media

I’m guessing every Indian citizen and his/her dog/cat/hamster now knows that Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, told a big fat lie. In case you were sleeping, here goes: a couple of years ago at a public event, Goswami related Rajdeep Sardesai’s anecdote of a rather scary confrontation with a Hindutva mob while covering the 2002 Gujarat pogrom. However, Goswami pretended that it had happened to him and held forth in his charming bombastic style while cameras were rolling.

NDTV’s promoter, Prannoy Roy, did not conceal his gratification at the solidarity expressed by media persons and several superannuated editors at the Press Club in New Delhi after his premises were raided. Most of the speakers reminisced about the dark days when Indira Gandhi declared an internal emergency and smothered the press. In the reckoning of these worthies, the country was sliding inexorably towards similar media darkness and it was a matter of time before some kind of emergency – in the name of terrorism – is imposed once again.

Ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, those aligned with his ideology have been openly derisive of journalists they say oppose the BJP. All kinds of invectives have been hurled at journalists, including the coinage of “presstitutes”. Journalists’ credibility was damaged methodically by alleging lack of objectivity in their writing.

The increasingly hostile environment for journalists, sanctioned by official inaction, means muscle may win out over truth
Hardnews Bureau Delhi 

Like in fascist Italy, trains ran on time and government moved faster and better. Besides, there was less corruption
Sanjay Kapoor Delhi 

India should learn from its neighbour, Pakistan, about what it should not do to preserve social harmony and communal amity 
Sanjay Kapoor Delhi