Noida Ceo Murder

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES: NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

O

n September 22, 2008, the chief executive officer of a firm in the industrial town of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh was killed by some sacked workers. Gory incidents like these, usually, bring out contentious issues that form the backdrop — provided those are contextually highlighted by the news media. Newswatch decided to look at the news media coverage that the incident generated. The study was conducted over a four-day period starting the day the CEO was killed. It was meant to be a qualitative analysis, not a quantitative one. The idea was to look at the way the news media covered the issue, and not quantify the exact number of publications or news outlets that did a story, or did not. After the preliminary data collection, 114 news items were shortlisted for analysis. Inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and preponderance of anti-labour quotes marked the findings. Most of the initial reports — those of the brutal murder of the CEO — were attributed to either police or company sources. Technically speaking, police sources are traditionally preferred as sources when the news is about violence, especially one in which there has been a death. In reports about conflict – in this case, workers vs management – a variety of sources brings about a more balanced coverage of the incident. Only five of the 25 stories quoted a worker. A number of news outlets also used multiple sources for a wider perspective. As many as six of the ‘breaking news’ stories did not menion when the incident had occurred. The second name of the CEO, Lalit Kishore Chaudhary, was spelt in six different ways by the 25 news outlets. Only five got it right. There were even more variations in the name of the company as mentioned by the 25 news outlets – there were as many as 12. Only one got it fully correct as ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd’. Even the ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India’ reported by the two foreign

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

newspapers would be correct and acceptable. The rest were partially accurate, or had typo errors. What was most astounding was the fact that there seemed to be as many versions of the incident as there were reports. To get to the truth one would probably have to go through all the reports, stitch together the seemingly consistent parts, and come up with something which might be as disjointed and inconsistent as most of the reports. The exact sequence of events was not clear from any of the copies. The only thing that was evident in the news stories was the fact that the CEO had been killed. Most of the stories attributed their source(s) to either the police (who were not present on the spot) or company officials (who were more likely to give only their version of the incident). The version(s) of workers, both retrenched and current, would have gone a long way in presenting a broader picture of the incident. Versions of the background to the violence too varied. Some said the company had sacked about 100 employees two months earlier when they had asked for a pay raise. A report even said the meeting on that particular day had been called to discuss reinstatement of some union leaders. All in all, if one happened to read the 25 initial reports of the violence, one wouldn’t know who to believe. READ ON...

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

1

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the methodology This study was launched to primarily look at how the news media covered both the killing of the Graziano Trasmissioni India CEO as well as aftermath of the incident.The tracking of stories was done by monitoring Google News from September 22 to 25, 2008. Altogether, 746 stories published during the period were tracked down. After leaving out duplicates (mainly because of news agency creeds), the number was brought down to 184. The next round of elimination was done to exclude non-English stories and ones that ran into 100 words or less. In the end, 114 stories were selected for the content analysis. In all, 92 of these were from Indian news outlets; the rest were of foreign origin. Of these 114 stories, 25 were seen to be in the “breaking news” category, while 80 were follow-ups. There were six editorials and three op-ed pieces as well. The “breaking news” in this case is not the same as that in a live medium like television, radio or the Internet. In the Newswatch studies, “breaking news” is the first story of an incident – in this case the attack on the CEO of Graziano Trasmissioni India and his subsequent death on September 22, 2008.The “breaking news” stories, therefore, were from distinct news outlets. There was also a need to see how the news-break was being followed up. Since newspapers needed to be given a day’s leeway and foreign one too had to be kept in mind, the study looked at stories published between September 22 and 25, 2008. The stories selected for the analysis were coded on basis of 43 parameters. Each of these data entries were subsequently cross-checked by two other persons to avoid errors of omission and commission.

