It is clear that television news has learnt nothing from its farcical coverage of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Consider its coverage of the toolkit controversy and the farmers’ protests, which several channels straightaway referred to as ‘Greta Thunberg Tookit’ (India Today), in itself an inaccuracy.
In the last few days, TV news anchors and reporters have gorged on select WhatsApp chats and leaked allegations, to first try and then to convict Disha Ravi — ‘Toolkit conspirator nailed’, declared India Today Sunday. Others ‘nailed’ alongside her are activists Nikita Jacob, the “co-conspirator” as Times Now described her and Shantanu Muluk — ‘2 more named in toolkit plot’, wrote CNN News18.
“Let’s talk facts,” said a Republic TV anchor: “she (Disha) has admitted she edited some lines” in the farmers’ protest toolkit, later controversially shared by Swedish climate change activist Great Thunberg (who, by the way, has also been summarily convicted of waging war against the Indian State). “Global Republic Day plot exposed,” cried CNN News18.
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When will they learn?
Is it possible that news channels will learn anything from the Delhi High court judgment in the M.J. Akbar-Priya Ramani defamation case, in which the judge observed, in an entirely different context, that Akbar’s allegations had not been proved – something that holds true for all allegations?
Last year, the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, and the Bombay High Court had in different cases, warned the media and TV news channels, in particular, against playing judge and jury. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in TV news interviews that there ought to be no “media trials”.
But who’s listening? Certainly not the news channels. Monday and Tuesday were spent by them maligning and judging Disha, and the others named by the Delhi Police that has been leaking allegations, WhatsApp chats, and what have you, to news channels like the Uttarakhand dam burst.
All the claims headlined across news channels that were discussed throughout the two days and debated with outraged patriotic fervor on prime time, came from Delhi Police “sources” or the FIR it has filed against Disha Ravi. They amount to allegations and accusations that need to be proved.
Not on television news, though.
“It was a conspiracy and they knew it was wrong,” said the India TV reporter about the WhatsApp chat in which Disha reportedly expressed fears about being hauled up under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, or the UAPA.
“…Nothing gives them the right to act” against India’s interests or to support “enemies of India” said Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami.
News channels also allowed outrageous accusations to be leveled against Disha Ravi: BJP’s Nupur Sharma took umbrage that people were sympathetic towards Ravi because she was only 22 years old. She argued that Dhanu, who was involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was very young too.
On Zee News, Monday, the anchor said: “What’s all this about the age factor? How old was (Ajmal) Kasab?” he asked, referring to one of the terrorists in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
News channels were relentless in the `hunt’ for the `conspirators’ (CNN News 18): they drew up chronology and connectivity charts to link Disha, Nikita and Shantanu to a ‘…a big international conspiracy to destabilise the government and malign India’ (Republic TV). TV news named them in the same breath as Peter Friedrich and ‘Mo’ Dhaliwal who are also being investigated in the toolkit case. Friedrich was described as “rabid anti-India hater” (CNN news 18) and a “supporter of Khalistan” (India Today) who works for Pakistan’s ISI, and Mo Dhaliwal, the founder of the Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), which according to Delhi Police created the toolkit.
‘Nikita’s PJF link exposed’, read a CNN News18 India headline, baldly. No equivocation here.
Channels described how the “plot” or “conspiracy” against India began on 6 December 2020 when Ravi created a WhatsApp group that Nikita joined later.
They accused Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Congress and AAP, who had criticised Ravi’s arrests, of supporting those trying to “break the country” (News 18 India).
Zee News and its anchor Sudhir Chaudhary celebrated their “khulasa” of excerpts from the ‘Greta-Disha toolkit chats’. “Are you with the Indian flag or with the toolkit gang?” asked anchor Aman Sharma.
In TV reports, the toolkit acquired the attributes of a particularly destructive weapon: ABP News anchor Rubika Liyaquat claimed that the toolkit and the revelations in the chats were an “atom bomb”. Such sensational claims continued despite former Supreme Court judge Justice Deepak Gupta saying, on air, that there was nothing in the toolkit that incited violence or hatred (India Today).
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Message in the headlines
News channels like NDTV 24×7, Times Now, India Today, ABP News did mention that questions had been raised over the manner of Disha’s arrest — “Is Disha villain or victim?” (India Today). And they did say, repeatedly, that Delhi Police had put out these allegations.
