NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES: NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

One murder, umpteen versions

How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

O
n September 22, 2008, the chief
executive officer of a firm in the
industrial town of Greater
Noida in Uttar Pradesh was
killed by some sacked workers. Gory
incidents like these, usually, bring out
contentious issues that form the backdrop —
provided those are contextually highlighted
by the news media.
Newswatch decided to look at the news
media coverage that the incident generated.
The study was conducted over a four-day
period starting the day the CEO was killed. It
was meant to be a qualitative analysis, not a
quantitative one. The idea was to look at the
way the news media covered the issue, and
not quantify the exact number of
publications or news outlets that did a
story, or did not.
After the preliminary
data collection, 114 news newspapers would be correct and acceptable. The
items were shortlisted for rest were partially accurate, or had typo errors.
analysis. Inaccuracies, What was most astounding was the fact that
inconsistencies, and there seemed to be as many versions of the
preponderance of anti-labour incident as there were reports. To get to the
quotes marked the findings. truth one would probably have to go through
Most of the initial reports all the reports, stitch together the seemingly
— those of the brutal murder consistent parts, and come up with
of the CEO — were attributed to something which might be as disjointed and
either police or company inconsistent as most of the reports.
sources. Technically speaking, The exact sequence of events was not
police sources are traditionally clear from any of the copies. The only
preferred as sources when the thing that was evident in the news stories
news is about violence, especially was the fact that the CEO had been
one in which there has been a death. killed. Most of the stories attributed
In reports about conflict – in this their source(s) to either the police (who
case, workers vs management – a were not present on the spot) or
variety of sources brings about a more company officials (who were more
balanced coverage of the incident. likely to give only their version of the
Only five of the 25 stories quoted a incident). The version(s) of workers,
worker. A number of news outlets also both retrenched and current, would
used multiple sources for a wider have gone a long way in presenting
perspective. As many as six of the a broader picture of the incident.
‘breaking news’ stories did not menion Versions of the background to the
when the incident had occurred. violence too varied. Some said the company had sacked
The second name of the CEO, Lalit about 100 employees two months earlier when they had asked for a
Kishore Chaudhary, was spelt in six pay raise. A report even said the meeting on that particular day had
different ways by the 25 news outlets. Only five got it right. There been called to discuss reinstatement of some union leaders.
were even more variations in the name of the company as All in all, if one happened to read the 25 initial reports of the
mentioned by the 25 news outlets – there were as many as 12. Only violence, one wouldn’t know who to believe.
one got it fully correct as ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd’.
Even the ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India’ reported by the two foreign READ ON...

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES 1

 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the methodology
This study was launched to primarily look at how the news media covered both the
killing of the Graziano Trasmissioni India CEO as well as aftermath of the
incident.The tracking of stories was done by monitoring Google News from
September 22 to 25, 2008. Altogether, 746 stories published during the period were
tracked down. After leaving out duplicates (mainly because of news agency creeds),
the number was brought down to 184. The next round of elimination was done to
exclude non-English stories and ones that ran into 100 words or less.
In the end, 114 stories were selected for the content analysis. In all, 92 of these
were from Indian news outlets; the rest were of foreign origin. Of these 114 stories,
25 were seen to be in the “breaking news” category, while 80 were follow-ups. There
were six editorials and three op-ed pieces as well.
The “breaking news” in this case is not the same as that in a live medium like
television, radio or the Internet. In the Newswatch studies, “breaking news” is the first
story of an incident – in this case the attack on the CEO of Graziano Trasmissioni
India and his subsequent death on September 22, 2008.The “breaking news” stories,
therefore, were from distinct news outlets.
There was also a need to see how the news-break was being followed up. Since
newspapers needed to be given a day’s leeway and foreign one too had to be kept in
mind, the study looked at stories published between September 22 and 25, 2008.
The stories selected for the analysis were coded on basis of 43 parameters.
Each of these data entries were subsequently cross-checked by two other persons to
avoid errors of omission and commission.

