Crime & More World a magazine with a difference

As an experienced Journalist I do believe  for not-for-profit venture, digital International (Online) magazine should be the top priority for communications and spreading awareness. For our proposed English crime and human rights digital magazine which will be published from January/February 2013  wants  to highlight and aware people about the global issues like human trafficking,Drug trafficking, atrocities against LGBT community, cross border terrorism,Cyber Crime,Forensic sciences,criminal psychology,Atrocities against women, AIDS/HIV, Domestic Violence, Corruption in high places, serial killer and other issues that matter the most.It will be interactive in nature with additional content.

But at the same time, I agree with experts that  the two worlds (Digital and Print) can co-exist and support one another. Many readers still prefer to consume printed articles. Some experts still believe that the notion 'death of print' have been greatly exaggerated. I also believe that the printed word have greater impact than digital one. For the reason, I want to  produce 64/68 pages high-quality, full-color monthly magazine routinely in Bengali language because it is our mother tongue and subsequently in other languages in India. For example,  Women trafficking is major problem in West Bengal. According to one estimate,half a million Indian children under age 16 are exploited in the sex trade. So we think that awareness is necessary to eradicate these kind of crime against humanity. We want to promote community awareness by connecting people.

We need minimum $5000 to run the magazine (Digital and Print) every month.We edited a small and independent alternative women's magazine ADITI with shoe string budget and skeleton stuff. We used royalty free pictures and permissible articles with due courtesy. So, we have the expertise to run a magazine which believes in public interest journalism. Marilyn. Z.Tomlins, a renowned crime writer based in Paris is the Editor-in-Chief of our new true crime and human rights magazine and contributed regularly for ADITI. We need donation to keep the magazine (both online and print) alive.


Backers of the project will receive copies of Crime & More World every month. Their names will appear in the English online edition.They will get special mementos with their photographs ( Polaroids). Crime & More World will also organize fundraiser  incentive reward  programs.

A return policy for donations applicable. All requests for refunds must be made in writing (email)Any refunds authorized will be issued within the current term period and at the Crime & More World's discretion.
Address for communication: 1A,Raja Lane,Calcutta-7000009 (India)
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Me and my notebook

Though,I often carry my laptop with me, I usually depend on my notebook.I scribble everything whether its important telephone number or anything related to my story.If I find any unusual about anything surrounding me,I instantly note down.My memory is not very sharp.So,I heavily dependent on my notebook.Specially,for follow-up stories,my notebook helps me a lot.Here is an excerpt from The News Manual.