Headlines and treatment The first element of a news story that makes an impact on the reader is the headline. Eighty-five per cent (17/25) of the news stories in the “breaking news” category went in for ‘label’ headlines; eight opted for ‘declarative’ headlines. The ‘label’ headlines of ‘breaking news’ stories ranged from ‘Sacked Indian workers beat CEO to death’ (Saudi Gazette, Jeddah) to ‘Workers beat CEO to death in Greater Noida’ (NDTV, New Delhi). The declarative headlines of ‘breaking news’ stories ranged from ‘Chief executive beaten to death with iron rods by angry workers’ (The Daily Mail, London) to ‘CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian workers’ (The Times, UK). In case of the follow-up news stories, 43 had ‘declarative’ headlines and 37 had ‘label’ ones. The ‘declarative’ headlines of follow-up news stories ranged from ‘UP scrambles to clean up bloodied labour image’ (Financial Express, New Delhi) to ‘Angry India Inc, Cong force Oscar to say sorry’ (CNN-IBN). The ‘label’ headlines of follow-up news stories ranged from ‘Italian firm

2

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

to launch independent probe into CEOs lynching in Noida’ (Asia News International, New Delhi) to ‘Sp cell to be set up in G Noida for handling labour disputes’ (Indo-Asian News Service-IANS, New Delhi). The usage of ‘declarative’ or ‘label’ headlines in case of both ‘breaking news’ stories and the subsequent follow-up news items did not follow any definitive pattern. The tone and tenor of a story also has an impact on the reader and can sway a reader’s judgment either way. The yardstick for treatment was stringent — any news item that might otherwise be taken as straight was marked as a ‘story with colour’ either if it was seen to be laced with adjectives or if the reporter/writer was even remotely judgmental. In case of the ‘breaking news’ category, an overwhelming 80 per cent (N=16) were found to be straight news copies that avoided emotions. The rest (N=9) were news ‘stories with colour’. When it came to follow-ups, the balance scaled slightly more towards ‘stories with colour’. In all, 44 out of the 80 follow-up stories were found to be stories that used colourful language in varying proportions.

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the news-break Description of death: In all, 15 of the 25 stories said the CEO was ‘beaten to death’, eight said he was ‘bludgeoned to death’, while one each said he was ‘lynched to death’, and ‘thrashed’ and died subsequently. The expressions ‘beaten to death’, ‘bludgeoned to death’ and ‘lynched to death’, though correct, give the impression that he died on the spot. In most of the reports, it was not clear where he had died. Many said he was declared ‘brought dead’ at the hospital. The use of ‘bludgeoned’ and ‘lynched’ were not used as yardsticks to mark stories as ‘stories with colour’. These expressions are now used rampantly in news copies. Sources: It is a cardinal mistake in journalism not to attribute incidents in a story to a source. Two (Financial Times of London, and citizen journalism site Digital Journal) did not mention

sources in their stories. The rest used varied sources – from police officials to factory employees. A number of news outlets also used multiple sources for a wider perspective. Most ‘breaking news’ stories were attributed to either police or company sources. Technically speaking, police sources are traditionally preferred as sources when the news is about violence, especially one in which there has been a death. In reports about conflict – in this case, workers vs management – a variety of sources brings about a more balanced coverage of the incident. Only five of the 25 stories quoted a worker. The Hindustan Times report used the most sources – senior company official, two workers, and state labour official. The newspaper, however, did not quote any police official. The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) report also quoted four sources. The news agency, however, did not name the police official by designation, and quoted only a midlevel company official.

WHO WERE THE REPORTS SOURCED TO News outlet

Source(s)

Adnkronos International Agence France-Presse Associated Press BBC Canadian Broadcasting Corp CNN-IBN Daily Mail, The Deccan Herald Deutsche Presse-Agentur Digital Journal Financial Times Guardian, The

RK Chaturvedi, eyewitness Babu Ram, Forettii Gatii (secondary) Ramesh Jain RK Chaturvedi (secondary), Rajpal (secondary) Babu Ram RK Chaturvedi Babu Ram, Ramesh Jain (secondary) Anon police and eyewitness Manoj Pathak None None Babu Ram, Ramesh Jain (secondary), Rajpal (secondary) Babu Ram Ramesh Jain, Rajpal, Avdesh, DP Singh Rakesh Kumar Singh (secondary), Ramesh Jain, Babu Ram, anon protester Company spokesman (secondary), Mahesh Sharma (secondary) Babu Ram, injured worker, company officials, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Mahesh Sharma Brijesh Kr Gautam, Rakesh Kr Singh, Narendra Singh Gangwar, factory sources Anon eyewitness Babu Ram RK Chaturvedi Babu Ram, Udaivir (both secondary) RK Chaturvedi Babu Ram, Udaivir, anon employee, company sources Police spokesman, Italian consultant

