It’s nothing new that Manorama coming up with some totally insensible stories, which they claim to be of ‘immense-relevance in the present day society’. Sensationalism personified – MM (you- know-what), does it A.G.A.I.N., this time suing email as the newest method of attacking Malayalees!
They have started a series named “Mohavalayil Emailaattam” (മോഹവലയില് ഈമയിലാട്ടം). The core of the series is “doing what they can to help people to stay aware of the various high risk threats that could be coming against them via email’ – Awesome tagline it is, isnt ? You’ll see how pathetic the whole thing is once you finish reading this.
What the series say
- All emails are not safe and there are a lot of vicios attacks against people that’s happening via email
- You have to be ultra careful when using email and internet
- And the idiotic of all, “a large number of famous public figures like ‘Umman Chandi, Pinarayi Vijayan (etc) have been the victims of such attacks”
Why it’s Pathetic
Because, instead of promoting the most powerful and easiest form of communication -Email- they are suing it based on some acts of inexperienced users. Simply because as usual, they aren’t pointing out something of quality and are creating a writing marvel after a one-month research on ‘most sensationalist topic in Kerala’.
ALL THEY POINT TO IS SPAM – This is what they call VICIOUS AND TARGETED ATTACKS. How pathetic ? Instead of educating people about spamming and it’s nature and giving guidelines to safe emailing and internet using, they are (again, as usual) building a big mansion for the threats and the negative aspects of it.
The Thing about so called Big Shots
The lead sentence of the unfortunate series is – “പ്രമുഖര്ക്ക് പോലും രക്ഷയില്ല, പിന്നല്ലേ സാധാരണക്കാര്ക്ക്.” (meaning, ‘Even big shots have been affected, what about general public then’).
What’s the point in this? See,
- We ‘know’ the big-shots here. How many of them uses internet as it should be used? How many of them uses email by themselves (better would be to ask, how many of them uses email anyway!)
- The political hierarchy CANNOT BE applied to web. The point is, the probable fact of high-ranked political leaders being attacked DOESN’T MEAN that the general public will face more ‘attacks’ (as they call it).
- It’s simple logic that big-shots and famous public figures will be the more probable targets(hypothetically) than general public.
What should’ve been done
If their aim was to help people to have a safer internet experience, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. They could’ve
- explained what’s spamming, faking and forged mails
- asked people not to dig into the SPAM folder and ruin yourselves as the big-shots listed above, possibly did
- explained how to distinguish between real mails and forged mails
- given practical advises towards a safe internet experience
And this is not the first time
Let me share with you a real hilarious event regarding MM, when computers were used for first time in University results tallying. There were about 2 lakh entries (2 lakh students) to be tallied and printed out as official mark list for press release. Since it was all computerised, the ranks were announced before the rank lists were printed out. And MM made a fuzz out of it asking “How can you announce ranks before the rank list is printed” and said “the results are flawed”. This is a classic example for the fact that ‘they bend facts and common sense the way they want’. Also, we’ve seen MM coming up with Kinky bluetooth stories and bashing mobile phones.
What made me write this
- Clear understanding of the internet and the knowledge that it isn’t a battle-field or gang wars.
- Knowing that the internet is safe. As it is for everything, it’s your actions that makes the difference.
- Terrible feeling that aroused when I thought about non-web-savvy people reading this series with great interest and being brainwashed.
- Sadness from the fact that a ‘reputed and influential’ newspaper in the highly-literate Kerala is actually publishing this kind of unfortunate stuff
- and to UNDERLINE THE POINT – The future is in us, the sensible ones. There is something that’s asked from us, the sensible ones. Act for the good. Make the world a better place to live in.
(Thanks to @ArunGeoJohn for the support)
This post is not a hate-post towards Malayala Manorama and is never intended to insult or abuse the institution. Sorry if it offended anybody, it’s unintentional.
hi kenney
read ajay pps post about the malayalamanorama and how they have driven lanco out of vizhinjam project .
http://tvmrising.blogspot.com/2009/06/stop-press.html
Really my feeling is that Malayalamanorama is a curse to our state.
