Ranjona Banerji: A Tale of Three Interviews

Two interviews in the Indian media are up for consideration today. One by a well-known and well-respected television journalist, who has very particular interviewing skills which can upset otherwise seasoned politicians. And the other by the editor and owner of a news agency which is very particular about supporting Narendra Modi and the BJP. Both gain in importance because we are reaching the last phases of our general elections.

However, to be honest, Karan Thapar didn’t really have to use much journalistic ability to push Prashant Kishor, poll strategist and creator of the myth of Narendra Modi the saviour of India, into total meltdown. He just asked one question about poll predictions that Kishor had made and boom! A massive ego exploded before the viewer’s eyes. He screamed and raved that he never said this, he asked for video proof, he carried on trying to bully Thapar into subservience and silence.

How Thapar handled both Kishor’s tantrum as well as his rude and aggressive stance on being told that he had been wrong in the past, without losing his cool, is testament to Thapar’s professionalism.

Now for two instances of no professionalism at all. The most important one is the interview of lawyer and politician Kapil Sibal by Smita Prakash of ANI. This is a lesson in how to make any journalist worth their salt cringe in shame and horror. Prakash is picked up on every false statement she makes by Sibal, she then tries to change tack. Her every question and response make it clear whose side she’s on. As if there was any doubt about that, but the manner in which she is unable to show an ounce of professional pride over her loyalty is dismaying.

None of this would be surprising to regular viewers of Smita Prakash’s podcasts on her news agency ANI. Most of them are pro-BJP and more importantly pro-Modi and most harp on issues like Muslims and caste reservations – all triggers when it comes to the BJP and its fan base.

https://x.com/search?q=smita%20prakash&src=typed_query

The reason the link is via X is because I could not find an official link on the ANI podcast handle. A trifle odd, wouldn’t you say?

Prakash blocked me on X as soon as Modi came to power, so I could not find any link via her X handle either. It is however easier to find on Youtube.

It is hardly surprising that the links are hidden or missing, because Prakash’s defensiveness and her lies are embarrassing to watch. She twists, turns, backtracks, all to protect Modi and the BJP.

Further, if anyone continues to believe that ANI and Prakash have any connection with journalism, Prakash herself kills that thought. She makes it clear to Sibal since no one is voting for her or for Sibal, what people think is of no consequence. This is a weird confession from someone who runs a news agency. That readers and viewers do not matter is not a commonly expressed thought from editors and owners.

Such dismissive contempt for your primary audience. Unless of course readers and viewers are not ANI’s main target?

And then there’s the third example. Rubika Liyaquat of News18 asks Modi the secret of this strength (TV people are obsessed with this idea that Modi is “strong”) and receives by far the most amazing answer ever: that since his mother’s death, Modi believes that he is not a biological entity but is instead an instrument of God. Liyaquat cannot, it seems from the video she herself has posted, find it in herself to question this avatar of God on how he knows this and what it means. I am uncertain of Liyaquat’s journalistic credentials, being unfamiliar with her and her ilk, but I would imagine if even one of Prakash’s unimportant (according to her) readers and viewers were given such an answer by a prime minister, they may question him further.

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