Jame Jamshed’s un-journalistic tactics!

Roj Ava Mah Amardad, 1378 Yz.

Several of my friends have called me to ask whether I was going to respond to a couple of articles published in Jame Jamshed weekly over the last two weeks, attacking my article on prohibition of donation of body parts after death.

I strongly believe that every individual has the right to hold an opinion, specially if it does not correspond to my own views on the subject. In an age where religious learning is almost non-existent, my writings and articles are to be used as tools to arrive at a decision after considering the facts as given in our religion. I do not have any hold over an individual and nor can I say that my view is the only view, although I definitely believe that my view is the RIGHT view from the point of our religion and its pristine teachings.

So I have really no motivation to respond to people who have written to the Jame criticising my view on organ donation.

But I am most disappointed by the role of Jame Jamshed in this matter.

My article on Organ donation which appeared in Jame Jamshed was LIFTED FROM THIS BLOG AND PUBLISHED BY THEM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION OR KNOWLEDGE.

Any self respecting publication would FIRST ASK an author before using his material from a web site which is COPY RIGHTED and NOT in public domain. But Jame, which for months ran a disgusting and smear filled campaign against traditionals and favouring total liberals who had suddenly become traditionals on the eve of the Parsi Punchayet elections, received a strong slap on its face through the verdict. After the election results were announced, Jame suddenly realised that it did not have anything worthwhile to print! In its haste to fill up its pages, it is likely that they came across the Frashogard blog and picked up this article and printed it, with the knowledge that they could rake up an issue where none existed.

In this unholy haste, they discarded all norms of journalistic ethics (not that they had much in the first place) and blatantly printed my article without my knowledge and permission. When I read the Jame of that week I was most surprised to see my article in print. I immediately sent them an email through their own website, pointing out that they had used a copyrighted article without the author’s permission and that they should mention this fact in the next issue. I also pointed out that the article on organ donation was incomplete without the next posting on blood donation and transfusion which should also be published by them to give Jame readers a full and fair view of the whole subject.

But Jame has ignored my mail and instead published letters criticising my article without mentioning that the article was printed without the author’s permission!

I am disappointed that a paper as reputable and as old as the Jame has resorted to this type of behaviour, which is not only a violation of journalistic ethics but is also not reflective of good Parsi behaviour.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

26
DEC

Delnavaz December 29, 2008

Hi,
Is it not possible for you to take legal action against Jame for violating journalistic ethics & publishing an article without your permission ? Jame has become a paper of hate. Any good paper would publish articles /view points of both the liberals & the traditionalists to give it’s readers a balanced story. Jame only publishes only the liberals view point and refuses to publish any letter or article contradicting them. Moreover they carefully extract paragraphs/lines from articles/letters submitted by the traditionalists & print them hoping to make the author appear ridiculous. I really wish someone would sue the Jame and make them more responsible.
thanks
Mehlli Bhagalia January 13, 2009

Atleast the Patet Pashemani and the religious classic “Zoroastrianism- Ancient and Modern “by Ervad Masani, a religious savant and distinguished scholar of Avesta, Phelavi and Sanskrit (the languages of our Scriptures) should be the required reading, forJame Jamshed and their ‘enlightened Editor” and all Zoroastrians .

Perhaps Jame may publish this which was sent to them :

CAN PARSIS DONATE ORGANS?

Ofcourse, they can do that if they want to. But only after they have read carefully “Adafravash Namme” a small booklet available in Mumbai. It is from an ancient Iranian source about a very holy man,who on the command of an Iranian king, visited in a trance state, the unknown world where souls go after death, to find out what things there are like.
In “Adafravash Namme” he recounts the fate of various types of sinners, on his return from trance.
Religious matters cannot be comprehended by the rational, logical minds like ours. Religion itself has never been given birth to by a scholar. Only great mystics have created them with God’s help. So to judge what Ervad Marzban has shared with us, on this subject,with our rational minds, is an exercise in futility.
He has only cautioned us of not acting through misplaced kindness, generosity and charity in a matter, of immense importance to the soul on it’s onward journey to meet Ahuramazda.
The information he has passed on to us, is not generally known and difficult to explain to the uninitiated among us including myself, as we are not yet ready and able to comprehend fully this knowledge, without deep study in our religion.

So please ridicule his advice, if any of us want to, at our own peril

Also, who ever wants to, please go ahead and donate. However, we have been adequately cautioned in the matter. As such, in after life,if our soul suffers some terrble consequences,as a result of our misplaced Charity, please be aware that you had been forewarned.
Best of luck
Mehlli Bhagalia
San Diego, California
USA
Sarosh February 20, 2009

Dear Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram,
Please at least send a legal notice to Jame Jamshed claiming damages on account of copyright infringment, defamation and mental torture or else more articles will be copy pasted for sensationalism and controversy creation.These guys are in search of issues and topics which divide the Parsi community and if we allow them to go on a rampage there will be no community one day.YOU SIMPLY MUST NOT LET THESE GUYS PLAY TABLA on your Head.
xyz January 5, 2012

It is the owner of Jame Jamshed who expects editor to bring business by collecting more and more advertisements. Asking for editor’s resignation is totally useless. BPP Chairman’s sister is married to a muslim and son married to a sindhi. What more do you expect from akabars of our community. Sethias and all other trustees are totally useless fighting amongst themselves. They hardly do anything for the community except meeting for four hours on every tuesday to eat free breakfast and tea. They hardly take any correct decisions for upliftment of the community. They continue fighting in the court and waste precious funds which could have been utilised for welfare of the community’s really poor and needy. Not a single court case has been settled in an out-of-court settlement. Instead, they have increased no. of court cases from 750 to 900 in last one year. Trustees are taking free accomodation for themselves in parsi colonies. What more do you expect from this tiny community of 40,000 in mumbai. God save the community. Only after Shah Behram Varzavand comes out in the open, only then we can expect miracles for our community. Yatha Jamiyad Yatha Afrinami. Amen.
xyz January 6, 2012

Three weeks back, Jame Jamshed requested readers to vote for One boy Mr. Nikav Bharucha for clear face competition. This boy is not at-all a parsi. He is a born Muslim. His father’s name is Mr. Bobby Jivani who was running an alcohol shop opp. Nariyelwalla agiary at Dadar named Jiwani Wines. He committed suicide recently. His mother is a parsi. The shop still does business. Parents were divorced before suicide. After the death of the father, how can a muslim become a parsi. How can Jame Jamshed without checking any facts declare him a Parsi. For your kind information, he is still practicing Muslim Religion. Anyone approaching Jame Jamshed cannot declare him a Parsi. Jame Jamshed must check facts and figures before publishing anything controversial which is against our religion. It definetely hurts feelings of religious minded people.