In this issue

The assassination of Olof Palme remains a
mystery in the backdrop of the Bofors scam.
Hardnews explores the hidden dimensions of
this murder, from Sweden to India,Shadow of the army
over Egypt’s revolution
The Muslim Brotherhood proved
vulnerable in power both to its old
secretive culture and a new popular
awareness of its inaptitude for
government. But it has to be included
in any pluralist attempt to restore
democracy,While there is legitimate
national outrage against
the gangrape of the photo
journalist in Mumbai, what
about the trauma of the
little girl, and her quest
for justice, Armed criminals and
gangsters, greedy real estate
agents, powerful politicians,
corrupt locals, and
miscellaneous shady lobbies
work in open synthesis with
the super rich ‘sand
mafia’ a stone’s
throw away from
the capital,BJP blows on communal cinders, The Sangh Parivar is trying to polarize the UP electorate
with Narendra Modi considering contesting from the state, Government sources allege that vested interests are deepening this crisis. So why is
the currency falling far beyond the real exchange rate of rupees?

Hardnews Magazine Description:

Eight years ago, Hardnews was conceived as a reaction to the dumbing down that was taking place in the mainstream media. Newspapers, magazines and television were celebrating trivia and giving precedence to lifestyle and fluff. It was (and continues to be) a phase of terrible political and social decline, with stunning mediocrity and celebrity success replacing aesthetic refinements, deeper intellectual pursuits and cultural high points. The big picture had become shallow and metro-centric. Hence the urge and need for hard news.

Hardnews had no pretensions to compete with what was called the “jute press” of the yore or the new money that is showing up in scores of TV channels or media outlets, since it does not have the funds to match their reach. Unmindful of its obvious limitations, it has, however, tried to give expression to old-fashioned public-spirited journalism that is angry, adversarial and irreverent. Search of truth is the lodestar for us, even if at times it is seen as unpopular and controversial.

Hardnews believes that tough, unsparing oversight of the government and other political and economic power centres is critical for the deepening of democracy. It believes fervently in giving ‘mainstream’ space and voice to those people who are shouted down, who constitute the silent scaffolding of the pluralist, secular Indian ethos at the vast margins.

Hardnews is entirely owned and run by media professionals and has no support of a corporate house or a political party. Central to its existence is the search to find ways and means to sustain an independent media in these difficult times.

Hardnews magazine and its new website are put together by media professionals who are conscious of smart design elements, responsible, original and quality writing. Many reckon it is one of the best-designed magazines in the country.

We have had a galaxy of eminent writers, including Indian, South Asian and western academics, policy-experts and seasoned journalists. In the coming days, we hope to network with a global network of veteran and new, old and young writers, journalists, thinkers, academics,artists and activists and others who are fighting injustice at different levels. It will explore new, in-depth intellectual limits, and push the threshold beyond the comfort zones of political, social and cultural conformity — stuff that no one wants to touch.

Hardnews is the South Asian partner of Le Monde Diplomatique, Paris and Newsline Magazine, Pakistan