Hindu, The Hindustan Times Independent, The Independent, The (SA) Indian Express, The Indo-Asian News Service NDTV Press Association Reuters Saudi Gazette Telegraph, The Times of India, The Times, The NOTE: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

Avdesh: Agitating worker Babu Ram: SP (Rural), Noida Bhanu Pratap Singh: IG (law and order) Brijesh Kumar Gautam: Police official (no specific designation mentioned) DP Singh: Asst labour commissioner, Ghaziabad Forettii Gatii: Italian consultant Mahesh Sharma: CMD, Kailash Hospital Manoj Pathak: Police official (no specific designation mentioned) Narendra Singh Gangwar: Injured worker admitted to hospital Rajpal: Agitating worker Rakesh Kumar Singh: Hr dept, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd Ramesh Jain: Director, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd RK Chaturvedi: SSP, Noida Udaivir: Production supervisor, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

3

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

When and where: Of the conventional 5w+1H of old-school journalism, the ‘when’ and ‘where’ are imperative to certain kinds of stories – especially of the type that was the subject of this study. As many as six of the ‘breaking news’ stories did not menion when the incident had occurred: Associated Press (AP), Digital Journal, the Daily Mail, the Independent, BBC, and the Independent (South Africa). In case of the Times of India report, both the ‘when’ and the ‘where’ were implied by the dateline and were not explictly stated. Greater Noida, where the unfortunate incident happened, was wrongly described to be on the outskirts of Delhi by six foreign news outlets – Financial Times, Associated Press (AP), Saudi Gazette, the Daily Mail, Press Association, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). ‘Outskirts’ means a point that is the farthest from the centre, but one that is part of the same entity, in this case – Delhi. Greater Noida was correctly described as a suburb of Delhi by the Times. The name of the deceased: The second name of Lalit Kishore Chaudhary was spelt in six different ways by the 25 news outlets.

Only five got it right. Instances:
Choudhary: 15;
Chaudhary: 5;
Chaudhury: 2;
Chaudhry: 1;
Chowdhury: 1;
Choudhury: 1 The name of the company: There were even more variations in the name of the company as mentioned by the 25 news outlets – there were as many as 12. Only the Hindu got it fully correct as ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd’. Even the ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India’ reported by the Independent and Financial Times would be correct and acceptable. The rest were partially accurate, or had typo errors. Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd is also known as Oerlikon Graziano India. It is the Indian subsidiary of Oerlikon Graziano SpA, based in Turin, Italy. Oerlikon Graziano SpA, in turn, is a segment of the Swiss high-tech group, OC Oerlikon Group.

NOTHING IN A NAME: THE VICTIM AND THE FIRM

4

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

News outlet

Name of victim

Name of company

Adnkronos International Agence France-Presse Associated Press BBC CBC CNN-IBN Daily Mail, The Deccan Herald Deutsche Presse-Agentur Digital Journal Financial Times Guardian, The Hindu, The Hindustan Times Independent, The Independent, The (SA) Indian Express, The Indo-Asian News Service NDTV Press Association Reuters Saudi Gazette Telegraph, The Times of India, The Times, The

Chaudhry Chaudhary Choudhary Choudhary Choudhary Chaudhary Choudhary Chaudhary Choudhary Chaudhary Chaudhury Choudhary Chaudhury Choudhary Choudhary Choudhary Choudhary Choudhary Choudhury Choudhary Choudhary Choudhary Chowdhury Chaudhary Choudhary

Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions India Graziano Transmissioni Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni India Gradiano Graziano Transmissioni India Gradiano Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Trasmissioni (India unit) Graziano Trasmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd Graziano Transmissioni India Pvt Ltd Graziano Trasmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni Graziano Transmissioni India Pvt Ltd Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions India Pvt Ltd Graziano Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni India Graziano Transmissioni India Oerlikon Graziano Transmission India Graziano Trasmissioni (India unit) Graziano Transmissioni

