Category: MEDIA

The spectacle of students from a university in the Delhi area seemingly unable to read either Hindi or English, unable to fully explain why they were on a protest march, unable to understand the issues which supposedly riled them. What did it take for TV journalist Ashutosh Sharma from Aaj Tak to question them with a straight face? Must have been very taxing. What it took for Aaj Tak to air this conversation was even more remarkable, since the students were all BJP supporters, or supposedly BJP supporters, and were shown up as unaware and uneducated. One poor young man even went as far as saying words to the effect of “just because you are educated does not mean you have to use your brain”. (Which perfectly encapsulates the mass stupidity which has currently engulfed India.) Let us not forget that these poor students were parroting the same lies that the Prime Minister has been feeding the electorate about the Congress manifesto. And which almost no one has been able to call him up on.

 

Contrast this live example of how “WhatsApp University” has such severe and disastrous consequences for our youth, our discourse and our future, with the steadfast resolve of students of American universities who are being physically assaulted and punished for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. And conversely, how so much of the media in America is unable to question brutal action by university managements and the police, because of the stranglehold of Israel and the Zionist lobby in America.

 

The situation in America is monstrous, because it is not just students but also academics who call for peace who are being assaulted, arrested. Jews who want a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to genocide and justice for Palestinians are being accused of “antisemitism”. The House of Representatives has passed a bill that any criticism of Israel is tantamount to antisemitism. And the American media has still been unable – for the most part – to question the State, the universities and their allegiance to Israel over the concerns of their own citizens. Many will argue of course that Israel has a hold on the media as well. But let us not forget that many of these journals and TV channels are highly regarded within the world media, and are seen as standard bearers of good journalism. Alas, no more.

 

As for Aaj Tak and others like it, do not be fooled into thinking that the tide may have turned and full adulation of the BJP and its main character, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is now in the past. The India Today group has been largely consistent in its adoration, with a few scant TV programmes and persons here and there maintaining a thin veil of journalism.

 

The very fact that the Prajwal Revanna story is not the only conversation out there is tantamount to the degradation of the Indian media. Had the JD (S) in its various political flip flops been a Congress ally, I can guarantee you every star TV anchor would have been doing the tandav nritya on the streets. But because former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s party has tied up with the BJP and Revanna is his grandson, his career as a rapist, sexual predator and exploiter is being reported in a more circumspect manner. Even worse, Revanna shared a stage with Modi. In a contest between journalism and justice on one side and Modi on the other, the Indian media chose Modi long ago.

 

As for the students of India, we can see that the various “skill” schemes that Modi is so proud of will have a lot of work to do.

Though I am sure many of these young people could also join the media…

 

Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.

In these most fractured and fractious election, how is the media to be fair in its coverage? You may laugh, because if it is one thing you can be sure of, it is that the media has not been fair. The how is very glaringly obvious to anyone who understands a modicum of journalism, that all we have to do is concentrate on the “how not”.

You do not for instance give even more traction to a man who has brazened out the most terrible accusations of sexual assault and harassment from a number of women, some of them award-winning athletes. That is not journalism so much as cowardly both-sides-ism masquerading as journalism. Certainly cover Brij Bhushan Singh if you want to, but if you release a photo of both of you posing and smiling in a pretend arm-wrestle, that is legitimization of a man accused of crimes against women.

 

You do not for instance scrutinise in minute detail every apparent and imaginary transgression by opposition parties while giving a free pass to shameless demonisation, dehumanisation and divisiveness from the ruling party.

 

You do not for instance allow misinformation and disinformation to be allowed into the public sphere by campaigning politicians, without exposing them for their lies and for their attempts to manipulate the electorate.

 

And most of all, for instance, you do not accept the total capitulation to the ruling party by all democratic and state agencies. These agencies report to the people of India not individual politicians or political parties and the media must hold them to the highest standards possible.

 

Yeah, by now even I’m laughing.

 

But more seriously, the refusal of the Election Commission to release exact number of the two completed rounds of this general election is unacceptable. And also unacceptable is the media’s general inability or reluctance to directly ask the Election Commission why. Instead the 10-year-old trend of shooting from the shoulders of opposition parties and civil society continues.

 

Massive scandals remain, from the parole granted to convicted criminals connected to the BJP so that they can campaign in these elections, but elected chief minister who are battle unproven accusations cannot get bail. Once again, the media falls short here.

 

This is a media which went out of its way to demonise and target a young actress for having an affair with an actor who died tragically, without any evidence or any concern for her own privacy. But the same media is tongue-tied and tied up in knots when the electoral process is India is compromised by those is power, those in charge and those who are irresponsible with the powers vested in them.

 

We are now close to the middle of this questionably long election season. We see no signs that the ruling party is willing to follow any rules at all and we definitely see the bureaucracy falling over backwards to play along with the ruling party and the cult status of its star campaigner.

 

The media remains as culpable as these other compromised arms of the system as long as it cannot break free. Whether it is an outright adorer or a both-sides pretender.

 

Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.