In 2024, South First uncovered several stories that were overshadowed by more popular topics. Our stories prompted authorities to respond, acknowledge, and take action.
Published Dec 31, 2024 | 7:00 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 31, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Voicing the voiceless is the primary objective of news media. When the stories that need to be told are suppressed, the very purpose of journalism is defeated.
In 2024, South First uncovered several stories that were overshadowed by more popular topics or perspectives.
Our stories prompted authorities to respond, acknowledge, and take action. Here is a list of the top impacts made by these stories.
On 18 September, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made a sensational allegation, that animal fat was used for preparing laddus during the YSRCP regime at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala. Soon after the claim, South First spoke to the authorities concerned, who dismissed the claim.
Later, the Supreme Court said it saw no conclusive proof to substantiate the allegation that ghee with animal fat was used in the making of laddus, in line with what South First had reported, and asked whether Naidu had any evidence. Later, it ordered an SIT investigation into the allegation.
South First visited the village in Bengaluru Rural district and reported on the plight of its residents. Our ground report exposed the nexus between illegal borewell owners and water tankers exploiting Harohalli’s groundwater, rendering it parched since 2020. Shortly after the report was published, a team of government officials assessed the deteriorating situation and took action.
In a commendable move, the Officer on Special Duty to the Karnataka Chief Minister, Dr Vaishnavi K, has responded swiftly to the heart-wrenching story highlighted by South First about Ramya, a young mother from Halehalli, Chikkaballapura district, struggling to care for her four-year-old child with cerebral palsy.
The government’s intervention came after South First reported on the family’s dire circumstances, prompting health department officials to visit Ramya and assess her situation.
In January, South First‘s headline screamed the startling reality, Karnataka has a teen pregnancy problem. Considering the problem, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in April, announced the formation of a central task force.
On 20 April, South First reported that Hong Kong’s food regulator Centre for Food Safety (CFS) had identified that four products from spice brands MDH and Everest contained the pesticide ethylene oxide, which is classified as a Group-1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The news was later taken up by various print and digital media, prompting government action.
However, the food regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) did not find any trace of ethylene oxide in spice samples of two major brands MDH and Everest that were tested in 28 accredited laboratories.
South First spoke to several former and current employees at Brane Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., a firm linked to Byrraju Ramalinga Raju, whose salaries have not been paid for months. More popularly known as ‘Satyam Raju’, he had confessed in 2009 to falsifying accounts at Satyam Computer Services.
Months after the report, the Professional Congress in Telangana held a meeting of all the staff to resolve the issue and demand action against the company.