Journalists cannot know everything or remember everything. They need to write down information which they will need in the future; and when they need the information, they need to know where to find it.
There are many kinds of books which will make you a better journalist if you know how to use them properly.
Your notebook
Even in the digital age, the notebook is an essential tool of a journalist's trade, whether working in print, radio, television or online. Few people have memories good enough to remember everything they are told, and there is no room in journalism for getting things "roughly right". The notebook allows you to record essential details and organise information; it frees your mind for thinking.
However, it is no use carrying a notebook around unless you are able to use it properly and consistently.
Whenever someone starts to talk, you should assess whether or not it is likely to be newsworthy. If it is, take out your notebook and start taking notes.
Many young journalists are embarrassed to take their notebooks out in front of people. Remember, if a person is to be quoted, he or she would much prefer that you get a correct version than be misquoted. If there is any doubt in your mind about a person's willingness to be interviewed, ask if they object to you making notes. If they do, try to remember what they said and write your notes up as soon as they have gone. Be careful though. Your notes will not be so accurate and you must bear this in mind when you are writing your story.
The equipment
Do not struggle with notebooks which are either so large that they become impossible to hold or so small that they do not hold enough information and leave you turning the page for every sentence.
Ideally you should choose a notebook with the following features:
It should sit comfortably in one hand. This is useful whenever you have to make notes standing up or walking.
It should have a hard back for support.
It should have a metal spiral at the top to make it easier to flip pages over.
It should have feint rules on both sides of each page.
Once you have found a make of notebook that you like, stay with that make where possible. It will be one less thing to go wrong.
Before you attempt to make notes, also make sure that you have either a sharp pencil or a working ballpoint pen, whichever you prefer, and always have at least one spare. Regularly check all your pens and pencils to make sure they are in working order. If in doubt, throw it out.
Using the notebook
As soon as you get a new notebook, write your name and the name of your news organisation clearly on the cover, in case it ever gets lost.
Write on the cover the date when you start using it. This is useful for future reference.
Hold the book firmly in your hand, with the cover and any used pages flicked well out of the way. On windy days, hold any free pages firmly under the book.
You can even hold down used pages by putting a rubber band around them.
Start every story on a new page, even at meetings where there are several stories (e.g. Parliament).
At the foot of your new page, mark clearly in longhand:
a) the title of the meeting or full name of your interviewee and b) the date and place of the meeting or interview.
It is easier to flick through the notebook looking for these details at the foot of the page, than to look for them at the top of the page.
Many journalists like to draw a rough margin down the left-hand side of each page, in which they can make longhand notes or marks of emphasis. Others like to draw a line down the centre of the page, which allows them to get two columns of shorthand per page. This is especially useful if your shorthand outlines are small.
Note clearly whenever a new person speaks or the speaker touches on a new topic. This does not need to be a full title, just enough for a reminder. Leave a blank line between new speakers and/or topics.
Clearly mark those passages, words, figures etc. which you regard as important. You should develop your own system of marks, preferably made in the margin. For example, one stroke alongside your notes for any material you must include in your story, two strokes for more important sections and three strokes for the most important angle or remark.
Work your way through your notebook in an orderly fashion, starting at the front and using only one side of the paper. This makes it much easier to go back through your notes when you need to recap.
When you come to the end of the book, turn the whole notebook over and start again, using the reverse side of each page.
At an interview, always review your notes quickly before you thank the interviewee and leave. This allows you to identify any areas you may have missed or which are unclear. It is always a good idea to go through your notes after the interview, before sitting down at the keyboard. This is the time when you should go over any doubtful shorthand outlines and put extra marks or key words in the margin. If you review your notes while they are still fresh, you decrease the chance of making errors in reading them back.
On occasions you may make notes of an interview or meeting without expecting to use them immediately, for example if they are part of your research into a future feature article. Always type these notes up straight away. If you do not, when you return to them in a week or a month, you may find that you cannot read your shorthand.
When you have used the notes, strike them out with a single diagonal line across each page. This makes the task of finding "active" notes a lot simpler. Do not obliterate the pages and never tear them out. You may need to refer back to them at some time in the future, such as in the case of a complaint.
When you reach the last page of your notebook, you will have used only one side of each page. Now turn the whole notebook over and work your way from the back to the front, using the other side of each page.
When a notebook is finished, do not throw it away. Mark the date you finish it clearly on the front cover, then store the book safely in your desk drawer or filing cabinet. You can eventually throw the books out, but make it a policy never to discard a notebook for at least a year after it is finished. You never know when you might need it again. Should you be accused of defamation, for example, a properly marked notebook can be produced as evidence in court and may help in your defence.
Finally, there will be occasions when you are caught without a notebook, maybe at a social event. Then you must make use of whatever paper is handy.

Aswani Sarin-my real hero

I still remember the film Kamla for it's powerful and bold storyline.Later, I discovered that the film was based on the path-braking investigative reporting by Journalist Aswani Sarin.I also mesmerized by the powerful acting of Sabana Azmi and Dipti Naval.But,when I read the actual series,Aswani Sarin became my real hero.Actually, in investigative reporting,deception plays a major role.In the case of Aswani Sarin,he approached the slave traders to buy a girl to prove that slave trading was thriving in the country.According to expects,if sarin didn't approach the slave traders to buy a girl,they wouldn't sell him one either.It might be a breach of media ethics but as an investigative reporter,I often asked myself then how I expose someone who is in murky world.
Ashwini Sarin was the Delhi-based Indian Express reporter who 'bought' Kamla at a market place in Dholpur to make a strong social statement - money can buy anything.But its another matter that no body knows what had happened to Kamla after that(Kamla was sent to an orphanage in Delhi, from where she disappeared after few weeks).But hats of to Indian Express editorial team to allow Sarin to carried out the story.