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

The what and the why: What was most astounding about the findings was the fact that there seemed to be as many versions of the incident as there were reports. To get to the truth one would probably have to go through all the reports, stitch together the seemingly consistent parts, and come up with something which might be as disjointed and inconsistent as most of the reports. The exact sequencce of events was not clear from any of the copies. The only thing that was clear in all the news stories was the fact that the chief executive officer had been killed. Most of the stories attributed their source(s) to either the police (who were not present on the spot) or company officials (who were more likely to give only their version of the incident). The version(s) of workers, both retrenched and current, would have gone a long way in presenting a broader picture of the incident.

Versions of the background to the violence, which was imperative, too varied. Some reports said the company had sacked about 100 employees two months earlier when they had asked for a pay raise. A report even said the meeting on that particular day had been called to discuss reinstatement of some union leaders. The ‘beaten to death’, ‘bludgeoned to death’ and ‘lynched to death’ expressions give the impression that the CEO died on the spot. Some reports did not mention where he had died, others reported that he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

WHAT THE MEDIA REPORTED ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND THE BACKGROUND News outlet

What happened

Background trigger factor

Where did he die

Adnkronos International

Meeting called with dismissed workers to sort out pending issues. Ended inconclusively and infuriated workers who went on rampage. They (about 100 sacked workers) turned violent and beat CEO to death with wooden clubs and iron bars inside factory. Eyewitness: CEO tried to broker peace between the two “sides” but a worker hit him from the back with a hammer.

Company had sacked about 100 employees two months ago after they asked for a pay rise.

Not mentioned where.

Agence France-Presse

Meeting to discuss a long-running labour dispute turned violent. Only a few people were called inside. About 150 people were waiting outside when they heard someone from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed. CEO hit on the head with either a stick or an iron rod.

Company sacked more than 100 workers three months ago but arranged meeting to work out a possible reinstatement deal. Workers dismissed after they demanded pay rises and allegedly ransacked firm's offices.

Declared dead on arrival at hospital

Associated Press

Laid-off workers had been called in to try to settle a dispute. CEO attacked with iron rods and wooden polls. About 125 dismissed workers barged into the factory and went on rampage.

Dispute that had led to the firing of more than 100 employees in recent months.

Bled to death. Not mentioned where.

BBC

Meeting was scheduled to discuss possibility of reinstating some workers. Dismissed employees turned violent. Angry workers damaged office property and singled out CEO when he tried to reason with the mob. They used iron bars to beat up CEO. More than 100 dismissed workers entered factory, vandalised machinery, and attacked CEO. Firing by staff agitated workers waiting outside.

Nearly 300 workers at Graziano Transmissioni were dismissed two months ago after they demanded pay rises and allegedly ransacked its offices.

Died at the factory.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Former workers attacked CEO with rods and wooden sticks at a factory. CEO attacked after he tried to reason with workers who had begun destroying factory property.

Meeting was called to resolve an industrial dispute in which more than 100 employees were dismissed over recent months.

Bled to death. Not mentioned where.

CNN-IBN

CEO attacked by a mob inside company premises. Meeting called by CEO to resolve dispute between labour and management. Meeting turned violent when workers started protesting. Representatives conveyed to those waiting outside that they had been manhandled, leading to protesters barging inside.

The workers had been dismissed nearly two months back and had been protesting since then.

CEO rushed to Noida’s Kailash Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Daily Mail, The

CEO attacked inside factory by workers called in to settle dispute. About 125 workers armed with iron rods barged into the factory and went on rampage. CEO assaulted when he tried to pacify them.

Dispute that had led to the firing of more than 100 employees in recent months.

Bled to death. Not mentioned where.

Deccan Herald

Trouble began after meeting between union representatives and management inside company premises. One leader called workers, waiting outside, and told them the management had attacked union leaders. Workers, armed with sticks and iron rods, turned violent and gatecrashed into premises. CEO thrashed in violent clash. Eyewitness said workers turned violent when a security guard opened fire to disperse them.

