India's Media Captured & Censured: Sreenivasan Jain Traces The Current State Of Indian Media (image: Unsplash/Sam McGhee)
Is there any space for critical journalism in India? Sreenivasan Jain, in his latest episode of The India Report, asked. Titled “India”s Media Captured & Censured”, veteran journalist for Al Jazeera English delves in detail into the shocking decline of press freedom in India and the deplorable state of independent journalism in mainstream Indian media.
Sreenivas Jain points out at the beginning of the episode that though media in India is one of the largest media eco systems in the world, instead of bringing government to accountability, on varying degrees, it serves to advance the interests of Prime Minister Modi and actively assist in securing third successive term for his BJP-led government.
Jain points out that editorial decisions of the most of the mainstream media fall in agreement with the ruling government; the topic of discussions and debates targets minorities, especially Muslims, and furthers a divisive agenda. The Hindu nationalist ideology of the BJP comfortably finds its presence in the mainstream media. Ravish Kumar, a veteran journalist who was formerly associated with NDTV, called such media derogatorily “Godi Media,” meaning media sitting on the lap of the government.
Tracing the shift of India”s media from critical voice to voice of compliance from inside, Sreenivasan Jain talks about India”s “captured media”. He details how once unbiased broadcaster NDTV have had to pay the price; the NDTV founders were charged and chased by the Modi government in the name of “financial fraud,” and subsequent Adani Group”s hostile takeover of NDTV in 2023, which hit headlines globally as a “tipping point in the decline of India”s press freedom.”
Several journalists, including Ravish Kumar and Sreenivasan Jain, resigned from NDTV soon after.
In the video, Ravish Kumar told Sreenivas Jain that he was aware that “something like this would happen.” He observes that “what has happened since 2014 is very different in nature,” and to substantiate this, Ravish Kumar tells Jain that no anchor has called farmers “separatists” or “terrorists” earlier ever before, didn”t spread fake news, portrayed opposition in bad light, or demeaned the institution of democracy ever before in the history of Indian media. The pro-government stance of mainstream media was stressed by Jain”s reference to the 2020 farmers protests; the media is seen taking the government”s side and attacking protesting farmers. Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, the company runs India”s public broadcaster, addresses criticism and the government”s response to allegations of pro-government stances in mainstream media. Vempati says that media functioning has less to do with government and propaganda and more to do with the TV rating system. Vempati has also worked on Modi”s campaign since his first run for prime minister.
Those who are not in line with the ruling power are made to find it difficult to function. Jain talks to Pramod Raman, Chief Editor of the Media One News network, a Malayalam Media House, and their telecast ban on last April. The shutdown was prompted by the channel”s reporting on the anti-Muslim riots in Delhi in February 2020. The Information Ministry notice points out that Media One”s coverage was “biased and critical” of the role of Delhi Police and the RSS, a Hindu nationalist outfit. Similarly, the Foreign media is terrorised and silenced, Jain tells. The BBC“s documentary, India: The Modi Question criticising Narendra Modi”s role in the Hindu Riots 2002 was banned in India in February 2023, and following I-T unleashed government raids on the Delhi headquarters of the media house”s outlet, citing tax issues. Amy Kazmin, former South Asia Bureau Chief of the Economic Times, tells how “a large part of the country” has become inaccessible to foreign correspondence since Modi got elected for the first time. Recently, the French Journalist Vanessa Dougnac left the country as the government threatened of deportation, citing her “malicious reporting.”
In such distressing and despairing scenarios, hope comes in the form of digital media by independent and minor journalists. But at the same time, the Modi government is now increasingly attempting to push its narrative through influencers; for instance, through YouTuber BeerBiceps, as it can be seen, recently his channel has been flooding with interviews with top BJP leaders including Ministers. Aside from propagating their narratives, the government is also eliminating critical voices by implementing rigid laws, including the setting up of a fact-checker to supervise/scrutinise online journalism. It was akin to censorship, Jain argues. The journalist, meanwhile, also criticises PM Modi”s “lopsided” relationship with the news media. He never addressed a press conference, and substituted it with select interviews. In response, Shashi Shekhar Vempati says, “Press Conference as an instrument have become redundant”.
While concluding the report, Sreenivas Jain observes that mainstream Indian Media”s favourable coverage of the Prime Minister puts him in an enviable position and strengthens his chances for a third time.
This is an absolute must-watch about how Indian media has become unhinged propagandists for the ruling party.
If you believe in democracy and freedom of press, this concerns you. pic.twitter.com/YAI0pgwsfJ
— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) March 29, 2024
