With no newspaper in Goa for Goans the press is dead in Goa. I hope Niz Goenkar will be a daily one day to save Goa.
Goa's Newspapers have turned itself into a gutter press, just as their masters the corrupt politicians.
"oHeraldo" is trying to lead from the front by ceremoniously doing the dirty laundry for it's 40 illustrious dogs in the Goa's Legislative Assembly.
Their news presenters,writers and investigators are disciples of "His Master's Voice".
The new migrants are the new Goans...this is our destiny now.......
Does any person of Goan Origin have "Tombat" as a surname? So why make a noise? It is a migrant newspaper.
All the politicians be it Mauvin Godinho, Churchill Alemao and the rest have their dogs in the newspapers like Herald who get fed for barking their glories and misrepresent the facts. These newspapers in Goa have literally gone to the dogs.
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