FOR GOOD JOURNALISM'S SAKE?

Rajdeep Sardesai, the most visible of Indian TV reporters, has left Pranoy Roy's NDTV to get his own news channel. He says he has to do it for the sake of good journalism.

Why an explanation? These days, new channels are coming up almost every month and most of them are simply boring clones of the existing ones. It looks like anybody can get a TV channel if he has some money.

It has been quite a while that Rajat Sharma, a newspaper journalist-turned -TV reporter, had his own news channel called India TV. Plain, without any new or novel idea, limping ever since its very inception, it is now trying to thrive on all kinds of tasteless sleazy stories.

Of course, Rajdeep is a solid and savvy reporter who can hook up audience with his bold and open take on anything and anybody. But can he remain the same when he would also have to pursue the business side of his channel as its owner?
MRINAL BOSE