New Delhi: It was a prime time like no other: Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami was seen driving his car, flashing the ‘V for victory’ sign as the tagline ‘Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo’ flashed across Republic Bharat.
On his prime time show, Goswami launched a virulent attack on Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, after the latter announced at a press conference Thursday that Republic and two other channels were allegedly involved in a television rating points (TRP) fixing scam.
An enraged Goswami attacked everyone — other news channels, Congress and Sonia Gandhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Mumbai Police even as Republic claimed “global support” for its cause.
In what eventually descended to a vicious street brawl, the channel claimed that the report from the rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which the Mumbai Police had cited, did not mention Republic TV and that there was an alleged conspiracy between ‘Tak’ and Mumbai Police (referring to Aaj Tak).
It claimed it had a copy of the FIR where India Today’s name was allegedly “clearly” mentioned.
“Tonight viewers, me and my entire team, we just have one message for these liars. Brace yourselves for more exposes, more deep investigations, more fearless reporting and for you Param Bir Singh, more court cases,” warned Goswami.
With visuals from Singh’s Thursday press conference in the background, he recited a poem in Hindi for the police chief and the Mumbai CM that loosely translates to — “I haven’t learnt defeat, I don’t know how to stop, We are born to sacrifice ourselves for the truth… I am the son of an Army man…”
Meanwhile, rival news channels reveled in the opportunity to attack Goswami and his news channels. His former colleague at Times Now, Rahul Shivshankar said “…it pains me…because the accused was a colleague…’’ but added that, if true, this was a “massive scandal” that involved the loss of revenue and jobs at news channels.
Times Now reporter Nikunj Garg was less kind: “…let’s not confuse him with a journalist, he is a businessman’’. At 9 pm, anchor Navika Kumar, another former colleague of Goswami, insisted that the TRP scam must be debated. “It must be looked squarely in the eye or else you will blame me that I am not looking within… a scam is a scam is a scam.”
At India Today, anchor Rahul Kanwal interviewed Param Bir Singh as did almost all other news channels, including NDTV 24×7, CNN News 18. However, he said the channel would not pronounce judgment on the alleged scam: “(This) is a newsroom, not a courtroom..’’
“Arnab Goswami (will be) judged by a real judge… the law must prevail,” Kanwal added.
When academic Madhu Kishwar harked back to previous scams like “NDTV’s hawala scam” and accused India Today of being a “kangaroo court” for pointing fingers at Goswami “within minutes” of the Mumbai Police’s press conference, Kanwal quickly responded, “…this would be a kangaroo court if we had already decided that Arnab Goswami was guilty — as he often does on his television shows — and be hanged in a public town square — as he often does on his television shows — or to be whipped and caned — as he often does on his television shows. We’re not saying that.”
Aaj Tak’s Anjana Om Kashyap was biting in her criticism, calling Republic TV “TRP Chor”, Zee’s Sudhir Chaudhary called it a “threat to democracy” while NDTV India’s elder statesman Ravish Kumar compared news channels with a ‘madaari’ (street performer with a monkey).
“You never know when the TV anchors will start performing”, Kumar said without naming any specific anchor. NDTV 24×7 anchor Sreenivasan Jain boasted about how they had been flagging the issue of faulty ratings for many years.
CNN-News18 displayed huge runners with ‘REPUBLIC CHEATED INDIA’. Anchor Zakka Jacob called the alleged TRP racket and scandal one of the “worst kept secrets in this industry”.
News channels also used the opportunity to boast of their own spotless journalistic credentials: News18 India’s Amish Devgan was heard yelling during his debate on China, “This is not a nautanki channel”.
“We don’t do farzi things, we don’t believe in tamasha. There might be other channels who might believe in doing so, but Amish Devgan and his channel doesn’t do it,” he yelled out.
Kashyap, on Aaj Tak’s ‘Halla Bol’ came down heavily on Republic TV for the alleged ‘farjiwada’ (falsification). “The way this channel used to create false news, it would have never imagined it would become the news one day”, she said. “302 maang rahe the, 420 nikle,” (they were demanding Section 302 [for actor Rhea Chakraborty], they themselves turned out to be tricksters) proclaimed Kashyap.
On Zee News, Sudhir Chaudhary compared the issue with the electronic voting machine (EVM) hacking. “The way box office collection matters for a Bollywood star, and votes for politicians, TRPs matter to a news channel likewise,” he explained.
ABP News’ Rubika Liyaquat took the high road: “For the first time in the history of Indian television, such a huge betrayal has taken place, the people of Hindustan have been betrayed but good news is Mumbai Police has busted the TRP scandal very quickly,” she said.