Lorana Sullivan-one of my favourite Investigative Journalists

Lorana Sullivan whom I consider as one of the finest Investigative Financial Journalist of all time.Another reason why I consider her as one of my favourite Investigative Journalist is that Lorana worked as a freelance writer and researcher for The Observer(London)and other publication in Britain and the US.She started her carrier for her hometown paper the Elmira Star Gazette in 1961.She studied at Cornell University and Cornell Law School.She also attended School of Journalism of Columbia University.After getting a Pulitzer travelling fellowship,she worked as a reporter for The Sunday Times in London.
After returning to US, as a reporter for various newspapers like Providence Journal Bulletin in Rhode Island,Wall Street Journal,The Sunday Times,The London Observer,she unearthed major financial irregularities such as the financial dealings of Mohamed Al-Fayed after he acquired Harrods.Like Ida Tarbell,the pioneer American Investigative Journalist,Lorana exposed major high profile financial frauds.
After her premature death at the age of 61 years(1999),the Lorana Sullivan Foundation was established to improve the standards of Investigative Journalism.The Foundation who sponsors the London Investigative Journalism Summer School,provides two scholarships a year for students.

Ida Tarbell,the pioneer Investigative reporter

I still remember that when I first read the book 'The History of the Standard Oil Company',I was in the ninth standard.I was fascinated by the detailed research by the author .Later, I learned that Ida was America's most respected journalists of earlier part of the twentieth centuries.I visualized that I would some day be an Investigative Reporter.I found that the author Ida Tarbel (857-1944)was the most respected American journalist in the earlier part of the twentieth century.The lady became my inspiration.In this book she unearthed the illegal way by which the business tycoon John Rockefeller monopolize the then oil industry.Ida Tarbell spent much of her time searching documents,archives. Documents played a major role for muckrakers.Ida proved that 'document oritented' Investigative Journalism is much more authentic.American President Theodore Roosevelt introduced the term muckrakers for the reporters who dug up the shit.She tried tried to exploit her professional credentials for the sake of her personal gain.She even bluntly refused many coveted posts that was offered to her by the us government.I feel sad when I hear that Journalists of my genre use their connections for their monetary gain.

http://www.history.rochester.edu/fuels/tarbell/MAIN.HTM

Salute to Nellie Bly,the dare devil Investigative Reporter

Today,I dedicated my blog to Nellie Bly,one of the finest Investigative Reporter of all time .Bly, the young Investigative Reporter of Dispatch and later Joseph Pulitzer's The New york World specialized in undercover reporting.Bly's journalism style was marked by her first hand tales of the lives of ordinary people whether in mental asylum or in factory which employed child labour.This piece is for those who are not yet familiar about this outstanding reporter whom I idolized from my child hood.

Elizabeth Jane Cochran born on May 5, 1864,home of Mary Jane and Judge Michael Cochran in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, but shortly after her sixth birthday her father died.They faced severe financial crisis.When Elizabeth,was 18 years old she wrote an anonymous letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch in response to a editorial . George Madden, managing editor of the Dispatch was so impressed by the letter that he placed an ad in the Sunday edition of the paper asking that she introduce herself. The following day, Elizabeth met Madden and soon joined as a reporter of the Pittsburgh Dispatch.Elizabeth first article was not impressive,but Madden recognised the her potentiality. When Madden decided to make her a permanent member of his staff, he suggested a pen name for her, as it was quite improper for a woman to write for a newspaper at that time. After several brain storming session with his staff,he found a suitable pen name for her Nellie Bly after a song "Nelly Bly" written 35 years earlier by Stephen Collins Foster, one of Pittsburgh's native. From day one,Nellie focused her attention on women's rights issues. She was the inventor of investigative reporting and an expert at under-cover work. She posed as a poor sweatshop worker to expose the inhuman conditions under which women worked. When shop owners threatened to pull their advertising from the the paper, Nellie was put on an unimportant beat(fashion). She responded to her new assignment by taking a six-month working vacation in Mexico. She continued to write articles for the paper which focused on poverty and political corruption in Mexico. Eventually,the respective government expelled from the country.

