Timecodes00:00 - Introduction and headlines11:18 - The current race for vaccines28:22 - Freedom of speech and state of Indian media01:04:12 - Subscriber letters01:20:39 - India not being part of the RCEP01:27:53 - Chitra and Smita’s recommendations01:36:52 - Subscriber letters01:59:21 - RecommendationsIn this week’s Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Mehraj D Lone are joined by Smita Prakash, editor-in-chief of ANI, and Chitra Subramaniam, journalist and co-founder of the News Minute.The conversation kicks off with the recent developments around Covid vaccines. Chitra says: “I have the sense that China is going to emerge with some kind of a people’s vaccine...If they come up with a vaccine that’s universally affordable and the price point is right, I don’t see why any country will not take it.”On the state of the media today, Smita says, “The media itself has changed. You had 100-150 newspapers and one Doordarshan and All India Radio which were state-owned..." She adds: “There are many sites which are looking at news, not just as ‘we’ll take on the government or policy’. There are many more stories to do...Now, it’s no longer just reporting, it’s content creation.”The discussion moves on to the Indian government’s attempts to regulate the media. Mehraj says, “The government, the judiciary is asking for more regulation, also because self-regulation has pretty much failed in India. The Press Council of India and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority have been reduced to making statements. They are no longer regulators but just bodies who issue statements.”The panel also discusses how Covid has broken class barriers, India’s decision to not join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as an alternative to Trump, and a lot more.Tune in!Recommendations SmitaGreatest Urdu Stories ever told The Ultimate Goal: A Former R&AW Chief Deconstructs How Nations Construct NarrativesChitraBad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup The Remains of the Day RamanTrial 4Lakhimpur Kheri: Case of 3-year-old’s rape and murder gets mired in family dispute‘Only God can help us’: Lakhimpur Kheri family mourns rape, murder of minor daughterAmid ‘love jihad’ claims, Lakhimpur Kheri victim’s family waits for justiceMehrajThe Trump vote is rising among Blacks and Hispanics, despite the conventional wisdomWhy we shouldn’t get too excited about a Covid vaccine AbhinandanTheir Lordships and Masters 'Caste' Argues Its Most Violent Manifestation Is In Treatment Of Black Americans See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.