With inputs from Angana Chakrabarti and Pia Krishnankutty
From the very beginning, we all knew Arnab is a liar.
you are the liar.. YOU IDIOT. INDIA TODAY IS THE TRP CHOR. GO CHECK THE NEWS.
YOU ARE THE LIAR. AND AN EEDIOT.
IT IS INDIA TODAY WHO IS THE SCAMMER. GO CHECK THE FACTS
Why are the other news channel quite on the FIR report that has named India Today. Had it been Republic, it would have the Breaking news on the other news channel.
I remember one year before the launch of Republic channel, its Cowswami took out pompous advertisements announcing the launch. He explained how Indians will have a channel for relaying a strong India’s views to the outside world. Presumably, it was one more feather in the Hindu march on the global stage, after Modi put Hindus there.
Cowswami said in future, the foreign perception and image of India will not be moulded by the BBC, it will be made by Indians through Republic channel. He mentioned the BBC contemptuously, and said Republic will overtake them in 2 years. I smiled Ha, ha, ha ! It was the usual Hindu inferiority complex and vain grand standing. I remembered Baba Ramdev said he was going to build a university that would be more advanced than Oxford in 5 years ! He has gone quiet.
To have an Indian channel of international stature where India’s viewpoint was presented was a laudable aim. Besides BBC (which has a long pedigree) and CNN, there is English medium DW (German), Al Jazeera (Arab), RT (Russian) and France 24. All these are now respectable international quality brands, projecting their national perspectives but in a credible way. The Chinese do not seem to have latched on to this yet. It was indeed noticeable that though India had English speakers, it had no channel with a global reach and a respectable Indian perspective.
The Cowswami’s target- setting was good. But look at the result. He came out with a channel that projects Hindus as junglis !! And most Hindus do not even realise it.
It seems to me that Hindus on one hand know BBC is the gold standard, they have an inferiority complex, they want to have something like it, but their jungli limitations get in the way of achievement. Instead of self criticism for taking steps for improvement, they get into a rage – that is the very reaction of the incompetent but frustrated.
Kissinger had noted that India was the largest unimportant country. That has not changed. Instead, we have Hindu delusions about grandeur, instilled by Modi and Cowswami.
We are with you Arnab, Carry on. Hats off to you for exposing all vultures in our society. We know you are being targeted but truth will prevail.
Dear Print team,
If you believe in ‘Substance of print’, please reveal the contents of the subject FIR, to prove that Republic is also implicated. Else don’t obfuscate, just to show them in bad light. Are you guys so weak to resort to such measures? So please hurry up and do the needful to inform the public about the names that have been mentioned in the FIR. Looking forward.
The scam clearly shows that the underbelly of the sanctimonious electronic media is much uglier than that of Bollywood which they are presently engaged in exposing. In Bollywood you can’t survive without real talent because your ultimate fate is in the hands of the movie goers. On the other hand data manipulation can place a mediocre channel in the top bracket because of the unscientific method followed in determining the TRPs. Hence it is possible to take a channel to the top overnight with money and muscle power alone. The viewers are under the illusion that it is they who decide the popularity of a channels. The biggest casualty of such brazen match-fixing is genuine news. Propagandists masquerading as journos happily shove studio-manufactured news down the gullets of gullible viewers and laugh all the way to the bank. In fact TRPs too are an eyewash to demoralise rival channels because what counts more than TRS is your sycophancy index. Once you are in the good books of the powers that be, revenue will flow in abundantly from umpteen sources. The ‘little’ illegalities you indulge in to promote your allied businesses will be overlooked. Your nearest rivals can be silenced with well+timed raids and bans and censorship. The majority of the viewers will unquestioningly gulp down the trash you serve as news, their critical faculties being blunted by the sledgehammer of jingoism or benumbing decibel levels. The few rebels who can still distinguish grain from the chaff will make a quite retreat to the saner world of YouTube where a few principled veterans are fighting a last-ditch battle for good old impartial journalism belonging to a bygone era. How I wish this was just a scenario from a dystopian novel.
Dear Print team,
If you believe in ‘Substance of print’, please reveal the contents of the subject FIR, to prove that Republic is also implicated. Else don’t obfuscate, just to show them in bad light. Are you guys so weak to resort to such measures? So please hurry up and do the needful to inform the public about the names that have been mentioned in the FIR..Looking forward.