Returning to the United States, she concentrated on New York City where she wanted to work for one of the city's top newspapers.
Four months after arriving in New York, Nellie found herself still jobless and penniless. Nellie did'nt want to go back to Pittsburgh, she went to meet Colonel John Cockerill, managing editor of the New York World and presented her ideas.
In September 1887, Nellie admitted to a mental Asylum on Blackwell's Island as an undercover reporter. Nellie continued her undercover reporting for the New York World until 1888,When Newyork World's top brass decided to send a man around the world in less than 80 days. Nellie, took it as a challenge to do it in less time for any another newspaper if they did not agree to send her instead.
On November 14, 1889, Nellie Blys started her world-wide journey on the Hamburg-American Company liner Augusta Victoria from the Hoboken Pier. Bly's travel experiences were published daily in the paper and appreciated by readers.After,Seventy-two days, Nellie arrived home. But dismayed and by the lack of appreciation from her employers, Nelliesubmitted her resignation. In 1893, Nellie made her comeback at the New york World. Her reporting focus mostly on women oritiented issues and fighting corruption in high places.
On April 5, 1895, Nellie married a man named Robert Livingston Seaman 40 years her senior and retired from journalism. Seaman was a millionaire industrialist. After Seaman's death, Nellie focused all her energy to run her late husbands company, The Iron Clad Manufacturing Company.
In 1914, Nellie went to England to escape her financial problems because of the bankruptcy of her company for a few weeks. While in war-torn Europe(World war1), she reported the war from behind the scenes.She returned home after 1919, and again restarted her journalism career, for the New York Evening Journal.
On January 27, 1922 , Nellie Bly died at the age of 57 of pneumonia.For her excellent undercover work,visit: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html

Pix:(above) U.S postal stamp on Nellie Bly.

We should have a good khabari

I had no other clue except that the guy has a automotive shop just beside a police station in Pune.But,there are so many police stations divided by different zones.It was a herculean task for me.How I find him,I wonderedShamir(name changed ), shifted his base from a hilly town in North Eastern region of India to Pune after duping scores of people.He duped people and collected money by impersonating a 'commander'of a millitant outfit of North- East.First I download the details of Pune police stations from their website.After that I collected the names and addresses of automotive shops in and around Pune.I also collected the addresses and phone numbers of Khandelwals living in Pune.Then I randomly dialled automotive shops in and around Pune.My boss told me to find out that man,what he does and his connections.I got in touch with my contact in Pune.Suddenly an idea floated up in my mind -there must be an association of that particulatr community in Pune which he belongs.Meanwhile,I found that there is an automotive shop beside Pune Police headquarter.After a frantic search i found the secretary of a Samaj(Society) and collected his phone number and told him that I need some information about that man who belongs to his samaj.My Pune contact assured me over phone that though he is not able to locate that man yet,he is hopeful that he will find him soon.I called up a guy,who had some underground connections and explained my purpose.Later in the day,my contact informed me,he locate a person who has a automotive shop near a police station but he was not yet sure about the identity of the person.He told me that he needed few more days to identify the person.Two days back,the secretary of the Samaj informed me over phone that his men locate Samir has a thriving business in Pune.I thank God then spend the rest of the night by instructing my contact on yahoo messenger.Still,there was hope,I thought.I was excited.Few days later,my contact informed me that he took the photographs of the man and emailed me the photographs.I instantly recognise the man and instructed my contact to find out his address.Few days later,he informed me that the man lives with his wife and two children in Bhandarkar Road,North Pune and after that it was easier for me to got every details of the man.Then,I realize that we should have a good khabari(Informer).