In memory of Surendra Pratap Singh*

About the helpline

The Hoot launches a helpline for all those who work in the media, as well as those who use it and are affected by it.   It will have a two-pronged approach. First, it will respond to   media professionals who face intimidation, harassment, threats or assaults in the course of their work. Second, it will respond to complaints from readers, viewers or Internet users. These could relate to the following: the misuse of the media through unethical practices like paid news, blackmail or extortion, the failure of in-house (within media companies) complaints redressal mechanisms, such as the refusal of media houses to publish letters to the editors voicing legitimate grievances against published or broadcast news, or the refusal of television channels to address complaints regarding fairness of treatment, violation of privacy, or defamatory coverage.  *In memory of S P Singh, magazine editor, broadcaster, creator  of Aaj Tak on Doordarshan before it became a news channel. He created a popular  Hindi idiom for TV news, and was a role model for many younger journalists. He passed away in June 1997. The Hoot has been supported in its early years by the S P Singh Foundation.