Barkha Dutt's This Unquiet Land: Such an important book...

...especially for media students, and especially for those who want to become television journalists.

When I brought a copy to the college today, Sreya Chatterjee (Class of 2017), whose ambition is to become a TV reporter, immediately called dibs on the book and made me promise to give it to her first. And as soon as she got her hands on it, she began reading it, giving me regular updates. "This is so amazing," she told me five minutes into the book. When we met again a little later, she was still raving about Barkha Dutt's writing: "That line about journalism and the anticipation of adventure. I just loved it."

So naturally I asked her to give me her first impressions in some detail. Here's what she had to say after reading just a few pages of This Unquiet Land:

ABSORBING: SREYA CHATTERJEE AND THIS UNQUIET LAND

Every aspiring journalist should read This Unquiet Land, especially if you have that fire in your belly. On Page 11, Barkha Dutt writes, "The anticipation of adventure is one of journalism's many blessings in my life." That is so true for people who get bored very easily. And I am one of those people.

A journalist's life can never be boring — that is what I believe. There might be days when things won't work out; days when you think you should have taken up a bank job instead. But the idea is to never give up. When you're feeling low, what better inspiration than Barkha Dutt? All you have to do is picture one of the country's best-known journalists clambering onto the the bonnet of a car — in the line of duty — and then climbing up to the vehicle's roof and parking herself there just to get a sound bite from a man the authorities were shielding from the media. As she tells it, the car began moving, albeit slowly, but she refused to get off. And seeing that it would be impossible to dislodge her without harming her, the officials gave in and let her have her bite. As our journalism professor never tires of telling us, "Persistence, persistence, persistence."

One more thing: If you're a feminist, as I am, then that is another reason to read this book. There's so much in This Unquiet Land, with regard to a woman's place in our society, that I can identify with and appreciate.

Thank you, Barkha Dutt, for this wonderful book.

• Also read: Barkha Dutt on TV, media and India

ADDITIONAL READING:

• What it means to be a TV news producer-1
• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-1
• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-2
• What it means to be a sub at a TV news channel
• What it takes to be a TV news anchor
• Want to know how to have a successful internship at a TV news channel? Read this post.

If you want to understand the "spectrum scam tapes" controversy fully...

...read these stories on the Outlook website:

Preview The 2G Tapes A petition before the Supreme Courts shows the rot within. It is not just the 2G Spectrum but the entire Republic of India that seems to be up for sale, with the dealers being a group of powerful telemarketers — corporate houses, lobbyists, bureaucrats and journalists

2G Spectrum Scam The Raja-Radia Tapes Four transcripts that were submitted to the SC along with a total of eight recordings in May 2009 covering the cabinet formation, DMK politics and who'd get telecom portfolio

2G Spectrum Scam The Kanimozhi-Radia Tapes The conversations with M.Karunanidhi's daughter M. Kanimozhi about keeping Dayanidhi Maran out from negotiations with the Congress and to get the telecom portfolio for A. Raja

2G Spectrum Scam The Vir Sanghvi- Niira Radia Tapes In these Radia wants Sanghvi to tell the Congress not to negotiate with Dayanidhi Maran. He tells her that while he has been meeting Rahul and can't "get into Sonia in the short term" he would "try and get through to Ahmed"

2G Spectrum Scam Audio The Ratan Tata, Barkha Dutt & Other Tapes Recordings of conversations with the likes of Ratan Tata, Ranjan Bhattacharya, Barkha Dutt, Shankar Aiyar, Sunil Arora, etc. Also read: NDTV's response to article in Open magazine Outlook editor Krishna Prasad, writing on his blog sans serif, explains why the magazine did not air the Niira Radia tapes Vir Sanghvi responds to the Radia tapes On NDTV: Barkha Dutt, other editors on the Radia tapes  Rajdeep Sardesai on the controversy: "A sting in the tale". The New York Times on the controversy: "A Journalist in India Ends Up in the Headlines". 'It should be clear that the real story is about the collusion of business and politics' For the most level-headed response to what some are now referring to as "Radigate", read Salil Tripathi's column in Mint. Excerpts: After you read the transcripts printed in the magazines Open or Outlook and listen to the recordings of the astonishing and entertaining conversations between the formidable lobbyist Niira Radia and some of India’s leading businesspeople, politicians and journalists, it should be clear that the real story is about the collusion of business and politics. Journalists who appear larger than life in their media profile play a small part here — as willing go-betweens, ferrying messages between politicians at Radia’s (and in effect her powerful corporate clients’) request. That isn’t illegal, nor is it necessarily corrupt. But it shows careless judgment and weakens the media’s credibility. *** Dutt and Sanghvi are right; journalists do have to meet all sorts of people, and cultivating contacts and relationships is an essential requirement. Stay too aloof, and stories dry up; but get too close, and you lose perspective. When contacts become friends, lines get blurred. Maintaining access with the powerful does not mean doing away with propriety. Upright judges think before accepting invitations. They know that it is silly to get close to corporate lobbyists and others who might appear in cases before them as litigants. Journalists are no exception. Credibility is the profession’s sole currency. They must listen to all views — but they must also challenge all views.  Read Tripathi's column in its entirety here: "Over the thin red line". Media students — and not a few journalists — can learn much about journalism and journalistic values by reading this piece. "Not so long ago, inside newsrooms, we'd describe these stories as 'plants'. Today, these stories sometimes go under the garb of 'breaking news'." Indrajit Gupta, the editor of Forbes India, writing on his blog, says it's the self-imposed need to hurtle from one sensational story to another that puts journalists at the mercy of spin doctors and lobbyists. An excerpt: At one level, the tapes expose something I’ve suspected for a long time: the level of dependence journalists have developed for a regular supply of “stories” from public relations firms and corporate lobbyists. Not so long ago, inside newsrooms, we'd describe these stories as "plants". Today, these stories sometimes go under the garb of "breaking news". The question to ask is: why are newsrooms indeed under so much pressure to let down their guard? The simplistic answer is that covering contemporary issues in business and policy has indeed become a lot more complex. Any good journalist covering the Reliance gas court case would know just how hard it had become to sift the facts from the slanted and often one-sided views put out by spin doctors from both sides. In that cross-fire, it wasn’t easy to keep your focus on independent, unbiased reporting. Especially when with an explosion of news channels and print publications in the past five years, there is pressure on every publication to outdo the other to "break" stories. Read Gupta's blog post here: "Journalism's Achilles Heel".