ABOUT NEWSWATCH: Newswatch (http://www.newswatch.in/) was launched in August 2005 to serve as an online monitor of press freedom and media ethics issues. It also looks at developments in the media industry that are of relevance to journalists. Newswatch believes in maintaining its editorial independence.

MEDIA COVERAGE: The news media, willy-nilly, makes errors. In other words, these are either errors of omission, or that of commission. Bias, inaccuracies, and fairness are subjects that Newswatch is concerned with. And concerned about, as well. But making accusations in the air, or badmouthing the news media makes no sense in itself. Unless those are rooted in research. Studies are not ends in themselves, but starting points. It is in this backdrop that Newswatch now wants to carry out analytical studies of news media coverage of various incidents, and issues that develop over time. Newswatch did a pilot study in February-March on the media coverage of the launch of a Project Tiger report. The report (http://www.newswatch.in/research/262/ ) was well received. We now want to do more.

WHAT NEWSWATCH HAS: Credibility. Newswatch does not accept donations/grants from anyone -- governments and the official machinery, political parties, corporate houses, nongovernmental organisations, security forces. It does not accept individual donations either. The only ones it allies itself with are free speech defenders and journalists' organisations. With everyone else, it can only be project-to-project tie-ups. For news media coverage analyses, Newswatch has developed a codebook that has as many as 4000+ parameters on basis of which news items can be marked/judged. This algorithm, of course, is not for sale.

WHAT NEWSWATCH IS LOOKING FOR: Newswatch has the technology and the tools. We are looking for one-off alliances with organisations who can provide us with the expertise to study subjects/issues that we are not experts in. We also look forward to organisations who can give us the human resources required for the period of a particular study. Newswatch can also consider sponsorships of projects provided the organisations concerned have a clean track record as far as respecting press freedom is concerned. That aside, Newswatch is open to ideas and opinions.

If you want to take this forward, please revert to me at the earliest.

Subir Ghosh

Newswatch

editor@newswatch.in

0-9811316305