Headlines and treatment
The first element of a news story that makes an impact on the
reader is the headline. Eighty-five per cent (17/25) of the news
stories in the “breaking news” category went in for ‘label’
headlines; eight opted for ‘declarative’ headlines. The ‘label’
headlines of ‘breaking news’ stories ranged from ‘Sacked Indian
workers beat CEO to death’ (Saudi Gazette, Jeddah) to ‘Workers
beat CEO to death in Greater Noida’ (NDTV, New Delhi). The
declarative headlines of ‘breaking news’ stories ranged from ‘Chief
executive beaten to death with iron rods by angry workers’ (The
Daily Mail, London) to ‘CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian
workers’ (The Times, UK). In case of the follow-up news stories, 43
had ‘declarative’ headlines and 37 had ‘label’ ones. The ‘declarative’
headlines of follow-up news stories ranged from ‘UP scrambles to
clean up bloodied labour image’ (Financial Express, New Delhi) to
‘Angry India Inc, Cong force Oscar to say sorry’ (CNN-IBN). The
‘label’ headlines of follow-up news stories ranged from ‘Italian firm
to launch independent probe into CEOs lynching in Noida’ (Asia
News International, New Delhi) to ‘Sp cell to be set up in G Noida
for handling labour disputes’ (Indo-Asian News Service-IANS,
New Delhi). The usage of ‘declarative’ or ‘label’ headlines in case of
both ‘breaking news’ stories and the subsequent follow-up news
items did not follow any definitive pattern.
The tone and tenor of a story also has an impact on the reader
and can sway a reader’s judgment either way. The yardstick for
treatment was stringent — any news item that might otherwise be
taken as straight was marked as a ‘story with colour’ either if it was
seen to be laced with adjectives or if the reporter/writer was even
remotely judgmental. In case of the ‘breaking news’ category, an
overwhelming 80 per cent (N=16) were found to be straight news
copies that avoided emotions. The rest (N=9) were news ‘stories
with colour’. When it came to follow-ups, the balance scaled
slightly more towards ‘stories with colour’. In all, 44 out of the 80
follow-up stories were found to be stories that used colourful
language in varying proportions.

2 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the news-break
Description of death: In all, 15 of the 25 stories said the CEO
was ‘beaten to death’, eight said he was ‘bludgeoned to death’,
while one each said he was ‘lynched to death’, and ‘thrashed’ and
died subsequently. The expressions ‘beaten to death’, ‘bludgeoned
to death’ and ‘lynched to death’, though correct, give the
impression that he died on the spot. In most of the reports, it was
not clear where he had died. Many said he was declared ‘brought
dead’ at the hospital. The use of ‘bludgeoned’ and ‘lynched’ were
not used as yardsticks to mark stories as ‘stories with colour’.
These expressions are now used rampantly in news copies.
Sources: It is a cardinal mistake in journalism not to attribute
incidents in a story to a source. Two (Financial Times of London,
and citizen journalism site Digital Journal) did not mention
sources in their stories. The rest used varied sources – from police
officials to factory employees. A number of news outlets also used
multiple sources for a wider perspective.
Most ‘breaking news’ stories were attributed to either police or
company sources. Technically speaking, police sources are
traditionally preferred as sources when the news is about violence,
especially one in which there has been a death. In reports about
conflict – in this case, workers vs management – a variety of
sources brings about a more balanced coverage of the incident.
Only five of the 25 stories quoted a worker. The Hindustan Times
report used the most sources – senior company official, two
workers, and state labour official. The newspaper, however, did not
quote any police official. The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)
report also quoted four sources. The news agency, however, did not
name the police official by designation, and quoted only a mid-
level company official.

WHO WERE THE REPORTS SOURCED TO

News outlet Source(s)

Adnkronos International RK Chaturvedi, eyewitness

Agence France-Presse Babu Ram, Forettii Gatii (secondary)
Associated Press Ramesh Jain
BBC RK Chaturvedi (secondary), Rajpal (secondary)
Canadian Broadcasting Corp Babu Ram
CNN-IBN RK Chaturvedi
Daily Mail, The Babu Ram, Ramesh Jain (secondary)
Deccan Herald Anon police and eyewitness
Deutsche Presse-Agentur Manoj Pathak
Digital Journal None
Financial Times None
Guardian, The Babu Ram, Ramesh Jain (secondary), Rajpal
(secondary)
Hindu, The Babu Ram
Hindustan Times Ramesh Jain, Rajpal, Avdesh, DP Singh
Independent, The Rakesh Kumar Singh (secondary), Ramesh Jain,
Babu Ram, anon protester
Independent, The (SA) Company spokesman (secondary), Mahesh Sharma
(secondary)
Indian Express, The Babu Ram, injured worker, company officials,
Bhanu Pratap Singh, Mahesh Sharma
Indo-Asian News Service Brijesh Kr Gautam, Rakesh Kr Singh, Narendra
Singh Gangwar, factory sources
NDTV Anon eyewitness
Press Association Babu Ram
Reuters RK Chaturvedi
Saudi Gazette Babu Ram, Udaivir (both secondary)
Telegraph, The RK Chaturvedi
Times of India, The Babu Ram, Udaivir, anon employee, company
sources
Times, The Police spokesman, Italian consultant

