Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

News organisations try to sell themselves in the garb of delivering the truth to their readers/viewers/listeners. Those are associated with the news industry are aware of the degrees, deviations and definitions of that truth (the public does too).

There are fabricated stories which popup occasionally and then rest peacefully in the archives. Then there are some untruths (though trivial) that we face daily. And these irritate. One such is the opening visual of CNN-IBN's primetime bulletin.

[00:00:20]

The voiceover triumphantly announces, "This is India at 9 and broadcasting live from the CNN-IBN headquarters at New Delhi with..."

As far as I know CNN-IBN (Global Broadcast News) is located at the Express Trade Tower (the building shown in the video) which is situated at Sector 16-A Noida, aka Film City. Noida isn't even a part of Delhi, leave alone New Delhi. It is Uttar Pradesh, a different state. New Delhi ends on the western bank of the Yamuna.

The logic of NCR (National Capital Region) also doesn't work, NCR isn't New Delhi, New Delhi is just the centre of it. And for all practical purposes the concept seems to be applicable for only the mobile phone networks and advertisers for realty developers.

Ideally the NCR (consisting of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad...) should be treated as a special zone with no restrictions. Autos from Delhi don't venture into UP or Haryana; if they do they fleece you for the bribe that they have to pay to the cops. Delhi Transport Corporation stopped its services to UP and the two states have been battling over the rights of inter-state routes.

CNN-IBN's website also seems to be self contradictory. At one place it says, "Headquartered at a world-class facility in New Delhi," elsewhere their address reads, "Global Broadcast News, Express Trade Tower, Plot No. 15-16, Sector-16A, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India - 201301."

The idea of Noida being a part of New Delhi is welcome to some. So let us be aware of the ground realities and attempt to present or viewers the same. Even if "Broadcasting live from the CNN-IBN headquarters at Noida," might not sound chic.