Two days ago, Delhi Police raided several journalists’ homes and detained many for questioning. The founder and editor-in-chief of a digital website, NewsClick, was arrested under the stringent anti-terror UAPA and for allegedly promoting religious enmity.
Approximately three weeks ago, 14 television news anchors were ‘boycotted’ by the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A). At the time, Pawan Khera, Congress media department chairman, said, “Every day at 5 pm, a market of hatred is put up on some channels. It has been happening for the last nine years. The spokespersons of different parties go to those markets … but we all go as customers of that market of hatred.”
Here are two examples of attacks on the media by the political establishment – one by the ruling BJP-NDA government, the other by 28 opposition parties. While we rail against politicians for trying to intimidate the media, the sad truth is we helped set our own house on fire.
Politicians strike us and we watch the flames engulf journalism—we don’t douse them.
A divided industry
The Indian media today is split wide open, which makes it easier for governments and politicians to walk in and divide us further. If only the media would unite, stand firm against these attempts to perhaps stifle it… ah, if only.
As it is, few journalists or media organisations criticised the opposition ‘ban’ on certain TV anchors and so far, coverage of NewsClick has only illustrated how deeply we are divided.
The division extends to print and television. These headlines say it all:
‘NewsClick 0’, ‘Took dictation for China’, said Times Now; ‘Delhi Police raid NewsClick office, journalists’, said The Times of India online, at roughly the same time.
‘Over 30 spots linked to NewsClick raided’, ‘Chinese stooges in India’, declared India Today TV; ‘NewsClick raided, including houses of 6 journalists’ said Hindustan Times online, Tuesday.
While Wednesday morning’s mainstream newspapers played out the story with a straight bat, news channels repeatedly bowled the Chinaman. It’s always the angle that counts on TV news.
For example, TOI led with ‘Cops raid 100 locations, linked to NewsClick, arrest founder’, and followed it up with four reports on the viewpoints of Delhi Police, the central government, the opposition, some of the journalists questioned and journalist bodies like Editors Guild of India.
Now, in an ideal media world, Times Now would have done the same. But no, while it did quote politicians of all persuasions, it made a point of detailing the Delhi Police “questionnaire”. which had dwelt on the website and its contributors being ‘coached’, ‘sponsored’ by China – as well as the protests like Shaheen Bagh.
In the 9 pm debate, Tuesday, anchor Navika Kumar—one of the 14 persona non grata anchors for I.N.D.I.A—once again stressed possible “pro-China propaganda”. NewsClick’s ‘China gate’, the channel called it, borrowing the title from a Bollywood film.
She cited purported e-mails, including one that praised China’s handling of the Covid pandemic.
Hindustan Times, Wednesday, made no direct mention of China in its detailed report ‘NewsClick founder among 2 held as journalists raided’. Instead, it used The New York Times story that alleged the news portal received Chinese funding “to push Chinese propaganda,” said HT. The newspaper reported, among other sourced details, that the website paid “Rs 155 crore to an electrician”—a story India Today also highlighted on Wednesday.
Also read: TV anchors played martyrs over INDIA boycott, linked it to Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma
Balancing act
Switch to CNN News18 and see it has followed up with the headline revelation that a ‘NewClick employee stayed at Yechury’s residence’, making it sound like he was a guest in his home. In an interview on Republic TV, Yechury revealed that the man’s father was employed in the house — newspapers mentioned this in very fine print, if at all. That’s the difference between TV and print media.
The channel also interviewed the opposition that called the police action a “witch hunt” — as did other English news channels. It told us that NewsClick was also charged with “promoting enmity”—without providing any more information.
In the evening, it had two debates on the issue: the first with Rahul Shivshankar, formerly with Times Now. In his new show ‘Hard Facts’, an unusually subdued anchor said the charges were “very, very serious”, but added that we must be “extra careful with information on this crackdown” since any action against the media must be taken with a “dim view”.
He then introduced us to the government viewpoint that NewsClick’s activities were against the sovereignty of India—as he claimed The New York Times had reported.
By the way, as India Today anchor Preeti Chowdhury pointed out on her show ‘To The Point’, it is “strange” to hear anchors quoting NYT to support the case against NewsClick when many of them had earlier discredited the American newspaper.
Shivshankar detailed attempts by earlier governments like the Congress and the UPA to muzzle the press — but omitted any examples from the current BJP government. “On this count, all parties are guilty,” he added.
Anchor Zakka Jacob said the same thing—“all parties do it” as if that justified the Delhi Police’s action. He alluded to the 14 anchors’ boycott and wondered if journalists were above investigation. Guest speaker Nalin Mehta had the most balanced view: “… (this) has a chilling impact…,” he said, adding that it disincentivises critiques of the government.
The Indian Express had two exhaustive stories on NewsClick with all points of view and an explanatory piece on UAPA sections applied to the news website. Which begs a question: why did we not see more discussion on UAPA being applied to this case and the seizure by the Delhi Police of electronic devices? Shouldn’t the media question these acts?
The Hindu’s coverage was along the same lines, only even more straightforward: “The Delhi Police… arrested Prabir Purkayastha, found and Editor in Chief of news portal NewsClick and its Human Resources head Amit Chakraborty in an alleged terror case,” read its opening sentence of the story. Even a ruler can’t get straighter than that.
If we are looking for strong opinions, it came from India Today anchor Rajdeep Sardesai. On ‘To the Point’, he said this action sent out the “wrong message”, set a “very dangerous precedent” — without any proof being provided of any “direct involvement” by the journalists.
If we haven’t mentioned Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami, it’s because you know that he raged against “Lutyens media…” But by even the high standards of offensive language he has set himself, to call NewsClick a “piddling little website” is uncalled for.
So, what are we left with? A TV media that tears itself into tatters, in public view; a print media that tries to stitch together a balanced overview.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)