After the Uber Files case, Indian Express published another story in which it published the email exchange between The Economic Times Editor and Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick. The exchange took place three weeks after Uber was banned in Delhi following the rape of a woman passenger by an Uber driver.
The Economic Times Editor in an email exchange with Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick said, “With the Delhi government revising its rules to allow Über to resume operations, perhaps January would be a good time for you to revive your travel plan… I would urge that you travel to New Delhi on January 16 and 17, when The Economic Times Global Business Summit will take place… your insights will help set the agenda for policy formulation in India and other countries. It will also enable you to acquaint yourself with decision-makers in India.”
Kalanick adviced to delay visit India
On the same day, Kalanick wrote to his associates, “Let’s be sensitive to keeping a strong relationship with ToI… if there is something we can do for them that makes sense, we should do it.”
Kalanick delayed his India trip in 2015 on the advice of Allen Penn, Uber’s then Asia head, “let the air clear further on the rape, giving space for a higher success rate on govt and business meetings”
Times Internet makes investment in Uber
Three months later, it was announced Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India group, was making a strategic investment in Uber. After this announcement, incidentally, the ban on Uber was lifted. The Delhi High Court set aside the government order denying Über’s application for a licence to ply on the Capital’s roads.
Getting media firms to invest in Uber was a strategy followed by the company not only in India but in many other countries. The Washington Post reported that Uber “pushed the usual guardrails for journalism ethics by inviting media owners to invest in Uber, in hopes of enlisting them to make high-level connections and spread a favourable message”.
An email from Rachel Whetstone, Vice President for Communications and Public Policy at Uber from June 2015 to April 2017, stated in the mail, “Having (Bild parent company Axel) Springer on our side is very valuable if we are to make progress in Germany… I believe they will actually do things proactively to help.”
Other media investors
“Other media investors who bought stakes in Über included Lord Rothermere, who owns the Daily Mail in Britain, Ashley Tabor-King, founder of the largest commercial radio group in Europe, and Carlo de Benedetti, publisher of Italian newsweekly L’Espresso ― whom Über executives asked to help make a connection for Kalanick with then-Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi in 2015, according to emails. (De Benedetti acknowledged hosting several of the company’s executives for dinner at his house in Rome that year but said that “I never made lobbying operations with them or anybody else.”),” the Post report states.
Times of India Group's reply
Replying to the questions of Indian Express and The Guardian, Sivakumar Sundaram, Chairman, Executive Committee, Times of India Group, in an email, said, “At the outset, we reject all of your motivated and coloured questions, which presumes that alleged Times Internet
Limited’s investment in Über had bearing on articles published in Times Group publications.”
“We Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited (“BCCL”, together with its subsidiaries also known as “The Times Group”) are one of the largest media services conglomerates in India, enjoying unstinted patronage from millions of discerning readers and viewers worldwide. We have a heritage of over 180 years and our publications “The Times of India”, “Navbharat Times” and “The Economic Times” are well known to readers in India and abroad as pillars of integrity and ethics. The Times of India is the world’s largest selling English daily newspaper. We ensure that correct information reaches the readers of our publications and public at large in an unbiased manner,” he said.
“We vehemently oppose your attempt to malign us, as an independent media house which is unaffiliated to any political party/agenda and has been a pillar of integrity in our rich and diverse society for close to two centuries… Without going into the specific allegations about Times Internet Limited (hereinafter referred to as TIL), and without prejudice to our rights and contentions we state that TIL is an independent company with its separate management. All investments made by the companies in the group would be in their course of business and in compliance with laws of India as well as the code of conduct applicable to all Times group Companies,” he said.
“Specifically regarding BCCL, we can confirm that over the years we have had a cordial advertising relationship with Über in India. We however categorically deny any involvement in Über’s internal affairs or policies, such as the ones you have mentioned in your email. We further categorically deny facilitating or providing Über with any form of political access or promoting changes in legislation/regulation. These are internal matters of the said company, and you may reach out to them directly in this regard,” Sundaram said.
“We can safely assure you that the alleged “partnership” you have referred to has nothing to do with any understanding as alleged and maybe only an investment and cooperation exercise where advertisement and marketing support is provided as desired by the client in the normal course of business…,” he said.
“At The Times Group, there is no interaction to influence between the business teams and the editorial teams. Both under the law and as per Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.’s and other Group company’s internal codes of conduct, the editors control the selection of matter that is published as news, while the business teams, including advertisement sales teams and barter teams, do not have any control whatsoever on the editorial matters. There is a Chinese wall separating advertisement sales/investments with news, similar to any media house of repute, with strict policies and proper corporate governance in place for the independence of news and editorials. The process of segregating the functioning of
various departments and companies has been developed, implemented, upgraded and enforced by The Times Group over decades. This process fosters good governance, prevents conflict
of interest, ensures impartiality and thwarts insider trading. Uber or its functionaries visiting and being a part of any business summit has no relationship with Times Group’s journalism…,” Sundaram said
List of influencers
Uber had apparently prepared lists of politicians, bureaucrats and thought leaders it called “stakeholders”, it used these people to influence people at the centre of policy-making.
Replying to the inquiry of Indian Express on the company’s relationship with media organisations, Uber said “Like many startups, Über sought out strategic investors who could help us understand certain markets and grow our business…There has never been an expectation of positive editorial coverage as a result of the investment. In fact, it is fair to say that we have received a lot of critical coverage from various outlets of the media group.” The spokesperson said, “We meet with these stakeholders to educate them about our business model, seek to understand how we can better serve the needs of local communities, and advocate for progressive regulation that supports drivers, riders and cities.”
