As most readers know, President Bush made a not so surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday before his eventual arrival in India. After India he intends to go on to Pakistan. That is THREE South Asian nations in one week. By my rough count however, there are only TWO South Asian journalists along for the ride on Air Force One. The first is our old friend Raghubir “the Foil” Goyal. Word on the street is that “the Foil” is as necessary to the White House Press Office as the “Football” is to the President:
He may not be one the most high-profile media persons accompanying US President George W Bush on his India visit, but Indian American journalist Raghubir Goyal is often the “perfect foil” for the White House spokesperson when he is caught in a tight spot.
“I will be on Air Force One. A few of the other regulars in the press will also be there. They rotate everyone every month,” Goyal told IANS just before boarding the flight for New Delhi.
Goyal has been a White House pressperson for many years and is often ridiculed for his softball questions that deal exclusively with India and for which he has been labelled the “Goyal foil” – or a way out for White House spokesman Scott McClellan when he is in a tight spot.I tell them, ‘But I get only one chance to ask a question and I want to get in my question about India instead of the other subjects the media is talking about’.”[Link]
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p>“The Foil” now even has an entire website dedicated to his heroic exploits. The second desi reporter may not be as infamous, but she certainly has a large audience. It is Niharika Acharya of Voice of America:
Niharika is VOA Hindi TV’s lead anchor and correspondent. She co-hosts VOA Hindi’s weekly news and current affairs program “Duniya” (The World), aired live on India’s leading TV news channel Aaj Tak. Niharika also contributes to VOA Hindi Radio as fill-in host for the weekly call-in shows ‘Hello India’ and ‘Hello America’, and her television reports are aired on radio as well…As part of VOA Hindi TV’s collaboration with Aaj Tak, which claims an audience of 30 million households in India, Niharika has also covered major news events including U.S. presidential elections, the 9/11 anniversaries, annual UN General Assembly sessions and important meetings between the leaders of India and the U.S. including President Bush’s meeting with the current and former Prime Ministers of India. [Link]
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p>I dunno. I just find it kind of underwhelming that there aren’t more South Asian American journalists who were deemed by their news organizations to be qualified enough to be along for this ride. It seems like they would be in unique position to report on this story due to their inherent understanding of the cultures involved. Is Goyal the best we got to embed? I dream of the day when a mutinous blogger is allowed onto AF1.
See related posts: One-Track Uncle, Goyal’s toils
It’s not even so much that there’s an intrinsic value to being South-Asian when reporting on South Asia–I think there maybe but it’s definitely debatable–as that in fact South Asian Americans have totally worked hard at that field.
Heads’ up everyone, btw, I just posted it to the nifty news site. .but I’m afraid a bomb has gone off in Karachi outside the U.S. consulate. I don’t think this is going to be a fun next few days. 🙁 I am particularly sad about the foreign service officer, and it makes me sympathize with all people we get angry at who list the American dead first. . .I’ve had several friends, including a couple of my best friends, who were State Department brats, and it pains me to contemplate the dangers their parents are in, especially when the foreign service is one of the more peaceful and friendly faces of our government abroad. It also pains me that this violence is supposededly provoked by American actions, but of course the vast majority of the people killed will be desi.
Sad times.
I think the SAJA board probably shares your disappointment. Always a bridesmaid…
I certainly could be mistaken about this, but my impression from my Washington press corps days is that the folks who go on the plane tend to be the folks whose regular beat is the White House, and that it wouldn’t be typical for other journalists to be credentialed and rotated into the press section of the plane itself for a trip like this.
However, the press section of Air Force One won’t necessarily exhaust coverage — there may well be South Asian American journalists who are dispatched to help cover the trip and related issues in one way or another. Manish has already noted (in the new news page) Mitra Kalita’s coverage for the Washington Post, and of course Somini Sengupta, the South Asia bureau chief for the Grey Lady, is already there.
Or not — it may be that you are absolutely right about the attitudes within the news organizations. I just don’t know if who’s on Air Force One is the best indicator to determine that.
But all that aside, Abhi, do I perhaps hear in your post echoes of the lead story on the front page of this week’s India Abroad?
Sounds like they’re just as underwhelmed as you are. 🙂
This trip is all “business.” No Taj Mahal, no dancing with women in rural Rajasthan, and no prominent Indian American hangers-on. What can we say? George W. Bush has no sense of eshtyle.
Another issue: the trip may be all business but is the business of consequence? It sounds like this nuclear deal may be shot down and/or gutted once it gets sent to Congress and the UN.
