Essential facts were omitted. R.K. Jain’s statements vouching for George Fernandes’s honesty were edited out. Tehelka cut out an encounter they had with an honest bureaucrat in the defence ministry, Mr Doodani. He was furious with Mathew Samuel for offering him money and threatened to call the CBI if he did not leave immediately.

From the unedited West End tapes, Mathew Samuel offered Doodani a packet of money:

Doodani: No, no, no, sorry.

Samuel: Awkay, awkay, I am sorry. Sasi told me.

Doodani: Please never do this. Never. No, absolutely not.

Samuel: I am sorry.

Doodani: I will see Sasi.

Samuel: Sasi told me.

Doodani: No, no. no. I am very much against these things.

Samuel: Sasi told me.

Doodani: No, I told Sasi.

Samuel: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m rrrreally sorry. I’m rrrrreally sorry.

Doodani: I’m never for these things. You’ve got a … he just told me that you wanted some advice, I said, “Okay. Friendly advice I can give to him.” But, your this thing, sorry!

Samuel: Sasi told me.

Doodani: I’ll just ring up Sasi.

Samuel: Sasi, I’m calling from Mr Doodani’s home. You told me, “Give the money to Mr Doodani.” I did, one moment.

Doodani: Hello? Sasi? What is this you are doing? What’s this nonsense? No, that day when you spoke to me, I told you very clearly if he wanted friendly advice, okay, welcome. But, then do you think he can bring the money over here and put it before me? Am I that kind of man? No, no, no, no. I don’t want to hear.

Samuel: He told me to give.

Doodani: Yes, I am very disturbed.

Samuel: I am rrreally verrrry sorry.

This was a serious breach of fair journalism. Tehelka said they wanted the public to know about the corrupt system. The public was equally entitled to learn that there are honest officers. In this, senior editors in any organisation play a crucial role. They ask for the other side of the story, ensure all the facts are double-checked and that no journalists push an agenda. Tarun Tejpal was too busy trying to run the website and Aniruddha Bahal was in charge of the investigative cell. Bahal was also the man running Operation West End. There was no objective eye looking at editing decisions. Journalists habitually fall in love with the angle of the story on which they are focusing and any point raised that moves it away from that angle, is dropped. The integrity of George Fernandes and Doodani moved them away from their exposure of corruption. That was a ‘Tipping Point’. It made their report appear biased.