I spend 25 yrs in TVM and last 6 years in Hyderabad .I have seen that Hyderabads development in these last 6 years and i frankly believe keala cannot develop like that,even if it takes 50 years. The media and politicians there are helding common people at ransom and making them bafoons .i really feel sad and pity .But we have to start some where .Stop reading This yellow papers like malayala manorama who just publishes baseless speculations.we educated guys can read news from the original sourced through internet. I guess that is why Manorama hates internet and Bloggers
Comment by Ansil — June 30, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
You are so very true, Ansil.
That was exactly my point.
So glad to see you.
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — June 30, 2009 @ 9:09 pm
Manorama is a yellow newspaper. One of the most prominent newspaper which destroys malayali’s sesibility. All the malayalam newspapers are similar. This is like a tough competetion among them. They are insulting malayali’s common sense. How pathetic indeed.
The statement ‘Even big shots have been affected, what about general public then’ itself contains dozen of logical fallacies, considering its context as well:
# Anecdotal evidence.
# Hasty generalization
# purely personal considerations (argumentum ad hominem),
# popular sentiment (argumentum ad populum–appeal to the majority;
# fear (argumentum ad baculum),
# Fallacy of Many Questions: groups more than one question in the form of a single question.
There will be a dozen of other fallacies in this single statement.
We are forced to believe all these stupidities. There are people in Kerala who believes that what said in Newspapers are completely right. They swallow the news and thinking they consititute ‘General Knowledge’. This kind of news are intended to create a mindset.
What we can do is:
+ Stop subscribing Manorama. Onething for sure, you will get more peace and happiness.
+ Make others understand of how this Newspaper affect the society.(Some might be bothered.)
+ Publish factual reports which thoroughly critisizes News. And question them openly.
Comment by Tony Jose — July 1, 2009 @ 4:33 am
Manorama news is making (infact creating) some news about prostitution in cochin. We are doing a video about manoramas investigative journlism. Wait for it…
Comment by Kenney Jacob — July 1, 2009 @ 8:02 am
@Tony Jose
Yes, Can’t agree more.
@KenneyJacob
They’re going nuts with shi**y stuff. Doing a video is an awesome idea. Promotion guaranteed.
I am so happy that together we could all make a solid statement
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — July 1, 2009 @ 9:21 am
I am a new subscriber of manorama.I shifted from mathrubhumi as mathrubhumi stopped many interesting coloums and additional supplements like “dhanakaryam, narmabhumi, etc” to save their bottomline..
I am reading those series about frauds happening through the internet…….as always they are sensationalising everything…..but some one got to educate the masses about the pitfalls when using internet and email carelessly…….in your spam folder, you may find emails that you won uklottery and you are asked to claim the prize…..they even give you a fake cheque and asks for delivery charges upfront……now people are getting such messages on their cell phones too…….someone should be there to educate people about such frauds…..first time users are likely to reply………………..
the tv channel manorama news has been doing tehelka like journalism for a while………..some of them are relevant exposures………..recent one report i saw on tv was about thriving flesh trade in kerala using websites such as adultfriendfinder ……………………………………………………………..
one time i bought something at some ecommerce website, i provide an inbox email address and paid using paypal related to another gmail account……….
Now i usually gets email in the inbox account from domans and email addtresses made similiar to paypal and using paypal logos asking for paypal password as a part of maintainence…….so i guess this shopping site shares the email id to the spammer…….if bychance i click the link there.i would be going to a site designed similiar to give the look and feel of paypal and they get my password and then they get hold of the money ,,,,,,,,,,,,So as in all other places, in the internet also frauds are there…….problem is not with the internet or email systems…it is with the people…whereever people are there,fraud will be there………..
Comment by Maneesh J — July 1, 2009 @ 9:31 am
Maneesh,
Yes, someone got to educate about all this.
BUT THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. That’s all what we say.
And another thing. You said
“problem is not with the internet or email systems…it is with the people”
which is a sensible statement, but you continued to say
“whereever people are there,fraud will be there………..”