Amardeep, Amardeep. Haven’t you learned anything about this administration? It’s never his fault, and the lack of eshtyle is no exception:
Rule No. 1 in this White House: Always pass the buck(was).
Skipping the Taj Mahal is not a big deal. In an NPR interview with A.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age, he said that the Taj Mahal, while nice, is old India. He is tired of visitors remarking upon IndiaÂ’s glorious past, as if that is all there is to the country.
I visted it once, back in 1983. My dad never visited it, my cousins who go to India far more frequently than I do never have – most of my family in India has not visited the Taj. Visiting the Taj is like visiting the Statue of Liberty.
Turn the tables – when Singh visited Washington in Summer 2005, how many white folks were in the New Delhi press corp that accompanied him?
“seems like they would be in unique position to report on this story due to their inherent understanding of the cultures involved”
That would lead to much discrimination.
While the above is true, the flip side is also true in the sense that it will allow those non-desi reporters (especially those with a lot of weight) to better understand and relate to the sub-continent. After all, there is nothing like an unbiased viewpoint.
If I were NASSCOM, I would have used my clout to get Lou Dobbs on that plane. And at least ensure he gets an Elephant ride 🙂
Exactly! and for all visits to india and lip services about 2 democracies coming together what the hell did bill clinton do? This despite the dems taking a good deal of money from indian americans. Bush could care less about taj so i’m glad he didnt show up, that is the way it should be. What did the chinese primeir do, he showed up to bangalore first and then to delhi. The messages are clear, get to the point and get there fast.
Goyal sounds like some desi dudes who butt into any conversation with “……… but in India ……”. A: “The Chinese buffet is pretty cheap and lots of food.” B: “You should try the Chinese food in India……………” A: “So and so store has a sale on jeans.” B: “In India you can get brand name jeans on the street for Rs. 100…………”
The probability of stopping the growth indian civilian power generation expansion is small but not negligible. India needs power and it has defense needs as well. It will work in its self interest.
The chinese have been hinting that they will push for more intrusive inspections(and will succeed in the short term). The french have made agreements with india where even less split between civilian and defense was asked for. They would want to start selling it to india asap b/c this gives them a head start wrt to Americans, this is why they may have wrapped their agreements faster than americans.
The US will not like the French eating up the market share, especialy when US has been considering expanding its own nuclear power generation. Westinghouse and GE want the whole industry to start picking up pace and will lobby in the congress. If the US congress does not approve it now they will reconsider it quite frequently especialy when this program will pick up pace and they see french getting the benifit.
The canadians and the brits were initialy against this, there current positions are not clear. Mostlikely they will turn around or they may play a political game. It would depend on their assesment of what they can sell to india, If they suspect that they wont be able to sell anything of significant value so they may take a political stand and appease liberals and muslims and say that US is polifrating and we are not. The probability of deal totaly falling through are slim. most likely NSG(pushed by china) will force another round of discussions with india. NSG is informal(ie no constituion or bylaws) which means all agreements talk the language of economics followed by power. India does have the economic argurement weather it has the power arguement is not yet known.
When you report on South Asia, it depends what you want to say about it. If your perspective is from the majority viewpoint in America, what is the advantage in having a South Asian origin journalist?
If you want to combine it with a South Asian perspective also, it may be true that South Asian-origin journalists potentially have a better viewpoint.
But then nothing is as dangerous as ppl who have no understanding of the subject matter, but who think do. A (albeit non-journalist) analogy would be Bush: he is absolutely convinced he is right in invading Iraq, let everybody else’s opinion be damned. That is what makes him dangerous—like a proverb in Kannada says, he has only two faults. He does not have the capability to consider the whole picture, and he does not listen to others.
Keeping this in mind, I think many (I did not say all, and I am not making a comment on the bloggers yet) sepia-inhabitants would fall into such a category. If you have to ask insightful questions, it also means you must have a genuine concern and awareness about the subject. Not just shout out a couple of sound-bites you hear from CNN or NYT or some other source who have only a fringe interest in India. Don’t mean to offend anyone, but read the comments and you will understand.
Niharika Acharya is a very accomplished broadcaster. She has been a popular anchor at the VOICE OF AMERICA Hindi service. Her command over Hindi language is excellent and her voice is radiogenic. Her knowledge of English language is quite good and she understands Urdu very well. Overall she is a very good broadcaster.
Niharika Acharya is a very accomplished broadcaster. She has been a popular anchor at the VOICE OF AMERICA Hindi service. Her command over Hindi language is excellent and her voice is radiogenic. Her knowledge of English language is quite good and she understands Urdu very well. Overall she is a very good broadcaster.