Arnab is an shameless opportunist. What he calls news is not news but cheap drama. He shouldn’t call himself a reporter or editor but an actor. He is a shame to the fourth estate. He should be branded and tarred and dragged around the streets of Mumbai. A cheap shoddy disgrace of a human being. He should be tried and punished for treason, for promoting communal hatred and for making charges against people as per his whims and fancies. He should be hauled up for tarnishing the names and images of so many people. It is strange how Courts are supporting such rowdyism and uncouth behaviour. Who is going to take a call on this? High time someone did something. Only then others will be discouraged from trying out his shenanigans
You seem to be an antinational with motives of destroying this country..piece of shit!
Wow, drag on the street hain. That will make India in par with Islamic countries then… Come on grow up, ndtv look in the mirror.. ARNAB is good at what he does, you don’t like it, don’t watch it! Actually people are not watching what you guys want them to watch… Funny..
Totally supported you. That loudmouth Arnab Goswami need to be restrained. He is so biased. He is free to have his opinion but he turn out to be dishonest and manipulative too. Is he a man to preach on morality? Now he should be exposed and dumped
When Sudras take to Journalism, they become businessmen.No other reason why Arnab Goswamy has amassed wealth beyond reasonable amount.
Only people channel is REPUBLIC , Arnab is one of the best Editor in World media. India is proud of him. Go ahead india is with you.
Lot of corruption have come out and many politicians and officers avoid to face your question.
Hats up!!!!
Arnab high decibal views journalist Enjoys pointing finger at others without neutraality
This all started because Arnab started exposing dirty Bollywood and mafia. Only because of him so many drug peddlers were arrested. No news channels have been so far got to the roots. Shame on other media sources who are supporting the mafia. We are still with you Republic tv and Arnab
Yes, I like your comment. Republic and capital tv are doing the right thing by exposing the true colours of our media.
Everything has come down to a big zero. Arman is nothing but a self styled goon supported by a political party who from the day one was gunning for the blood if Rhea Chakrawarty. Now that she has been granted bail he has gone wild.
Arnob has not exposed anything other than he is an unprincipled Brahmin.
Truth will prevail
Why all other new channels are silent on India Today who is named in FIR. Whom are they also trying to shield.
Trust me…. The heaven will not fall if govt close down all these news channels for a two weeks and allow only DD news to air news… This is the treatment which these channel walllahs deserve the most. Also this is treatment, which we as a viewer also deserves, because it is WE only, who allowed them to sit on our head. A strong and strict lock down on these news channels need to be enforced ruthlessly , to kill the virus , which they are manufacturing in their news room and spreading.
Very true. It’s been a long time since I stopped watching all these news channels. The way they conduct interviews, hardly giving any time to respond and forcing words to them is horrible. These journalists will do the world good if they realise they are showing what is public’s view than forcing their view to us.
.
Watching all the news channels are waste of time. They don’t add value to our knowledge rather simply do Melo drama, tell us biased news, and do stupid debates which will never have any conclusions. Long back I had started watching DD News and Rajyasabha TV and I am glad I chose to watch it.
The fight just got extended to the reply columnists, is isn’t funny . We are so weak that we can’t even keep quiet and observe and take time to decide on our Own anything, anything at all, we have gotten to the state where we need gratification, justification and distraction to heed to those attention seekers
However hard they tried to malign him failed….thanx to republic TV the faces of the bollywood bootlickers r exposed….
Mumbai police just want to save ” INDIA TODAY” . since from past few month republic today repeatedly exposing the Maharashtra government. Fir is against ” INDIA TODAY” & commissioner said name of ” republic tv”.police try to mislead
हमाम मे सब नंगे होते है। आज ये तो कल वो सबको बाहर आना है और बाकी हसने वाले है।
Republic is showing a copy of FIR and report of BARC on channel. Rest all are showing nothing to support their views. It is also surprising that Mumbai CP without going thru the details of FIR conducted Press Confrence. And there is no clarification from Mumbai Police on FIR copy with Republic, whether it is real or fake. If it is real then CP should be held responsible for this drama.
FIR copy are public domain. How come none of th NDTV,Times Now are not showing the FIR. There is no menation of republic there.
Basically it is a gang fuck of Republic Tv which his competitors are doing. The person at tu center is Param Bir. If the FiR had Republics name then he would have made it public. H did not,
Please reserve your expletives to your parents, so as to reflect your upbringing.
You are bothered on expletives not the corruption. It’s shows your upbringing. Loot the country by deals behind the doors?????
All these anti nationals are afraid of republic….india with Arnab …..
We are with Arnab Goswami for his uncompronising, the nation first, nationalistic stand who dares to say a spade a spade and not like Lutyens licking gangs.