However, they declared them as statements of fact in their headlines. And headlines matter, because most viewers don’t bother to watch an entire report, they go by the headlines. So when Times Now puts out a debate headline like ‘Nikita admits meeting pro-Khalistani group: will Opposition still back conspirator?’ you know what you are being told to think.
In all of this, the farmers’ protests have been forgotten. More importantly, on TV at least, the protests have become identified as the tool of an international attempt to “defame” India, which allowed channels like Republic TV to then put out a headline like “Nation versus Foreign hand”.
“Nobody knows what’s true anymore…” said a friend of Disha Ravi in Bengaluru to India Ahead — and that’s the truth of this week’s news coverage of the ‘toolkit conspiracy’.
Views are personal.
Hahaha… Ms Bajpai suggests that the foreigners can throw muck on India, without understanding the cause, but we have to be tolerant toward idiots.. great message. But sorry GRAND AUNT. Indians are more sensible than you. Move on.
The trouble exists on both sides, there is any other section of media including the Print, scroll, wire, caravan, ndtv, who also acts equally lunatic by going out of their way to defend anyone who is being interrogated, u guys r just waiting to cry foul, that she is a simple girl, state is doin excess etc etc, if there r serious allegations the law shd b allowed to tk its ow course but u ppl go all out to whitewash the accused. There r idiots on both sides. Its now left to the viewers discretion. U calling TV idiot is like pot calling the kettle black.
I hope someone (Greta Thunberg?) files a defamation suit against our Indian news channels, news editors, anchors and owners, in a British court and takes them to the cleaners. The manner in which they cover news is similar to the sensationalist coverage provided by the red-top newspapers in the UK or ISA TODAY,Bthe supermarket tabloid.
To be open the government can’t do anything to media . Then this so called Journalist and Journalism bullshit people will come to street asking for freedom , right to speech shit.
Why Leave Room For So Much Discussion To The Extent Of Questioning Legislature Executive And Judiciary.Just To Prove We Are A Vibrant Democracy?If It Is Not In The Interest Of The Nation Throw The Democracy In Danger Brigade Into The Cell.
It’s interesting that ppl only seem to care about proof and fundamental rights like “innocent until proven guilty” when a woman is accused. When a man is accused, they have no problem assuming him guilty.
In this whole article, he has not justified his stand. How this was not a conspiracy against India? Learn to give reason for that before accusing using news channels. Here you are asking them not to report if at all there is anything wrong they are doing.
He did not say that they are innocent. He just said that news channels are holding their own trial and holding them guilty when in fact investigations are still on. Everything is a speculation. They may or may not be guilty.
It would be a so called conspiracy if you equate our country with the current government. If you say that our great, ancient motherland is the same as a handful of people with doubtful ability to govern, what does it make you?
Lol. The media never asks you to believe everything they say. Just don’t watch them if you’re convinced they are lying.
Can I have this job,? Just write what happened on TV.
I see that
It’s called an idiot box for a reason. And in these times, it’s a force multiplier.
When the fakers like Rajdeep & Burka run around, it’s the duty and just plain common decency for the remaining journalists to state facts as what they are. Anyone who thinks that Indians won’t fight back is living in cloud cuckoo land.
No TVs are idiotic and especially the viewers who get nothing out of it except waste of time. For some more years, TV journalists willc ontinue to latch on to what is sensational. But, you are batting for the people who consciously joined hands with people and organisations which work to break up India. They didn’t get snared accidently. They are well educated and knew what they were getting into. Give no quarters to such people.
Indeed well educated and knowledgeable people like Republic TV owners have joined hands with forces that are dividing the country along lines of religion, caste, farmers/nonfarmers, farmers of Punjab- Haryana/ farmers from rest of India.
You would have sound genuine if you had equally voiced the same concern when Mr. Sardesai spreads fake news. Sometimes he apologizes grudgingly and sometimes he doesn’t. You are no different with your bias as us mere mortals. But do not let that stop you from pointing others.
MODIJI is pleading with farmers to stop over producing grains by making use of fertiliser and over use of ground water and is also providing non BINDING market reforms. Supreme court has also asked farmers to curtail stubble burning.
Enter “environmentalist” who are supporting groundwater depletion and stubble burning . Obiviously they are criminally insane activist desperate for violence and not environmentalist.
Paid handsomely this godi media channels, to distract from harsh realities the people are facing .
Ask your friend Rajdeep Sardesai. Just that we all have fake filters choosing to let some pass and point to some that fits our narratives.