NOTE:
1. Avdesh: Agitating worker
2. Babu Ram: SP (Rural), Noida
3. Bhanu Pratap Singh: IG (law and order)
4. Brijesh Kumar Gautam: Police official (no specific designation mentioned)
5. DP Singh: Asst labour commissioner, Ghaziabad
6. Forettii Gatii: Italian consultant
7. Mahesh Sharma: CMD, Kailash Hospital
8. Manoj Pathak: Police official (no specific designation mentioned)
9. Narendra Singh Gangwar: Injured worker admitted to hospital
10. Rajpal: Agitating worker
11. Rakesh Kumar Singh: Hr dept, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd
12. Ramesh Jain: Director, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd
13. RK Chaturvedi: SSP, Noida
14. Udaivir: Production supervisor, Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES 3

 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

When and where: Of the conventional 5w+1H of old-school
journalism, the ‘when’ and ‘where’ are imperative to certain kinds
of stories – especially of the type that was the subject of this study.
As many as six of the ‘breaking news’ stories did not menion
when the incident had occurred: Associated Press (AP), Digital
Journal, the Daily Mail, the Independent, BBC, and the
Independent (South Africa). In case of the Times of India report,
both the ‘when’ and the ‘where’ were implied by the dateline and
were not explictly stated.
Greater Noida, where the unfortunate incident happened, was
wrongly described to be on the outskirts of Delhi by six foreign
news outlets – Financial Times, Associated Press (AP), Saudi
Gazette, the Daily Mail, Press Association, and Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). ‘Outskirts’ means a point that is
the farthest from the centre, but one that is part of the same entity,
in this case – Delhi. Greater Noida was correctly described as a
suburb of Delhi by the Times.
The name of the deceased: The second name of Lalit Kishore
Chaudhary was spelt in six different ways by the 25 news outlets.
Only five got it right.
Instances:

Choudhary: 15;

Chaudhary: 5;

Chaudhury: 2;

Chaudhry: 1;

Chowdhury: 1;

Choudhury: 1
The name of the company: There were even more variations in
the name of the company as mentioned by the 25 news outlets –
there were as many as 12.
Only the Hindu got it fully correct as ‘Graziano Trasmissioni
India Pvt Ltd’. Even the ‘Graziano Trasmissioni India’ reported by
the Independent and Financial Times would be correct and
acceptable. The rest were partially accurate, or had typo errors.
Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd is also known as Oerlikon
Graziano India. It is the Indian subsidiary of Oerlikon Graziano
SpA, based in Turin, Italy. Oerlikon Graziano SpA, in turn, is a
segment of the Swiss high-tech group, OC Oerlikon Group.

NOTHING IN A NAME: THE VICTIM AND THE FIRM

News outlet Name of victim Name of company

Adnkronos International Chaudhry Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions India

Agence France-Presse Chaudhary Graziano Transmissioni
Associated Press Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
BBC Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
CBC Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
CNN-IBN Chaudhary Gradiano
Daily Mail, The Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Deccan Herald Chaudhary Gradiano
Deutsche Presse-Agentur Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Digital Journal Chaudhary Graziano Trasmissioni (India unit)
Financial Times Chaudhury Graziano Trasmissioni India
Guardian, The Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Hindu, The Chaudhury Graziano Trasmissioni India Pvt Ltd
Hindustan Times Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India Pvt Ltd
Independent, The Choudhary Graziano Trasmissioni India
Independent, The (SA) Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni
Indian Express, The Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India Pvt Ltd
Indo-Asian News Service Choudhary Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions India Pvt Ltd
NDTV Choudhury Graziano
Press Association Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Reuters Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Saudi Gazette Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni India
Telegraph, The Chowdhury Oerlikon Graziano Transmission India
Times of India, The Chaudhary Graziano Trasmissioni (India unit)
Times, The Choudhary Graziano Transmissioni