What A Joke On Gullible Viewers?Being Taken On A Joy Ride?The Shameless Major Channel Weighed Down By A Falling TRP Which Is Actually Named Is Playing THE Victim Card In Line With Its Political Leanings And Legacy From Behind A Smoke Screen.
This article is prejudicious and not reflecting impartial view. The fact is Arnab Goswami has changed the way the journalism should be pursued with uncompromising stance for truth even non-hasitant against a person or organisation, no matter how mightier or powerful they are. Thats why the channels of him are liked by the majority of the viewers be it Republic TV or Republic Bharat.
Let us see him investigate the Rafale scam, the demonetisation scam, role of BJP and RSS in the Delhi riots, how 59 got killed in Pulwama, bungling in Galwan, and then you talk about how he is ‘willing to investigate a person or organisation, no matter how mightier or powerful they are.’
Arnab GOBARSWAMI made Rs 1000 Crore in TRP Scam ..and laughing all the way to Bank…../ TRP of REPUBLIC TV is back to 20% in October 2020 after CBI RUBBER STAMPED Sushants Suicide /
In April 2020, TRP of India Today was No-1 with 30% , and Repubic TV was 26%….
….
…./….In June 2020, SSR MURDER MYTH promoted by Arnab GOSWAMI with the announcement of Bihar Elections, TRP of REPUBLIC TV SKY ROCKETED to 50%.. …..
We are with you dear Republic TV because you have supported our SSR
Mumbai Police Chor and Nalayak people
Let’s go back to print media. They are more transparent.
i think even this comment box needs investigation. i only made a commrnt to set up national commission today and never made a comment here before still i am told i had made a comment earlier. pl investigate. may be some other namesake.
jai hind jai bharat
Democracy in India has been in crisis since beginning. politicians had done their best to malign freedom.Now media has made it worse. Time is ripe for a national commission to take stock of freedom vs responsibility and put a lid on the issue. let all corrupt and anti freedom- political leaders, police, admin, law, media be identified and tried publicly.
Jai Hind Jai Bharat.
Overall outbursts by media persons on R,tv arnav goswami is prematurely 1s . Police always does what their political bosses desires.
Arnab: please continue the fight! We stand by you.
Arnab is an instigator and has no place in a civilized society? Why is he always screaming to get his message ascross as though his viewers are deaf. He needs to tone down and be a normal personal and treat his audience as normal What was that drug do drug do drug do episode?
Shame on the Print not to make any mention of the FiR and its contents and the earlier dining of INDIA TODAY by BARC.
Your entire one sided coverage of the news reeks of your own dubious standards of reporring. Painpul and shameful.
Now a days Journalism is all about money and disgusting show, debates are crap, most of the participants speak nonsense , they try to fool the public from all angles , basically a WASTE OF TIME.
But all ganging up against R TV n Arnav proves that his channel n he himself are Smarter than the rest.
All are Luke KHISIYANI BILLIYA Jo KHAMBHA NOCH RAHE HAI.
Congrats Arnav for this achievement
They all are the same channel when Arnab alone started a fight for Sushant ,Sudhir chowdhury of Zee showed Rhea’s video and heard him questioning the role of Mumbai Police.Rubina Liyaqat was seen shouting again on Rhea and Mumbai Police.Times now claimed they will find the truth and expose Mumbai Police .Anjana Om Kashyap also questioned Mumbai Police.Such shameless people jealous of Republic and attacking a person who stood by his words.Republic has support of public.
“The Print”, learn journalism from Arnab.
It is a fight between Hindu media criminals, who now manufacture news in India and sell fake nationalism. Your message is the lower criminals should acknowledge the supremacy of the leading one, because that is what the Hindu public wants.
National news channels I feel have to learn from regional news channels and in particular from our national DD channel. Stick to news, no shouting, no drama, viewers get what is required and be done with it.
The channels inviting retired guys for debates looks comical. For them it is a pastime and for anchors it is a job.
Lockdown channels for one month, see the positive difference it makes on the viewers, both physically and mentally. The channels get time to reinvent and come back fresh with better ideas and bring viewers back with some interest to watch the dramas.
No comments… Absolutely unethical these channels r… If they have guts should give healthy competition to republic and not by defaming without verifying facts..
Where is my comment ????
Aakir sachayee saamne aagayee! Kab Tak jhootin kabron see apne channel ki TRP rating badaoge
But where is Arnab Goswami’s take in this news report of yours ??????
(1) The FIR that is being quoted from by the Mumbai Police Commissioner mentions India TV (Aaj Tak wala), not Republic TV.
(2) But the grudge & prejudice of the officer is so perversivley heinous that he articulates the name of that channel whose name is not there.
