What exactly does the Aaj Tak-Kejriwal 'expose' prove?

A post-interview chat like the one between Kejriwal and the news anchor is absolutely normal in a broadcast set-up

The drama of the day award goes to a so-called video that's circulating on social networking sites which claims to have exposed a TV journalist (Punya Prasoon Bajpai) "match fixing" for AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

 

When I saw the interview I was disappointed. There was nothing in it. What was the excitement all about?

 

The leaked clip has two parts, presumably a chat after the interview. In the first part, Kejriwal is telling the anchor that he doesn't want to come across as anti-corporate and so he avoided talking at length on a particular question during the interview.

 

Also, the video suggests that Bajpai is pro-AAP but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that till that bias is coming across in the interview.

 

In the second bit, there is some banter between the two saying that the interview was 'krantikari' (revolutionary) and Kejriwal asks the anchor to emphasise on the 'Bhagat Singh' bit in the interview (presumably as a promo or something)

 

Having produced many a 'two-cams'(big interviews) for TV channels, I can assure the reader that every interviewer worth his salt, chats off the record with the interviewee. Also, before the interview a broad framework is decided most of the time. This is just to avoid a situation of stopping an interview when the recording/live is on.

 

I can understand that a person who has not worked in the medium getting worked up seeing the clip. However, I'd like to meet a broadcast journalist who can say that there is anything wrong shown in the clip or is not common practice. 

 

That one channel has picked this up and decided to 'debate' the issue shows that Elections 2014 is not only a bitter battle between the political parties but also media houses. A sad state of affairs!