4 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

The what and the why: What was most astounding about the
findings was the fact that there seemed to be as many versions of
the incident as there were reports. To get to the truth one would
probably have to go through all the reports, stitch together the
seemingly consistent parts, and come up with something which
might be as disjointed and inconsistent as most of the reports.
The exact sequencce of events was not clear from any of the
copies. The only thing that was clear in all the news stories was the
fact that the chief executive officer had been killed. Most of the
stories attributed their source(s) to either the police (who were not
present on the spot) or company officials (who were more likely to
give only their version of the incident). The version(s) of workers,
both retrenched and current, would have gone a long way in
presenting a broader picture of the incident.
Versions of the background to the violence, which was
imperative, too varied. Some reports said the company had sacked
about 100 employees two months earlier when they had asked for a
pay raise. A report even said the meeting on that particular day had
been called to discuss reinstatement of some union leaders.
The ‘beaten to death’, ‘bludgeoned to death’ and ‘lynched to
death’ expressions give the impression that the CEO died on the
spot. Some reports did not mention where he had died, others
reported that he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

WHAT THE MEDIA REPORTED ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND THE BACKGROUND
News outlet What happened Background trigger factor Where did he die

Adnkronos International Meeting called with dismissed workers to sort out pending Company had sacked about 100 employees Not mentioned where.
issues. Ended inconclusively and infuriated workers who two months ago after they asked for a pay
went on rampage. They (about 100 sacked workers) rise.
turned violent and beat CEO to death with wooden clubs
and iron bars inside factory. Eyewitness: CEO tried to
broker peace between the two “sides” but a worker hit him
from the back with a hammer.

Agence France-Presse Meeting to discuss a long-running labour dispute turned
violent. Only a few people were called inside. About 150
people were waiting outside when they heard someone
from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two
sides clashed. CEO hit on the head with either a stick or
an iron rod.
Company sacked more than 100 workers Declared dead on arrival at
three months ago but arranged meeting to hospital
work out a possible reinstatement deal.
Workers dismissed after they demanded pay
rises and allegedly ransacked firm's offices.

Associated Press Laid-off workers had been called in to try to settle a Dispute that had led to the firing of more than Bled to death. Not mentioned
dispute. CEO attacked with iron rods and wooden polls. 100 employees in recent months. where.
About 125 dismissed workers barged into the factory and
went on rampage.

BBC Meeting was scheduled to discuss possibility of reinstating Nearly 300 workers at Graziano Died at the factory.
some workers. Dismissed employees turned violent. Angry Transmissioni were dismissed two months
workers damaged office property and singled out CEO ago after they demanded pay rises and
when he tried to reason with the mob. They used iron bars allegedly ransacked its offices.
to beat up CEO. More than 100 dismissed workers
entered factory, vandalised machinery, and attacked CEO.
Firing by staff agitated workers waiting outside.

Canadian Broadcasting Former workers attacked CEO with rods and wooden Meeting was called to resolve an industrial Bled to death. Not mentioned
Corporation sticks at a factory. CEO attacked after he tried to reason dispute in which more than 100 employees where.
with workers who had begun destroying factory property. were dismissed over recent months.

CNN-IBN CEO attacked by a mob inside company premises. The workers had been dismissed nearly two CEO rushed to Noida’s Kailash
Meeting called by CEO to resolve dispute between labour months back and had been protesting since Hospital where he was declared
and management. Meeting turned violent when workers then. brought dead.
started protesting. Representatives conveyed to those
waiting outside that they had been manhandled, leading to
protesters barging inside.

Daily Mail, The CEO attacked inside factory by workers called in to settle Dispute that had led to the firing of more than Bled to death. Not mentioned
dispute. About 125 workers armed with iron rods barged 100 employees in recent months. where.
into the factory and went on rampage. CEO assaulted
when he tried to pacify them.

Deccan Herald Trouble began after meeting between union Meeting had been called over dismissal of CEO died later in hospital.
representatives and management inside company some union leaders.
premises. One leader called workers, waiting outside, and
told them the management had attacked union leaders.
Workers, armed with sticks and iron rods, turned violent
and gatecrashed into premises. CEO thrashed in violent
clash. Eyewitness said workers turned violent when a
security guard opened fire to disperse them.