(3) And the channel whose name is there in the FIR (so much so that the FIR came into existence only & only because of its name; OTHERWISE WHY THE FIR AT ALL ???) enjoys such a sweet relation with the police officer that he does not even mention its name.
(4) The alacrity with which the Mumbai police not only probes into the TRP matter but also pronounces the final judgement that Arnab is culprit. It gives a pleasant surprise whether this fast & speedy police are the same which took as many as 65 days in the Sushant murder case.
(5) For such a case so high an officer like Mumbai Police Commissioner needed to come so much in the open & even call a Press Conference is really beyond comprehension.
(6) And how shamelessly the “sinners” tried to grab the opportunities when their own sin was being hurled at an innocent’s head . This is what they have always done.
Being a sr citizen, my personal views on this is that the authority holding high position including Journalist should always remember that Indians are not fool and request “Don’t underestimate the power of Common Man”
I can’t believe that ” The print” is supporting the prejudice against R Tv. It’s easy to pass judgement without substantiateing the alleged claim. As far a I understand republic TV has got the access of the hansa report, in which there is no mention of ‘R’ but rather explicit mention of India today, so, I would like to urge- reliable media house like yours- as you claim, to not surmise soo bluntly, it’s incumbent upon you to present facts without prejudice. We readers are not oblivious.
Arnab is doing too much , just for his TRP’S and protecting his big boss of the BJP he has opened his Chanel . Only n only to target congress which is pathetic. There are so many chor in BJP but he is blind fold when it comes to them . Very bias n very abnoxious person . Shame on him .
Leave aside the politics part. Everybody is playing in one way or the other .It does not benefit the common man.The police goes on fabricated documents on the basis of which the court gives judgement.If Arnab is proved right his TR P will automatically go up.May the truth prevail.Arnab we are with you as long as you unravel the dirty act of politician Bollywood misdeeds atrocities on common man in the interest of humanity,Satyameva jayate.
All the Lutyens media stand exposed yet again . ARNAB is the true son of INDIA. We are lucky to have ARNAB as the fearless truthful journalist who exposes these traitors.
There is no mention of Republic tv in the FIR. Its fraud to name Republic tv. India Today tv is fined ₹5lakhs by BARC. India Today has endorsed it also.
Majority of indians are with Arnab. Carry on,Arnab. We are with you. What you get is true and honest TRP. Unlike the others. They are all rigged through device. Shame on them
Mr Sampath Iyengar:
Simply unfathomable that educated South Indians would worship this rabble-rousing charlatan called Arnab Goswami – a loudmouth masquerading as a journalist. And just how the hell can you claim that the “majority of Indians” are in support of this bespectacled bozo who farts through his mouth?
Arnab Goswami and gullible, jingoistic men like you who get high on his high-pitched belching are a blot on the high standards of journalism that one has generally seen in Indian media. Even during the worst periods of the Emergency, such sycophancy and servility towards the agenda of the ruling party was seldom seen from the press. I can understand bigoted chappathi eating gaurakshaks of Adityanathisthan getting high on Arnab Goswami’s screaming. But that even presumably eruditeSouth Indians like you fall for his fascist farts is truly a worrying trend.
Pathetic Mr Sampath Iyengar !
Mr. Sampath is a TamBrahm. Some of them are worse than the worst in the cow belt. Like Subramanian Swamy and Sitaraman, and Govindacharya in Vajpayee’s days.
looks like our graduate from kerala is angry . watch arnab and calm down , its nice comedy . and get a job and family
It’s a fraud thrown by Mumbai police. There is no mention of Republic tv at all in FIR. Even BARC fined India Today tv Rs 5lakhs. IndiaToday also endorsed it.
All comments from leftyens are baseless. Their usual style, ofcourse
You are a shame on “Iyengar”. I doubt you are one!
A fake Iyengar perhaps ? Only an Iyer maybe.
As Republic has been accepted globally so all these sold out channels barking on Arnab. Not a single anchor comes nearer to Arnanab’s competency level. I am sure no body can do any harm to this anchor. Secondly entire system needs to be purified which is full of rotten insects.
‘Republic has been accepted globally so all these sold out channels barking on Arnab. ‘
It is accepted only by Hindu fascists abroad. It has no international news, it is only local news converted to feed Hindu rage. India does not matter in global matters.
And now I want this channels who shamelessly Named R-Bharat and Arnav falsely to come out and have guys to ask sorry..
Hypocrisy ki bhi seema hoti hai khud log TRP chura ke Arnav ke naam pe TRP batorne chale hai.. Shame on Aajtak and other channels