When I watched the Exit Poll results over the weekend, I was dismayed. How can the masses be such asses, I wonder. Should I go in for a Vipassana-like self-exile for a week after the results and figure what I should be doing in life, and with MxM?
Yes, I am a Hindu, and am proud of my religion, but I am of the firm belief that majoritarianism sucks. Especially of the form that has existed over the last three decades and that reached a crescendo in the last five years. I have seen some close friends and even members of my family turn aggressive (if not rabid) Hindutva propagators. That India or Hindustan is meant for Hindus. I have seen a vulgar exchange of trash in many WhatsApp groups.
Over the years, MxM has paid a very heavy price for its journalism. We’ve been castigated just because we believe in commenting on the editorial policies of media entities. Even now – and the absence of any ads on our homepage is testimony to this, we don’t get too many ads, because we refuse to call a spade a rose.
But this article is not about MxM. It’s about how the Indian media catapulted. MxMIndia was the first to flag off a clear bias that was creeping into the narrative of our news channels. Senior journalist and friend Ranjona Banerji has been at it – scanning the print, television and digital media. Her columns are an integral part of MxM, and are by far the most read on our website and across the media spectrum. Some of our other columnists have also been fairly critical of the news media.
There have been times when I’ve been embarrassed when they have written about someone known to me, or a channel with whom I am set to close an advertising deal. But I have never disagreed with them, and I’ve never ever asked them to change their views.
The election results have been amazing. Amazing in the way the BJP fared, and the margins in many of their wins – including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi – have dipped. That despite all the frenzy around the building of the Ram temple, the BJP lost in Ayodhya indicates a clear anti-BJP wave. Yes, a wave, just as there was one in 2014 for the BJP.
Coalition politics can be quite a bitch. Be ready for a fair bit of action over the next few years.
So what do we do now: We will continue the way we are. Applaud and Damn. Offer bouquets and brickbats, wherever necessary. The election results have given us hope that despite the negatives of various political formations, there is hope in Indian democracy.
The masses aren’t; asses after all.
Meanwhile, MxM will change. Our business model is advertiser-dependant. That can’t continue given the kind of journalism we love to practise. In the next few months, we will move to a platform that will only be available if you pay for our content.
Thank you for keeping the faith,
Pradyuman Maheshwari
Editor-in-Chief