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Let me write a new thread after 90 mins of small goal oriented research in support of below quoted claim- everything in this thread is verifiable from the Print website....I wont quote links (to not give them free traffic) but will plug in two columns in the end..so let us start. https://twitter.com/alok_bhatt/status/1259496371981254663
I always maintain tht journalists- owing to job type- must make disclosures whenever they take benefit from a co, whose cause they further by their writings- but then that's an ideal world and it doesn't exist. This SG owned Print defence journo too is not from ideal world either
On 22nd February 2019 @Aryanwarlord wrote a piece titled The Gripen Fighter Jets for India? -link here https://indsamachar.com/the-gripen-fighter-jets-for-india/ and in that he claimed that few influencers/journos were invited to Saab conference-well few lucky ones got to travel to Saab facility in Sweden as well
I doubt that an invite to a Gripen conference alone can motivate or inspire a mainstream journo so much that in next 1 years from Feb 19 to Feb 20- he would end up writing 19- yes 19 pieces and column with varied undertone & mentioning Saab in all those 19 columns- check SS
The range of those 19 columns was wide enough but curiously the word Saab or Gripen found its place in each one of those columns, @sneheshphilip wrote for Print- never once he mentioned abt trip not even replied to @venkatactive https://twitter.com/venkatactive/status/1178658203690622981 - though @Aryanwarlord did
Only @sneheshphilip would know if this piece that he wrote on 22nd January 2019 was-
1) a precursor to Gripen Delhi Conference
2) was written after his alleged trip to Saab facility (he or immigration alone knows if he traveled to Sweden or not)
1) a precursor to Gripen Delhi Conference
2) was written after his alleged trip to Saab facility (he or immigration alone knows if he traveled to Sweden or not)
As I said range of those 19 columns he wrote in 12 months (2 extra he wrote abt Rafale delays within span of 2 weeks) was wide but like a true "namak halaal" he never stopped shot of mentioning Saab once in those 19 pieces over 12 months (1.5 piece a month)- check sample 1
So what if Rafale-in his own words- is a good choice; on two dates (29th Mar 20 & 14th April 20 & in a span of fortnight)-he informed us readers as to how deliveries are not gonna fructify soon....never miss "gold-standard" umbrella story of 28th Jan 2019 as tht guides everything
Those two stories about delays in Rafale delivery came a week after he wrote this https://theprint.in/defence/defence-ministry-proposes-leasing-of-military-equipment-and-specialised-trial-wing/384947/ -anyone with miniscule interest in defense procurement can feel the pain of talking about this new defense strategy...….
What is striking in all (Saab centric) 19 pieces is the drift of every story..... every such story revolves around the theme as to how-
1) indigenization talks are like day dreams (so what if he doesn't write so explicitly https://theprint.in/defence/after-swedens-saab-now-another-foreign-firm-likely-to-exit-navys-submarine-project/313268/ )
2) foreign machines are better
1) indigenization talks are like day dreams (so what if he doesn't write so explicitly https://theprint.in/defence/after-swedens-saab-now-another-foreign-firm-likely-to-exit-navys-submarine-project/313268/ )
2) foreign machines are better
And must give it to @ShekharGupta - he has a way of finding causes to benefit from- someone would do well to check as to whether Saab or PR firms linked to Saab in India paid his platform any money via advertisements....he must come clean on that. Hello @IndEditorsGuild …..