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES 5

 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers
News outlet What happened
Deutsche Presse-Agentur Workers called for a meeting to reinstate some of them but
turned violent during the talks. The mob damaged office
property and beat CEO with wooden sticks and iron rods
when he tried to pacify them. Over 100 dismissed workers
damaged property and attacked CEO.
Digital Journal 200-strong armed mob of sacked workers barged into
company premises, wantonly destroyed machinery and
cars, and then attacked CEO who tried to pacify them..
Was abused while trying to reason with protesters. On
raising objections he was beaten to death with a hammer
Financial Times Meeting with former employees to resolve a long-running
dispute dissolved into riot in which protesters overpowered
security guards and turned on CEO and his staff.
Guardian, The CEO attacked inside factory by sacked workers called in
to settle dispute. Meeting turned sour and men began
vandalising machinery. About 125 workers armed with iron
rods barged into the factory and went on rampage. CEO
assaulted when he tried to pacify them.
Hindu, The Group of former employees turned violent during meeting
with management and attacked CEO. Altercation broke
out between employees and management. Security guard
opened fire in air and a mob of over 100 people waiting
outside stormed into premises. CEO came down on
hearing commotion and was battered to death.
Hindustan Times Meeting called to discuss dismissal of workers turned
violent. Around 125 dismissed workers armed with iron
rods barged into the factory and went on rampage. They
broke computers and machinery and smashed
windowpanes. When CEO tried to pacify them, they
assaulted him with rods. Worker: Company asked for an
apology letter saying workers had caused violence in the
past which forced the lockout. This made them the furious
and the gathered workers started protesting. Worker:
Outsiders may have assaulted CEO. Firing by guards
agitated workers and they clashed with staff.
Independent, The Precise details unclear. Police version: workers invited to
discuss possible settlement to dispute in which more
workers would be taken back. CEO attacked after he tried
to talk to disgruntled workers. Company version: angry
workers were armed with iron rods and hockey sticks.
Anon protestor: workers were angered by demand that
dismissed employees sign a letter admitting to guilt for
previous violent acts before being reemployed. This made
them furious and the gathered workers started protesting.
Independent, The (SA) CEO attacked after a meeting to discuss labour dispute.
Agitating employees got violent and hit him with an iron
rod.
Indian Express, The CEO beaten with iron rods. Dismissed employees were
meeting management to resolve a dispute. Large group of
employees waiting outside got restive after rumours
spread that a scuffle had broken out between
management and union leaders inside the meeting.
6 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES
Background trigger factor Where did he die
Some 300 workers were dismissed two Succumbed to injuries. Not
months ago after they demanded pay rises mentioned where.
and ransacked the offices.
Three months ago company declared a CEO taken to Greater Noida’s
partial lockout after workers demanded pay Kailash Hospital where doctors
rises and allegedly ransacked offices. 300 declared him brought dead.
employees were affected. They had arrived
on Monday to negotiate the re-employment
terms but were not willing to accept some
conditions. They sat on a protest outside the
main gate in spite of court injunction against
them coming within 300m of the unit.
Attack sparked off by the company's Beaten to death in office
dismissal of 200 workers in a pay dispute.
Dispute that had led to the firing of more than Bled to death inside factory.
100 employees in recent months.
Company had dismissed about 200 Taken to a nearby hospital where
employees after they vandalised its premises doctors declared him dead.
during an agitation two months ago
demanding a raise in salary. Dismissed
employees were demanding reinstatement
and the management had invited them for
talks. Management reportedly laid a pre-
condition for dismissed employees, asking
them to submit a written apology to get back
their jobs.
Problem over dismissed workers simmering CEO rushed to Kailash Hospital
for some time. On September 16, where he was declared brought
management and labour leaders agreed to dead.
take back dismissed employees except 15
whose services were terminated. It was
agreed that workers will individually give
applications tendering an apology letter.
240 casual employees had been dismissed Declared dead on arrival at
early this year for what he said was "poor hospital.
performance"; 70 of them were taken back
but the remainder had been protesting
outside the factory gates since then.
Nearly 300 workers were dismissed two CEO declared dead on arrival at
months ago after they demanded pay rises hospital
and ransacked its offices.
Dispute had been continuing for last five Declared dead on arrival at
months. Employees wanted raise and Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida.
permanent jobs. Standoff took serious turn
two months ago when agitating employees
ransacked company’s offices, and the
management retaliated by dismissing around
300 people for misbehaviour and rioting.
NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS
 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

