The sightseers
Everywhere man has gone, a travel writer has followed. And after two millennia of travel writing, it is fair to ask: “What is left to say?” Dan Hogan wanders through the works of some backpacking heroes to understand what makes them special.
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The collective spectacle
The media frenzy about the November 2008 Bombay attacks blurred event and spectacle. Amit Madheshiya explores the complex issues about memory, spectacle, and the iconicity of the Taj raised by the media coverage of the event.
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How not to report terrorism
The Indian television coverage of the Mumbai terror strikes left much to be desired. Senior broadcast journalist and media researcher Venkata Vemuri analyses the areas of weaknesses and finds no excuse for the substandard reportage of such a serious issue.
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The truth about non-fiction
A journalist should be like a good husband, never cheating on Mrs Truth. But in reality many distinguished writers have been outrageous flirts with fiction. Dan Hogan examines some such — from Truman Capote to James Frey.
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The unfairness of talk radio
Talk radio demeans the principles of democracy and civility, even as it plays a powerful role in shaping public opinion in the US. And yet the mainstream media give it a free pass. In this essay, writer and editor Parthiv Parekh argues that ignoring talk radio is dangerous and calls for mainstream media to take a more combative approach to the media form.
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Defining the creative industries
The policy concept of the ‘creative industries’ proposed by Britain’s New Labour government reflects developments in the knowledge economy. Simon Roodhouse argues that it represents a viable framework for engaging with both public and private sectors, establishing cultural activity as new industry, and responding to technological developments.
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The importance of Religulous and Bill Maher
Bill Maher’s film Religulous does not subject secular rationality to the same withering critique as it does faith and and religious belief. But, argues Rohit Chopra, it raises necessary and difficult questions about the right to offend, the arrogance of easy certitudes, and the dangers of religious absolutism.
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Journalistic blind spots and the ‘centrist-to-liberal’ Christian
In discussions of religion in the contemporary media, pundits tend to oversimplify the range of Christian perspectives. In this article which first appeared in ReligionDispatches, Mark Hulsether argues that we need to listen to voices across the entire religious spectrum.
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