I strongly disagree to that. You should say “Wherever fraud people are there, there’ll be fraudulent activities”.
It’s unfortunate to sue all people for the bad deeds of some guys.
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — July 1, 2009 @ 9:38 am
This is the very reason why I don’t read news papers anymore. News is often manipulated and incorrect. People tend to think that whats printed is always correct. I just want my mom to read this article. She always complains for me not reading the news and she thinks the news I get online is not the real news.
Good job here
Comment by Arun Basil Lal — July 1, 2009 @ 1:44 pm
Thanks Arun.
“People tend to think that whats printed is always correct.”
-That’s exactly the biggest threat posed to the people
I hope you somehow manage to have your mom read this.
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — July 1, 2009 @ 6:14 pm
Maneesh,
How about showcasing a flight accident and saying that flight travel is very risky ? This is what manorama is doing.
Comment by Kenney Jacob — July 2, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
Everybody is not Aravind Jose or Kenney Jacob.So people get cheated easily on internet !
Its a business and MM is successfully doing it,simply !
Comment by sha — July 2, 2009 @ 9:46 pm
My dad is getting paranoid about my online life coz of the ongoing series in Manorama. I pretend I cant read Malayalam because my parents quote from the Manorama.
They distorted the facts to claim that MJ was SO WEAK that he suffered broken ribs and punctured heart in the revival attempt. Really? The broken ribs and ‘injection wound’ heart were mentioned in autopsy. How did these nincompoops manage to create a conclusion, two continents away?
Comment by Jesvin — July 3, 2009 @ 1:58 am
Its not an unusual thing about Manoaram. Last week I saw manorama reporter talking about the phone call made by Edu Mininster Baby at AKG bhavan to CPI ministers. He was explaining in lenght what Baby told over phone to Binaoy vishwam over phone and his response. It seems he was also there with Baby. For increasing TRP ratings they would go to any extent.
Comment by Jestin Joy — July 3, 2009 @ 9:20 am
@Sha
We understand that you work/is associated with Manorama.
Also, we know you personally.
People get cheated.
But what exactly is the point in giving out stories with minute details of how people where cheated and NOT saying about how to be safe from these.
You told it is business. If so, it’s turning out to be a dirty/cheap business. Running business on risk of rendering a society insensible is never good.
No offence meant, Sha. Was stating some points.
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — July 3, 2009 @ 9:46 am
“let he who is with out sin cast the first stone” #bible
Today’s media give what their audience want.Be it traditional or social.I think individuals trading credibility and relationships for some referal dollars is much more disturbing than the corporate media sensationalising something !
PS:i’m associated with MM but not a journalist.
Comment by sha — July 3, 2009 @ 8:59 pm
Simply blaming manorama dont make sense here.Before saying about the uses of e-mail and all,just read the heading of the topic its nothing but to save the ignorant people who are newbie e-mail users from these cheatings and its not at all a thread to mention the uses of internet.I admit that Manoram write blunders, but this time what they are dong is really a service to ordinary people,two months ago I had an experience with my friend who approached me with such a lottery SMS he asked me about that and He was almost to call he number which he got via that sms and I was the one who stopped him,Man This Manorama feature is not your cup of tea its for ordinary e-mail users so dont simply blame manorama
Comment by linjo — July 3, 2009 @ 11:40 pm
This is the heights of shoddy journalism
Manoramaye namichu!!!
have to educate if any of my relatives are still subscribing to this shit load of print
Comment by Praveen — July 6, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
who do you think you are, pathetically funny man ?
Comment by Funny Jacob — July 10, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
@Funny (above comment)
Thanks for asking. It’s written in the about section.
(and your email and website url speaks for yourself.)
Cheers!
Comment by Aravind Jose T. — July 11, 2009 @ 8:24 pm
superb… really superb… MM guys always try to become MR Xclusive… But in fact they make their own theories…. MM channel one f the worst i evr seen..
Comment by rakesh r DnC — July 27, 2009 @ 7:12 pm