News outlet What happened Background trigger factor Where did he die

Indo-Asian News Service CEO lynched when about 150 retrenched workers barged
into factory premises. Earlier in the day, a mob brutally
beat over 50 workers with iron rods, hockey sticks and
heavy axles. Incident: men, armed with iron rods and
hockey sticks, entered premises and attacked security
guards and then workers. Many entered production area
through reception gates and broke window panes. When
CEO came out for a compromise, six men surrounded
him. Abuses and heated arguments followed. He was then
hammered to death.
Company had expelled about 240 casual Not mentioned where, but implied
workers in January for non-performance. It that he died on the spot.
reinducted 70; rest striking in front of factory.
Senior management willing to take them
back after some time, but they indulged in
extreme unrest and resorted to bloodbath.

NDTV Trouble began when 200 workers arrived outside the None Not mentioned.
office. They were invited in by HR managers. 70 workers
went inside and began attacking the management. MD
arrived to help control situation. Workers attacked MD for
30 minutes with sticks. They hit him repeatedly on his
head. He died of those injuries. Eyewitness: At least 250
workers were sitting outside. As soon as the gate was
opened, they barged in and the guards who were present
started running here and there. By the time the guards
gathered together, the workers had done the damage.

Press Association CEO attacked by workers with iron rods and wooden Dispute was over dismissal of more than 100 Bled to death. Not mentioned
sticks inside factory. Meeting called to settle a dispute. employees in recent months. where.
Workers attacked CEO when he tried to talk to them.

Reuters Sacked employees beat up CEO in company's office. Long industrial dispute at factory which led to Not mentioned where.
Dismissed employees turned violent during meeting. dismissal of hundreds of employees.
Angry workers damaged office property and singled out
CEO when he tried reason with them.

Saudi Gazette CEO attacked with iron rods and wooden sticks inside the No additional info. CEO rushed to Greater Noida’s
company factory by 200-strong armed mob of dismissed Kailash Hospital where doctors
workers. Sacked workers rushed into the premises when declared him brought dead.
the gates were opened to let in a car. They smashed cars
inside compound. Hearing the commotion, CEO came out
to building entrance. Was abused while trying to reason
with protesters. On raising objections he was beaten to
death with a hammer.

Telegraph, The Company asked 11 sacked employees to come for talks Meeting had been called over reinstatement Not mentioned.
with CEO. Around 150 members of the local trade union of 11 employees sacked for
accompanied them. Simmering tension burst into open “underperformance” two months ago.
when an overzealous security guard fired in air. Those
inside CEO’s room took gunshot as signal of intimidation
and one dashed to see what happened. Seeing him rush
out, waiting union leaders thought talks had failed. Around
50 of them, most of them carrying iron rods, hammers and
batons, charged into CEO’s chamber and repeatedly
struck him on head.

Times of India, The Sacked workers rushed into the premises when the gates Roots of unrest traced to three months ago, CEO rushed to Greater Noida's
were opened to let in a car. They smashed cars inside when company declared a partial lockout. Kailash Hospital, where doctors
compound. Hearing the commotion, CEO came out to Some 200 employees were affected. 15 declared him brought dead.
building entrance. Was abused while trying to reason with staffers were given termination letters while
protesters. On raising objections he was beaten to death others were to be taken back.
with a hammer. Other: Some workers locked out
selectively. They arrived to negotiate re-employment
terms, but were not willing to accept some conditions.
They sat on dharna outside the main gate despite a court
injunction against these workers coming within 300m of
the unit. 200-strong armed mob of dismissed workers
barged into premises and indulged in largescale violence.

Times, The Meeting called with more than hundred former employees.
CEO wanted to discuss possible reinstatement deal. Only
a few people were called inside. About 150 were waiting
outside when they heard someone from inside shout for
help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed. The
company staff were heavily outnumbered.
Incident followed long-running dispute Not mentioned where.
between management and workers
demanding better pay and permanent
contracts. Meeting was called with former
employees who had been dismissed after an
earlier outbreak of violence.