Meeting had been called over dismissal of some union leaders.

CEO died later in hospital.

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

5

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

6

News outlet

What happened

Background trigger factor

Where did he die

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Workers called for a meeting to reinstate some of them but turned violent during the talks. The mob damaged office property and beat CEO with wooden sticks and iron rods when he tried to pacify them. Over 100 dismissed workers damaged property and attacked CEO.

Some 300 workers were dismissed two months ago after they demanded pay rises and ransacked the offices.

Succumbed to injuries. Not mentioned where.

Digital Journal

200-strong armed mob of sacked workers barged into company premises, wantonly destroyed machinery and cars, and then attacked CEO who tried to pacify them.. Was abused while trying to reason with protesters. On raising objections he was beaten to death with a hammer

Three months ago company declared a partial lockout after workers demanded pay rises and allegedly ransacked offices. 300 employees were affected. They had arrived on Monday to negotiate the re-employment terms but were not willing to accept some conditions. They sat on a protest outside the main gate in spite of court injunction against them coming within 300m of the unit.

CEO taken to Greater Noida’s Kailash Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Financial Times

Meeting with former employees to resolve a long-running dispute dissolved into riot in which protesters overpowered security guards and turned on CEO and his staff.

Attack sparked off by the company's dismissal of 200 workers in a pay dispute.

Beaten to death in office

Guardian, The

CEO attacked inside factory by sacked workers called in to settle dispute. Meeting turned sour and men began vandalising machinery. About 125 workers armed with iron rods barged into the factory and went on rampage. CEO assaulted when he tried to pacify them.

Dispute that had led to the firing of more than 100 employees in recent months.

Bled to death inside factory.

Hindu, The

Group of former employees turned violent during meeting with management and attacked CEO. Altercation broke out between employees and management. Security guard opened fire in air and a mob of over 100 people waiting outside stormed into premises. CEO came down on hearing commotion and was battered to death.

Company had dismissed about 200 employees after they vandalised its premises during an agitation two months ago demanding a raise in salary. Dismissed employees were demanding reinstatement and the management had invited them for talks. Management reportedly laid a precondition for dismissed employees, asking them to submit a written apology to get back their jobs.

Taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Hindustan Times

Meeting called to discuss dismissal of workers turned violent. Around 125 dismissed workers armed with iron rods barged into the factory and went on rampage. They broke computers and machinery and smashed windowpanes. When CEO tried to pacify them, they assaulted him with rods. Worker: Company asked for an apology letter saying workers had caused violence in the past which forced the lockout. This made them the furious and the gathered workers started protesting. Worker: Outsiders may have assaulted CEO. Firing by guards agitated workers and they clashed with staff.

Problem over dismissed workers simmering for some time. On September 16, management and labour leaders agreed to take back dismissed employees except 15 whose services were terminated. It was agreed that workers will individually give applications tendering an apology letter.

CEO rushed to Kailash Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Independent, The

Precise details unclear. Police version: workers invited to discuss possible settlement to dispute in which more workers would be taken back. CEO attacked after he tried to talk to disgruntled workers. Company version: angry workers were armed with iron rods and hockey sticks. Anon protestor: workers were angered by demand that dismissed employees sign a letter admitting to guilt for previous violent acts before being reemployed. This made them furious and the gathered workers started protesting.

240 casual employees had been dismissed early this year for what he said was "poor performance"; 70 of them were taken back but the remainder had been protesting outside the factory gates since then.

Declared dead on arrival at hospital.

Independent, The (SA)

CEO attacked after a meeting to discuss labour dispute. Agitating employees got violent and hit him with an iron rod.

Nearly 300 workers were dismissed two months ago after they demanded pay rises and ransacked its offices.

CEO declared dead on arrival at hospital

Indian Express, The

CEO beaten with iron rods. Dismissed employees were meeting management to resolve a dispute. Large group of employees waiting outside got restive after rumours spread that a scuffle had broken out between management and union leaders inside the meeting.

Dispute had been continuing for last five months. Employees wanted raise and permanent jobs. Standoff took serious turn two months ago when agitating employees ransacked company’s offices, and the management retaliated by dismissing around 300 people for misbehaviour and rioting.

Declared dead on arrival at Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida.

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

News outlet

What happened

Background trigger factor

Where did he die

Indo-Asian News Service

CEO lynched when about 150 retrenched workers barged into factory premises. Earlier in the day, a mob brutally beat over 50 workers with iron rods, hockey sticks and heavy axles. Incident: men, armed with iron rods and hockey sticks, entered premises and attacked security guards and then workers. Many entered production area through reception gates and broke window panes. When CEO came out for a compromise, six men surrounded him. Abuses and heated arguments followed. He was then hammered to death.

Company had expelled about 240 casual workers in January for non-performance. It reinducted 70; rest striking in front of factory. Senior management willing to take them back after some time, but they indulged in extreme unrest and resorted to bloodbath.

Not mentioned where, but implied that he died on the spot.

NDTV

Trouble began when 200 workers arrived outside the office. They were invited in by HR managers. 70 workers went inside and began attacking the management. MD arrived to help control situation. Workers attacked MD for 30 minutes with sticks. They hit him repeatedly on his head. He died of those injuries. Eyewitness: At least 250 workers were sitting outside. As soon as the gate was opened, they barged in and the guards who were present started running here and there. By the time the guards gathered together, the workers had done the damage.

None

Not mentioned.

Press Association

CEO attacked by workers with iron rods and wooden sticks inside factory. Meeting called to settle a dispute. Workers attacked CEO when he tried to talk to them.

Dispute was over dismissal of more than 100 employees in recent months.

Bled to death. Not mentioned where.

Reuters

Sacked employees beat up CEO in company's office. Dismissed employees turned violent during meeting. Angry workers damaged office property and singled out CEO when he tried reason with them.

Long industrial dispute at factory which led to dismissal of hundreds of employees.

Not mentioned where.

Saudi Gazette

CEO attacked with iron rods and wooden sticks inside the company factory by 200-strong armed mob of dismissed workers. Sacked workers rushed into the premises when the gates were opened to let in a car. They smashed cars inside compound. Hearing the commotion, CEO came out to building entrance. Was abused while trying to reason with protesters. On raising objections he was beaten to death with a hammer.

No additional info.

CEO rushed to Greater Noida’s Kailash Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Telegraph, The

Company asked 11 sacked employees to come for talks with CEO. Around 150 members of the local trade union accompanied them. Simmering tension burst into open when an overzealous security guard fired in air. Those inside CEO’s room took gunshot as signal of intimidation and one dashed to see what happened. Seeing him rush out, waiting union leaders thought talks had failed. Around 50 of them, most of them carrying iron rods, hammers and batons, charged into CEO’s chamber and repeatedly struck him on head.

Meeting had been called over reinstatement of 11 employees sacked for “underperformance” two months ago.

Not mentioned.

Times of India, The

Sacked workers rushed into the premises when the gates were opened to let in a car. They smashed cars inside compound. Hearing the commotion, CEO came out to building entrance. Was abused while trying to reason with protesters. On raising objections he was beaten to death with a hammer. Other: Some workers locked out selectively. They arrived to negotiate re-employment terms, but were not willing to accept some conditions. They sat on dharna outside the main gate despite a court injunction against these workers coming within 300m of the unit. 200-strong armed mob of dismissed workers barged into premises and indulged in largescale violence.

Roots of unrest traced to three months ago, when company declared a partial lockout. Some 200 employees were affected. 15 staffers were given termination letters while others were to be taken back.

CEO rushed to Greater Noida's Kailash Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Times, The

Meeting called with more than hundred former employees. CEO wanted to discuss possible reinstatement deal. Only a few people were called inside. About 150 were waiting outside when they heard someone from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed. The company staff were heavily outnumbered.

Incident followed long-running dispute between management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts. Meeting was called with former employees who had been dismissed after an earlier outbreak of violence.

Not mentioned where.

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

7

One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the follow-ups Voices: Using quotes in a story has a number of uses. For one, it adds credibility to a story. Then, it adds a human element – a personal touch. And, it lends voices to people. The flipside is that not quoting someone or a group of people tantamounts to filtering them out. These things can happen either willingly, or unwittingly on part of reporters/editors. Sometimes people who need to be quoted might not be at hand. The bottomline, nevertheless, is that the usage of quotations can swing the mood of a story. The quotes used in the 80 follow-up stories were broadly classified into seven categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

In all, various individuals and sources were quoted 190 times in the 80 stories. Industry officials and organisations accounted for a substantial chunk of the quotes: 62 times. Quotes of political leaders came next with 42. The initial reaction of Union labour minister Oscar Fernandes and its subsequent retraction accounted for as many as 26 of these. Graziano Trasmissioni India officials and employees got 39 quotes. The worker angle could get only 14 quotes (i.e. 7.4 per cent of the total).

Graziano Trasmissioni India officials and employees Police and hospital sources (both named and anonymous) Trade union leaders, labour officials, and Graziano workers Industrialists (both as individuals and organisations) Politicians (both named and anonymous) Family and friends of Lalit Kishore Chaudhary Italian embassy in India

SOME HEARD MORE THAN OTHERS 1

Industrialists (both as individuals and organisations) . . . . .62 . . . . .32.6% Noida industrialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Industrialist: Of national importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Senior member of industry association: Noida . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Senior member of industry association: National-level . . . . . . .17 Labour expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Industry association: Official reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2

Politicians (both named and anonymous) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . .22.1% Oscar Fernandes: Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Oscar Fernandes: Apology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Congress leaders (anonymous) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Union government ministers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Left leader (unnamed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

3

Graziano Trasmissioni India officials and employees . . . . .39 . . . . .20.5% Senior officials of international office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Senior officials of Noida office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Anonymous sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Company statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Guard outside residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Factory guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Mid-level officials and other employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

4

Police and hospital sources (both named and anonymous) 14 . . . . . .7.4% Noida officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Anonymous police sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Hospital sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

5

Trade union leaders, labour officials, and Graziano workers14 . . . . .7.4% State level leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 National level leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Labour lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 State labour official . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Workers (retrenched) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Workers (others) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

6

Family and friends of Lalit Kishore Chaudhary . . . . . . . . . .10 . . . . . .5.3% Family members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Friends and acquaintances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

7

Italian embassy in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . .4.7% Embassy statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

News hook: A ‘news hook’ is a critical piece of newsworthy information that captures the attention and interest of the reader. The news hooks were ascertained on basis of the slant of the headlines and the intros as well as the theme underlying the entire copy. As many as 14 news hooks were found in the 80 follow-up stories that were studied. The most common one was ‘backgrounder and additional information about the incident’. This was found in 15 stories. Eleven stories each had the news hooks ‘Graziano Trasmissioni’s present scene and future plans’ and ‘apology issued by Oscar Fernandes’.

WHAT THE STORIES HIGHLIGHTED News hook Occurences Backgrounder and additional info about the incident.............................................15 Graziano’s present scene and future plans ...........................................................11 Apology issued by Oscar Fernandes.....................................................................11 Warning issued by Oscar Fernandes ....................................................................10 Safety and labour issues in Noida ...........................................................................8 Industry’s reaction to killing......................................................................................6 Government’s reaction to killing and aftermath .......................................................4 Noida arrests ...........................................................................................................3 Reactions to statement of Oscar Fernandes ...........................................................3 UP government’s moves..........................................................................................3 Funeral of CEO........................................................................................................2 Industry legislations about labour disputes..............................................................2 Delayed overall report..............................................................................................1 Italy’s reaction to killing............................................................................................1

One murder, umpteen versions: How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers. Edited and published by Subir Ghosh for Newswatch (www.newswatch.in). © Newswatch 2008. All rights reserved. Note: Even though efforts have been made to provide accurate information in this report, the publisher would appreciate if readers would call his attention to errors by emailing [email protected]. Suggestions for future study subjects can be sent to the same email address.

8

NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS