Maybe it is the pressure of falling TRPs that prompts NDTV journalists to make a fool of themselves online. Last week we saw how Sunetra Choudhury was caught in a web of lies when she misreported a statement by Minister Maneka Gandhi. Now she has done it again.
There was a time when things like Narendra Modi contracting potentially fatal diseases would excite this journalist:
Narendra Modi has swine flu- i don’t know why but this news is really exciting me
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) October 30, 2009
But a lot of water has flown under the bridge, and now, she gets exited by the prospect of the PM being in “her town”:
@PMOIndia is in my town today- Hope #shillong finally gets better access than just a narrow road from Guwahti which can take you 2-6 hours
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
And as anyone would, she hoped that Modi delivered to her something which was not done during decades of Gandhi parivar raj: a wide road to reach from Guwahati. But can you ask for something you already have? Social media users (whom NDTV honcho Prannoy Roy might call trolls for some very obvious reasons) pointed out to her that the road already existed:
Google Earth image of four lane Guwahati-Shillong road, no longer a narrow road as @sunetrac thinks. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/fDmVyFOoF2
— Raju Das | ৰাজু দাস (@rajudasonline) May 27, 2016
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On that note, found a nice video of Guwahati-Shillong road. https://t.co/GVJosl5HPQ@sunetrac
— Raju Das | ৰাজু দাস (@rajudasonline) May 27, 2016
The four laned highway was indeed completed 4 months back and was operational, after a prolonged and delayed construction period. One kind soul even alerted her that Shillong was now also accessible by air due to an operational airport:
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@sunetrac In case you did not know, Guwahati-Shillong now has a 4 laned road, & Shillong also has an operational Airport. @PMOIndia .
— Chai Wala™ (@YearOfMonk) May 27, 2016
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//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAnd that point the 1st goal-post shift was effected by Sunetra. From “where is my road” to “that airport is not commercial”:
@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia that airport is not for commercial, my friend
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
Again Sunetra was rebutted by the user:
@sunetrac Mam that airport had flights from Kolkata & other parts of country till not long back. It’s being upgraded now. @PMOIndia
— Chai Wala™ (@YearOfMonk) May 27, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsBut madam was adamant:
@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia we are from shillong. Always had to take a bus or cab. Show me commercial options- none
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
And here another social media user brought up flight records and showed her flights operated by Air India to Shillong:
@sunetrac@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia Now see this with objectivity! Everything isn’t subjective! pic.twitter.com/b4eUGmmLHO
— Mukul Sharma (@mukkulsharma) May 27, 2016
But the ever so sharp Sunetra hit back:
@mukkulsharma@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia your flight is also in july- so i’ll wait for then, cheerio
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
Only to be given an even better reply:
@sunetrac@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia how about next week? pic.twitter.com/9kvhnkdmnf
— Mukul Sharma (@mukkulsharma) May 27, 2016
At this point, the second goal-post shift was undertaken, from “no commercial airport” to “OMG so expensive ya”
@mukkulsharma@YearOfMonk@PMOIndia would you pay 11k to go to chandigarh from delhi?? no, right! I don’t know anyone whose flown there 🙂
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
And again that awkward thing called logic cropped up:
Oh the genius comparison.
Kol Shillong distance: 1000km
Del Chd: 246km
And she’s from Shillong. This is cruel ????????????https://t.co/ASCtweCttm— ADI (@reviewero) May 27, 2016
And finally, after multiple screenshots of multiple flights to Shillong, social media trolls had silenced another honest NDTV journalist and forced her to apologise:
Ok,ok, no need to get so upset.I stand corrected. @airindiain has started flights to shillong 2 years ago so our NE isolation is lesser now?
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 27, 2016
Of course it was amazing how “narrow road” became “no commercial airport” became “expensive flights”. Maybe she should have just used this line at some point and finished the debate:
@minhazmerchant sir, news is always subjective. Regards
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 19, 2016