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 One murder, umpteen versions How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers

the follow-ups In all, various individuals and sources were quoted 190 times in
the 80 stories. Industry officials and organisations accounted for a
substantial chunk of the quotes: 62 times. Quotes of political
Voices: Using quotes in a story has a number of uses. For one, it leaders came next with 42. The initial reaction of Union labour
adds credibility to a story. Then, it adds a human element – a minister Oscar Fernandes and its subsequent retraction accounted
personal touch. And, it lends voices to people. The flipside is that for as many as 26 of these. Graziano Trasmissioni India officials
not quoting someone or a group of people tantamounts to filtering and employees got 39 quotes. The worker angle could get only 14
them out. These things can happen either willingly, or unwittingly quotes (i.e. 7.4 per cent of the total).
on part of reporters/editors. Sometimes people who need to be
quoted might not be at hand. The bottomline, nevertheless, is that
the usage of quotations can swing the mood of a story.
The quotes used in the 80 follow-up stories were broadly
classified into seven categories:
1. Graziano Trasmissioni India officials and employees
2. Police and hospital sources (both named and anonymous)
3. Trade union leaders, labour officials, and Graziano workers
4. Industrialists (both as individuals and organisations)
5. Politicians (both named and anonymous)
6. Family and friends of Lalit Kishore Chaudhary
7. Italian embassy in India

SOME HEARD MORE THAN OTHERS

1 Industrialists (both as individuals and organisations) . . . . .62 . . . . .32.6%
Noida industrialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Industrialist: Of national importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Senior member of industry association: Noida . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Senior member of industry association: National-level . . . . . . .17
Labour expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Industry association: Official reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2 Politicians (both named and anonymous) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . .22.1%

Oscar Fernandes: Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Oscar Fernandes: Apology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Congress leaders (anonymous) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Union government ministers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Left leader (unnamed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
3 Graziano Trasmissioni India officials and employees . . . . .39 . . . . .20.5%
Senior officials of international office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Senior officials of Noida office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Anonymous sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Company statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Guard outside residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Factory guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Mid-level officials and other employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
4 Police and hospital sources (both named and anonymous) 14 . . . . . .7.4%
Noida officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Anonymous police sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Hospital sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
5 Trade union leaders, labour officials, and Graziano workers14 . . . . .7.4%
State level leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
National level leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Labour lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
State labour official . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Workers (retrenched) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Workers (others) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
6 Family and friends of Lalit Kishore Chaudhary . . . . . . . . . .10 . . . . . .5.3%
Family members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Friends and acquaintances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
7 Italian embassy in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . .4.7%
Embassy statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
News hook: A ‘news hook’ is a critical piece of newsworthy
information that captures the attention and interest of the reader.
The news hooks were ascertained on basis of the slant of the
headlines and the intros as well as the theme underlying the entire
copy. As many as 14 news hooks were found in the 80 follow-up
stories that were studied. The most common one was
‘backgrounder and additional information about the incident’. This
was found in 15 stories. Eleven stories each had the news hooks
‘Graziano Trasmissioni’s present scene and future plans’ and
‘apology issued by Oscar Fernandes’.
WHAT THE STORIES HIGHLIGHTED
News hook Occurences
Backgrounder and additional info about the incident.............................................15
Graziano’s present scene and future plans ...........................................................11
Apology issued by Oscar Fernandes.....................................................................11
Warning issued by Oscar Fernandes ....................................................................10
Safety and labour issues in Noida ...........................................................................8
Industry’s reaction to killing......................................................................................6
Government’s reaction to killing and aftermath .......................................................4
Noida arrests ...........................................................................................................3
Reactions to statement of Oscar Fernandes ...........................................................3
UP government’s moves..........................................................................................3
Funeral of CEO........................................................................................................2
Industry legislations about labour disputes..............................................................2
Delayed overall report..............................................................................................1
Italy’s reaction to killing............................................................................................1

One murder, umpteen versions: How the news media covered the killing of a CEO by axed workers. Edited and published by Subir Ghosh for Newswatch
(www.newswatch.in). © Newswatch 2008. All rights reserved. Note: Even though efforts have been made to provide accurate information in this report, the publisher would
appreciate if readers would call his attention to errors by emailing newswatchindia@gmail.com. Suggestions for future study subjects can be sent to the same email address.

8 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS