MxMIndia

Tag: Arnab Goswami

  • Yes, he has erred, but he needs to be released. Let him off with a strict warning and advisory to temper his journalism.  And perhaps not allow him to go on air until the final Bombay High Court order. Or allow him to come on air but desist  from commenting on his arrest and Maharashtra affairs. Or whatever the Court deems fit, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Comment: Free Arnab. Bahut ho gaya!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    There are times in our lives when we need to take a stand. Call a spade a spade. Yet, be fair.

     

    But first: I’ve said this before, and will repeat. I don’t believe in or endorse Arnab Goswami’s journalism. There are many who say that Goswami’s work can’t even be called journalism, as it’s popularly perceived. It’s most often downright propaganda.

     

    Every mediaperson reserves the right to say whatever she or he wants. Freedom of Speech is assured to every citizen of India. However, along with this freedom comes responsibility. And accountability.

     

    Arnab Goswami breached that. His primetime journalism was far from unbiased journalism. He took positions, screamed loudly and rubbished his studio guests. All of which made it entertaining for many, but his nightly outbursts were obnoxious.

     

    He is in fact scarred the craft of news journalism, as the layperson now believes all journalists are like that – biased and uncivil, damaging human senses.

     

    So why am I then saying that Arnab Goswami should be set free? Because the government has made its point very clear to the Republic TV founder and managing director. However, much as he may have maligned the entire ruling coalition and not respected the Chief Minister’s chair, we believe he is being wronged against.

     

    The reason why he was arrested has been disputed. His company’s name is on the suicide note, but the case was closed earlier and opened in a dubious manner last week. It may well have been closed in a dubious manner, but I don’t want to get into the technicalities of the case. He was arrested with virtually the entire state’s thinktank deployed to arrest him.

     

    The role of other media can also be questioned. Almost every media major entity in the country is out to finish Arnab. A lot of newsprint has been invested in discrediting him. Goswami had earlier rubbished them all. Short of using expletives, he did everything to trash most other entities.

     

    But should the government continue to insist Goswami is behind bars. No it shouldn’t. There are fears that he is being tortured. Perhaps these are exaggerations. Perhaps these aren’t.

     

    Yes, he has erred, but he needs to be released. Bahut ho gaya. Let him off with a strict warning and advisory to temper his journalism.  And perhaps not allow him to go on air until the final Bombay High Court order. Or allow him to come on air but desist  from commenting on his arrest and Maharashtra affairs. Or whatever the Court deems fit.

     

    It will also do a world of good for the reputation of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress MVA government. They have achieved their objective. Shown Goswami who’s the real boss. Now free him.

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari is editor-in-chief, MxMIndia. His views here are personal.

     

  • Let Arnab Goswami play the Indian legal system on his own time and money and plot his plywood martyrdom with the help of his party and fellow propagandists, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Party propagandist Arnab Goswami’s plywood martyrdom

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Moses was a reporter working with the Tamilan TV channel in Tamil Nadu. On the night of November 8, he was brutally hacked with sickles near his home on the outskirts of Chennai. He was rushed to hospital, but it was too late. Moses was 29. He had been covering illegal land sales in the area and his murder appears to be connected to his work.

    https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/29-year-old-reporter-covering-illegal-land-sale-hacked-death-near-chennai-137229

    Moses is one of many journalists across the world who are attacked and often killed for doing their jobs. Their deaths receive almost no recognition, not least from within the journalistic community nor in the world at large, barring international organisations like the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders.

    The harsh truth is because they are not important enough in the larger scheme of attention-grabbing high-profile “journalists” or they are too regional, too local, too remote. Also, people are just too cynical and uncaring. Whatever the reason, Moses will never get the same amount of attention, or forget that, Moses will not get even a 100th of the attention, being given to that imposter Arnab Goswami of Republic TV.

    Moses was killed in the line of duty. Goswami was arrested in an abetment to suicide case from 2018 and has been screaming blue murder about a scratch he received on his arm ostensibly due to “police brutality”. Did I mention that Moses was hacked to death by sickles because he was investigating illegal land sales?

    Yet, there are those amongst us who plead that we must support Goswami because he is being hounded by a vindictive Maharashtra government. Probably, he is. The current dispensation ruling Maharashtra is not known for its love of journalists nor even for its great regard for freedom of expression. But you could also argue that it was Goswami who gave them the handle. The case he has been arrested for its related to non-payment of dues for work he had commissioned and the subsequent resultant suicide of the man who named Goswami in his suicide note.

    There is the additional problem that the earlier government in power in Maharashtra, headed by Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, did not investigate the case fully. And the fact that the current chief minister Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena is at loggerheads with his former allies. Plus, the Maharashtra government had made it clear that the “abetment to suicide” case would be reopened. And the pressure being put on them by the victim Anvay Naik’s family, especially his daughter who has provided evidence of intimidation by Goswami. And let’s also add that Goswami’s channel also has complaints of TRP manipulation and fraud against it.

    No possible argument can therefore be made that Goswami has been targeted for his “journalism” inasmuch that he has even practised journalism for the past seven years. It is hard to imagine what argument must be made to convince us that Anvay Naik and his family do not deserve justice because Goswami is a person of “stature” as Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad kindly informed the people of India. Or that TRP fraud must now be deemed acceptable.

    Let Goswami play the Indian legal system on his own time and money and plot his plywood martyrdom with the help of his party and fellow propagandists.

    Senior journalist Smruti Koppikar explains the ins and outs and underlying details of the Goswami case in this insightful analysis:

    Journalists can cover the spectacle. No need for tears.

    **

    The American media appears to have reset itself for the new presidency after the tumultuous Trump years. CNN has been airing the quite funny spectacle of Fox News reporters correcting their pro-Trump anchors over election fraud. The Earth rotates. Worms turn.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior editor and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia every Tuesday and Friday. Her views here are personal

  • The Shiv Sena-led MVA government gets even with Republic founder-ed Arnab Goswami. But the arrest was coming

    Comment: Not right to arrest Arnab!

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

     

    On issues like these, we can’t be sitting on the fence. It’s important to say where we stand. Upfront. Unambiguously.

     

    But before we do that: We must say that we don’t believe in or endorse Arnab Goswami’s journalism. Friend, Consulting Editor and our founding columnist, Ranjona Banerji, in fact goes a step further: she feels Arnab doesn’t practise journalism.

     

    It’s ditto with many other journalists and news media ventures. Sadly.

     

    Since Republic TV has been in the business, MxMIndia has helped produce 10-odd A&M shows for the channel. But that was purely a business decision. We didn’t go to town that we did it. But we must add here: no one then said they don’t want to be interviewed by the channel. They enjoyed the reach it offers.

     

    We admire Arnab Goswami’s business sense. He was our MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year for 2017, thanks to the super success that he made of the channel. He’s a journalist, yes, but also a very shrewd businessperson.

     

    So enough of reinforcing our standpoint on Republic. Yes, we think it’s incorrect to arrest Arnab Goswami. It is clearly a blow to the freedom of the media, and the attempt is to muzzle and damn him. Even finish him as a journalist and close his media company.

     

    There may be many who say that Arnab asked for it. By damning the Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Sonia Gandhi belligerently in a way that only he can, he wasn’t going to get away with it easily.

     

    Then there is this senior police official who is now reported to have called him a hawala operator. It was clearly incorrect for the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to indict Arnab in a press conference, without adequate proof. But in the height of the Sushant Singh Rajput case, Arnab also asked for the CP’s sacking.

     

     

    However, as we said earlier, it is incorrect to arrest Arnab Goswami. The 2018 suicide abetment case which had been reopened by the Maharashtra home minister, a fact he tweeted about in May 2020 We are surprised that the Republic TV founder, with Senior advocate Haresh Salve as his advisor, did not seek anticipatory bail. Even when the case first came up in 2018, it was considered very sensitive and there were fears of an arrest.

     

    Home Minister Amit Shah and a variety of political leaders, lawyers and other biggies have damned the arrest. Some of them weren’t as vociferous on the attack on freedom of speech when a few others were put behind bars for dubious reasons. That though is a different story. Arnab Goswami must be released. If his 20-year son was also assaulted, check the CC TV footage and someone must pay a price for that.

     

     

    But, Arnab also must take it easy. Practise your journalism. Take on the world. Expose people. But don’t go on to demolish them.

     

     

    For, by taking that route, he could well get caught in the crossfire.

     

    Editor’s Guild of India and News Broadcasters Association issue statements:

     

  • “Republic TV takes its cue from its boss, Arnab Goswami and he is the chief perpetrator of allegations and lies. It is not possible to soft-soap this”, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Murky journey over India’s TRP fraud gets filthy

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The battle over Television Rating Points (TRPs) continues its murky journey into the filth of the fight for revenue. There is also the additional drama of the fight between Republic TV and the Mumbai Police.

    After the Mumbai Police unearthed a scam where channels bribed people to pretend that they watched their channels and thus rig their ratings, and arrested six people, the Broadcasting Audience Research Council has suspended all ratings. The biggest “catch” for the Mumbai Police has been the Republic Network.

    BARC, an industry body which handles ratings, is also upset with Republic Network for leaking a confidential communication to “fabricate facts”. Much like Republic Network does in its regular day job, one might argue.

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/barc-charges-republic-tv-with-misrepresenting- private-communication/article32890924.ece

    Where does the media stand on this? Why isn’t the media up in arms against the Mumbai Police for infringing on the Constitutional rights of a free press? Why indeed.

    For my part, I do not consider Republic Network a journalistic enterprise or exercise by any stretch of the imagination. It is certainly a media enterprise. But as far as journalism goes, it is a propaganda channel for the BJP and a largescale purveyor of lies and hatred. One can only feel sorry for any actual journalists who joined it or work there to make a living.

    And it’s not just the BJP and Narendra Modi propaganda that is the problem with Republic TV. The despicable assault that it made on people, especially the actress Rhea Chakraborty, in order to make a massive melodrama out of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput is reason enough to question the channel’s credentials.

    Journalists, no matter how superior we consider ourselves, also operate under some rules. Putting forward wild theories and unsubstantiated allegations as fact is not journalism. There is a price to be paid for spreading lies and hatred. Perhaps this is it. And as BARC’s objections to Republic TV suggests, telling lies or manipulating and hiding facts is perhaps an essential element of the Republic Network’s modus operandi.

    The channel takes its cue from its boss, Arnab Goswami and he is the chief perpetrator of allegations and lies. It is not possible to soft-soap this. There are innumerable examples of bad journalism available and sadly, for now, most of them come from Indian television. But Goswami is undoubtedly the standard bearer for how not to be a journalist, although he was one many years ago. I can barely even remember the times when I praised his work in these columns! From his last days at Times Now to his life at Republic TV, there has been a downward spiral to the obnoxious behaviour of his channel now.

    Having run from court to court, Republic Network has now decided to sue the Mumbai Police Commissioner for ₹200 crore. They are well within their rights, but Republic Network’s role in this TRP scam has affected all of Indian television.

    https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/arnab-goswami-and-republic-to-sue- mumbai-police-commissioner-param-bir-singh-for-rs-200-crore-over-trp-scam- case/articleshow/78753585.cms

    **

    Meanwhile, journalists continue to be targeted by the state for speaking out against discrimination and incompetence. No crores being spent to save them by their employers or the media community either. That sort of money is only for privileged propagandists and purveyors of hate.

    **

    The Editors Guild of India, under fire in the past six years for its cowardly inability to criticize in any strong terms the actions of the Narendra Modi government and any BJP government, has seen a remarkable and interesting change in leadership. The Guild has managed to make itself part of the trend of propaganda “journalists” who are only upset by what India’s opposition parties do and have to be goaded into the mildest, mealy-mouthed objections to a series of substantial attacks on journalists by the government.

    In its first election ever, well-known BJP propagandists were substantially defeated. One can only hope for a stronger stance and hopefully courage from this so-called representative body.

    https://thewire.in/media/editors-guild-of-india-elections-seema-mustafa-sanjay-kapoor-shekhar- gupta-smita-prakash

    **

    As further proof of government interference in the media is the latest “clarification” on FDI in the digital media space. Paranjoy Guha-Thakarta analyses and explains what’s going on.

    https://www.newsclick.in/govt-plans-to-target-digital-news-media%3F

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal

     

  • The NBF statement assumes significance given that it is led by Republic Media Networks MD and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

    Daggers drawn. NBF opposes BARC move. Says it wasn’t consulted on ratings pause

    By A Correspondent

     

    The News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), the ‘other’ industry association of news television channels, has strongly objected to BARC’s statement to pause audience estimates (ratings) of news channels. The NBF statement assumes significance given that it is led by Republic Media Networks MD and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

    In a statement issued to the media on Thursday, the NBF has said:

     

    1.BARC did not consult the News Broadcasters Federation, before such a crucial decision, which impacts news broadcasting industry, the single-largest genre within television sector. BARC would not have taken any such crucial decision if it had involved any genre, without consulting GECs member channels.

    2. BARC meters do not single-out the news genre in its audience measurement system. If BARC sincerely wants to review and augment its system, it should pause ratings for all genres including General Entertainment Channels (GEC), Sports, Infotainment, Movies, Music, Kids, Youth and Lifestyle.

    3. Information has come out recently about a channel which has been found guilty of TRP manipulation and has been fined by BARC Disciplinary Committee. NBF is shocked that a member of the same channel has been included on the board of BARC. It’s not just conflict of interest and no reasonable decision making process can happen with a person named in ratings manipulations. What has happened itself is shocking. Now the matter is in public domain, this individual on the Board of BARC should voluntarily remove the said executive from the Board of Directors for a period of at least one year.

    Said R Jai Krishna, General-Secretary, and News Broadcasters Federation: “The decision is unilateral, one-sided and undemocratic, impacting and targeting one single genre within the broadcasting ecosystem. The decision will severely impact news broadcasters, who have seen a surge in ratings despite the challenges of a lower-than-expected economic growth that has impacted their revenues already, in addition to the financial impact created by the lockdown to prevent spread of Covid-19.”

  • TechComm will review process and take 8-12 weeks to come up with a report on niche genres ratings

    Ratings Bandh! BARC to stop releasing viewership data for individual news channels

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

    [updated with News Broadcasters Federation story link]

     

    Ring-a-ring-a Ratings,

    A mess-up full of claims,

    Yeh Dishoom, Yeh Dishoom!

    We all fall down

     

    Pardon this hurriedly written parody of everyone’s favourite nursery rhyme by a friend. But kya karein. C’est la vie.

    As we wrote last week, ask anyone associated with the television broadcast business, and they’ll tell you how news channels are the Indian television measurement business’ Achilles’ heel. However advanced the measurement craft, successive regimes in the TV measurement business have experienced testing times thanks to the mess dealing with the news business. Plus the penchant to run to the government, and complain. “Uncle, uncle, see this guy is acting very funny.” Not funny at all.

    It happened with the previous ratings body TAM. NDTV took it court, and that eventually led to TAM losing its measurement business, its mojo. And this despite all the might of then co-owners WPP and Nielsen.

    Then BARC happened, it was all hunky-dory in the early days. NDTV was still not high on the ratings roster. But soon enough the news biggies started getting tough on the BARC bosses.

    But we aren’t batting for BARC and TAM. Ask the newswallahs. They too will cite various reasons for being upset with things. With reason. After all when your ratings are low, despite the belief and in actuality you are doing a good job.

    The final straw was the ratings controversy of last week. Mumbai Police Commissioner’s declaration that threw in Republic’s name for allegedly rigging ratings, and Republic’s expose of an FIR naming India Today.

    Conventional wisdom would say that it’s not right to base stories on allegations by folks or FIRs. They are not based on any investigations and chargesheets. Or even court orders. But, darlings, that’s conventional wisdom. We are talking of the news business.

    Over the last week, there is been a bloodbath. Unfortunately. Some media companies haven’t fallen short of anything. Arnab Goswami is being painted as Villain #1. There are many who don’t like his journalism. There are many who think he’s too pro-BJP and the Narendra Modi government. But then there are issues with many others too.

    This report is not an attempt to list the kind of stories which news channels keep doing. And their editorial stance.

    It’s about the decision that BARC has taken. In the light of the recent developments, the BARC Board has proposed that its Technical Committee (Tech Comm) review and augment the current standards of measuring and reporting the data of niche genres, to improve their statistical robustness and to significantly hamper the  potential attempts of infiltrating the panel homes. This exercise would cover all Hindi, Regional, English News and business news channels with immediate effect.

    Therefore, starting with the ‘News Genre’, BARC will cease publishing the weekly individual ratings for all news channels during the exercise. This exercise is expected to take around 8-12 weeks including validation and testing under the supervision of BARC’s Tech Comm. BARC will continue to release weekly audience estimates for the genre of news by state and language. So no individual numbers.

    Explaining the need for this move, Punit Goenka, Chairman of BARC India Board said: “Given the most recent developments, the BARC Board was of the opinion that a pause was necessitated to enable the industry and BARC to work closely to review its already stringent protocols and further augment them to enable the industry to focus on collaborating for growth and well-natured competitiveness”.

    Added  Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India: “We at BARC take our role in truthfully and faithfully reporting ‘What India Watches’ with the greatest sense of responsibility and work with integrity to ensure that our audience estimates (ratings) remain true to their purpose”. He added: “Besides augmenting current protocols and benchmarking them with global standards, BARC is actively exploring several options to discourage unlawful inducement of its panel home viewers and further strengthening its Code of Conduct to Address Viewership Malpractice”.

    Meanwhile, the News Broadcasters Association has welcomed the 12-week suspension of TV ratings. NBA, which represents a large section of news broadcasters – but not the entire universe of news channels, believes that the suspension is an important step in the right direction. [update: News Broadcasters Federation has opposed the BARC move. Please read: https://www.mxmindia.com/2020/10/daggers-drawn-nbf-opposes-barc-move-says-it-wasnt-consulted-on-ratings-pause]

    Said Rajat Sharma, President, NBA: “Recent revelations have brought disrepute to the measurement agency and by extension the broadcast news media. The corrupted, compromised, irrationally fluctuating data is creating a false narrative on What India Watches and has been putting pressure on our members to take editorial calls that run counter to the journalistic values and ideals of journalism. The current atmosphere of toxicity, abuse and fake news is no longer tenable and NBA as the custodian and guardian of Indian broadcast media believes a bold step of putting ratings of news genre on hold will help in improving the content. For many years NBA has been highlighting its concerns about the veracity of TV viewership data, which have been prone to irrational fluctuations. Recent events have shown that there is much more at stake than just the measurement of news channels’ popularity. Indeed, a healthy and vibrant TV news industry is vital to Indian democracy. We expect that the period of suspension will be utilised to implement important reforms at BARC. To safeguard the integrity of viewership data, human intervention in its collection and processing must be totally eliminated. Data security, including encryption and restricting access to key information, must be ensured. Complaints, if any, should be dealt with in an independent and transparent manner. NBA also expects greater consultation and openness when important decisions are taken by BARC.”

    What led to this? Loads of things. The last straw was the expose, the threat of government intervention, and the summoning of media agency network stalwarts for an intense conversation with the Mumbai. Madison World CEO Sam Balsara is said to have spent seven-and-a-half hours with the cops. IPG Mediabrands CEO Shashi Sinha and GroupM CEO Prasanth Kumar some 4.5-5 hours. All on Saturday, when many of us may have been taking it easy with a siesta.

    So what happens now? You couldn’t have invested so much time reading this just to get the same stuff that’s on other platforms. It’s a win-win for everyone. But only prima facie. Channels that are doing well currently will be stay on top in terms of perception. So Advantage Republic TV and Republic Bharat. Not too much of a disadvantage for the others who are getting the revenues – like Aaj Tak and the other leaders of the pack. For those which are emerging or getting out of the woods, the absence of ratings is a setback.

    That something needs to be done with the ratings has been spoken about by TAM and BARC in the past. LV Krishnan will tell you that. As will Partho Dasgupta. And now Sunil Lulla will as well. But folks like Goswami and some others are said to have been opposed to the idea. The leader after all wants it to be known that s/he is the leader.

    And what does it mean for BARC? Some peace of mind. Messrs Lulla & Co can sleep those extra 10 minutes every day, and 20 on a Thursday, the day ratings are published. Also, as a wag said: Even if news channels were to go out of BARC’s measurement it would mean 10 per cent revenue gone but 90 per cent of the problems as well.

     

     

  • Not even the worst yellow, gutter, ambulance-chasing, tabloid journalism of the past can compare to what these television channels do, writes Ranjona Banerji

    One More Nail in Journalism’s Coffin

    Cartoon by Hemant Morparia in Mumbai Mirror, September 2020. Republished with the permission of the artist-commentator

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Several leading film production houses have filed a suit in the Delhi High Court against the television channel Times Now and its two “star” faces, Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar and propaganda channel Republic TV and its star Arnab Goswami, as well as one Pradeep Bhandari also with that channel.

    The case is about “irresponsible reporting” in the context of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the damage done to the film industry with constant derogatory references to it.

    https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/top-bollywood-filmmakers-go-to-delhi-high-court-against- irresponsible-reporting-by-certain-media-houses-2308968

     

    Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who has been extensively vilified by several television channels and was jailed as a result of this malicious campaign against her, in the same Rajput coverage, has filed a case against her neighbour for lying to these television channels. Her lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, has also mentioned legal action against media outlets which went after Chakraborty.

    https://scroll.in/latest/975624/sushant-singh-rajput-case-rhea-chakraborty-files-complaint- against-neighbour-for-misleading-probe#:~:text=Actor%20Rhea%20Chakraborty%20has%20filed,Hindustan%20Times%20reporte d%20on%20Monday.&text=Chakraborty%20in%20her%20complaint%20to,statement%20was%2 0%E2%80%9Cutterly%20false%E2%80%9D.

    https://www.theprevalentindia.com/legal-action-will-be-taken-against-media-house-who-tried-to- spoil-rheas-image-says-lawyer-satish-maneshinde/

    In any other universe, except that of Indian television, I would have sided with the channels. But most of them and all of them at some point or the other, have no or very little association with journalism as it is understood. Not even the worst yellow, gutter, ambulance-chasing, tabloid journalism of the past can compare to what these television channels do.

    And thus, this bit of petulant outrage from Shivshankar of Times Now on Twitter, in response to the film industry case, is nothing short of hilarious: “Cases against journalists of Times Now that have only sought justice for those who are wronged are a bad precedent. The mighty may think they can weaken the resolve of the fearless but they are wrong.”

    The problem starts with the third word of the tweet and just escalates from there. Neither Shivshankar nor Kumar are journalists now, whatever they may or may not have been earlier. They are rabble rousers who are into amateur dramatics. Justice is not the domain of the media in the same sense that it is for investigative agencies and courts. The media’s role is to ask questions, yes, and that begins with those in power. Times Now only questions governments which are not made up of the leading party of the Central government. So that’s its first massive failure. And the very question of this imaginary “justice” in the face of all evidence, not all of which journalists have access to whatever they may claim, is also up in the air.

    And much worse was the deliberate targeting of a young woman to get increased viewership every night. On what basis was Chakraborty made their scapegoat other than some accusations by Rajput’s estranged parents and a vindictive actress who had no connection with Rajput at all? Where was this great “justice” then? And what is “fearless” about attacking Chakraborty? That was nothing but the basest instincts of misogyny and patriarchy.

    Is there anyone that these television channels have not blamed for the death of Rajput, except perhaps themselves? Maybe they should have promoted his movies better, without taking any money from him, and thus made his life happier and richer?

    As for Republic TV and Goswami, what else would anyone expect of them? From the time the channel launched it has been a BJP propaganda medium and Goswami has revelled in the role, gaining more and more supporters as he shouted into cameras year after year. Shivshankar is but a poor imitation of his master and Kumar of course was trained by Goswami.

    It is possible that nothing will come of this case. It is possible that behind the scenes negotiations will happen furiously. But it is also true that Times Now, when Goswami worked there, had a 100 crore defamation case slapped on it by Justice PB Sawant. Because the channel used his photograph in a provident fund scam case involving another judge, PK Samanta. Sawant asked for an apology, did not get that, Goswami ducked reconciliation meetings and so Sawant filed a case. Sawant was assigned the damages, the Supreme Court refused to stay the damages and Goswami apologised.

    The freedom of press does not include making mistakes and then refusing to acknowledge and apologise for them. The case against media credibility gets built up by channels like Times Now and Republic TV – and the rest including India Today, Aaj Tak, CNN-News18 and the rest when it comes to Rajput and Chakraborty – and journalists who actually fulfil their mandate have to deal with public anger and distrust.

    The damage that these channels have done to journalism is dangerous. I do not know a single journalist who agrees with the vilification of Chakraborty and the frenzied coverage and finger-pointing done by these channels after Rajput’s death.

    One more nail in journalism’s coffin.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes for MxMIndia every Tuesday and Friday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @ranjona

     

  • If channel-owners don’t end this all-out war, advertisers may pull out and the government will interfere in their content, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Peace or Perish!

     

    [updated with India Today Group quote & Republic TV statement]

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Ask present and past TV audience measurement professionals who or what is pulling down the reputation of their business, the response would be an emphatic: news channels.

     

    TAM, a joint venture of Nielsen and Kantar (then owned by WPP and now majority owned by Bain), lost its measurement contracts from broadcasters, advertisers and agencies thanks essentially to news channels warring against it. Premier news network NDTV took TAM to court over allegations of faulty data, and this hastened the effort to set up the joint industry owned body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Eventually TAM sold its measurement business to BARC.

     

    Like TAM in the past, the BARC team faced turbulent times from the news channels, and in a letter to the BARC chairman Punit Goenka, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) is said to have expressed its reservations about the BARC leadership of the past.

     

    There are murmurs that BARC CEO Sunil Lulla too has experienced some angst from news channels.

     

    The problem is always with ratings. That some of the channels have deep political connections makes matters worse. So every time there is a peeve, news channels flock to the I&B minister for intervention. In the past, matters have also gone to Parliament and there have been committees set up to examine nuances of the business. And if it’s not the law-makers who assert themselves, it’s regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) which intervenes.

     

    Frankly, the government ought not to have role in the business of news television. Except for running its own Doordarshan news channels, its publicity department DAVP which doles out advertising and monitoring objectionable content and addressing the media on issues and make announcements.

     

    But by running to the government often, channel owners have invited the ministers and bureaucracy to step into a territory which they shouldn’t be treading on.

     

    For instance, BARC’s weekly viewership data ensures that advertisers and the agencies make wise media buying decisions. It also helps broadcasters and content-makers better their content, sales and marketing act.

     

    But the ecosystem dominated by broadcasters inflicted on itself the government’s intervention (or interference?) and got BARC to be governed by a set of rules and regulations.

     

    There’s nothing new with what happened on Thursday. It occurred when TAM was around and it’s taken place under the BARC regime. There has been pilferage of information on the placement of set-top boxes, but the machinery is well-oiled to issue alerts when necessary.

     

    That’s what happened when Hansa Research, one of BARC’s vendors on engagement with panel homes, alerted the police about a mess up.

     

    Was Republic named in any written complaint? We don’t know. An FIR shared with MxM has a mention made of the India Today channel. Both Republic and India Today (by way of a report on the site) have presented their points of view.

     

    What we did find last night was various channels shaming Republic TV and founder, editor-in-chief and managing director Arnab Goswami. Newspaper reports today – owned by media companies which also run news channels as well as a few others – have also named Republic and Goswami prominently. The reference to other channels and India Today has been understated or is missing.

     

    So when did it all start? The war of words and ratings began even when Goswami was with Times Now. The channel was doing exceedingly well, on the back of the heated debates that it would air.

     

    But when Goswami quit the Times Network to start Republic, the daggers were pulled out from all directions. All sides are to blame. Times Now had its issues with Goswami for quitting, hiring some ex-staffers and making no bones of the fact that he was taking on his former employer. The others got on to the act the moment Republic shot to #1 in the ratings roster. ‘News without Noise’, became India Today’s credo.

     

    Various attempts were made to isolate Republic, including the rest of the news channels pulling out their watermarks so as to boycott BARC. On its part, Republic too countered the others – and compared its ratings with that of the others. Nothing wrong with it, except that the comparison was accompanied by much bombast. Surefire formula to rile others.

     

    But the war took on a new turn when Goswami launched Republic Bharat. While English news channels are influential and earn fair monies, the real bucks is in Hindi news. Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News have been raking in the moolah over the years. While Bharat made its presence felt, it didn’t create much of a dent until the Covid-19 pandemic-led lockdown happened and the Arnab Goswami brand of hyper-aggressive, right of centre journalism took over.

     

    And then came the controversy around actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The line that Republic Bharat took on the controversy ensured it was numero uno. And not just for one week, but for now many weeks.

     

    Advertisement buying decisions are not taken in a hurry, but buoyed by its success, Republic Bharat has hiked its ad rates.

     

    On Thursday evening, the Mumbai police commissioner named Republic TV based on what appear to be unverified complaints and allegations. Later, on its primetime bulletin, Republic TV showed scans of the FIR naming India Today. The joint commissioner of police is reported on the India Today website stating that while India Today was named in the FIR, neither the accused nor the witnesses supported the claim. “On the contrary, the accused and witnesses are specifically mentioning the names of Republic TV…”

     

    The India Today Group issued a statement late on Friday: “There is a malicious campaign on right now by a few vested interests to drag the name of the India Today Group into the TRP scandal that broke out on October 8, 2020,” adding: “We welcome any probe the police may wish to conduct and are fully confident that we will come out unscathed as we have not acted in any inappropriate manner. What we have right now is nothing but malicious, unsubstantiated allegations by a vested party.”

     

    Republic TV has taken on the Maharashtra government and Police Commssioner Param Bir Singh over the last few months in Sushant Singh Rajput case. Meanwhile, Goswami has threatened to sue Singh.

     

    So what next on this? The news channels business in India is a divided house. There is the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which comprises most of the big players operating nationally and there’s News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) which is spearheaded by Goswami and Republic. Recently TV9 pulled out of the NBA with the association lodging a complaint with BARC saying that the network had used unfair means to forge ahead on the ratings roster. The network is now back as its member.

     

    Singh was quoted on a channel saying that advertisers may also be called for interrogation. So will Amul managing director R S Sodhi have to make the rounds of the commissioner’s office? Perhaps he will be. Will media agency network bosses Prasanth Kumar of GroupM and Shashi Sinha of IPG Mediabrands also be questioned by the cops? If Sodhi is, surely Kumar and Sinha will be called in.

     

    It suits the government perfectly well to have channels warring each other. But if the police summons advertisers and agency bosses for questioning, there could be trouble. Large, pedigreed advertisers would prefer to stay away from the murky world of news television. Channel owners would do well to smoke the piece pipe.

     

    If warring countries and corporates can get together, surely Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai can.

     

    Updates:

     

    Media agency bosses Sam Balsara, Shashi Sinha and Prasanth Kumar have been called to the police station for seeking information. So these may not be summons, but a request from the cops is never for a chat about the weather. There are rumours that names of certain advertisers have also been handed over to the police.

     

    The Republic Media Network has issued a press release: https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/full-news-release-from-republic-media-network.html. “The Republic Media Network has approached the Honourable Supreme Court of India. We have served notices of our legal action to the Maharashtra Government as well. While we will follow the law, we are determined to seek a legal remedy against this atrocious witchhunt,” the release says.

     

     

    Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is Editor-in-Chief and CEO of MxMIndia, the views here are personal and are not necessarily that of MxMIndia. He can be reached via Twitter at @pmahesh. A version of this has also appeared on The Wire at The ‘TRP Scam’ Could Open the Doors for the Government to Enter the Picture

     

     

  • #1 yet again, the Republic Media Network MD & editor-in-chief in a freewheeling chat with Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Arnab Goswami Unplugged

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    For the second consecutive week, Republic Bharat has been the numero uno Hindi news channel as per data provided by BARC. In Week 33 – which is August 15 to 21, 2020, Republic Bharat is ahead of all other Hindi news channels in terms of weekly impressions in the overall, rural and urban segments as per info on the BARC website (see chart below).

     

    Source: BARC India. Week 33: Aug 15-21, 2020. HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals

    The Republic business team also furnished us with data which highlights its performance given some slicing of demographics and we’ve requested BARC to ratify it. If and when we get the approval, we will carry it here.

     

     

    While the reason for this red hot interview was the success of Republic Bharat in the ratings roster and hence the emergence of Republic as the #1 news network in these two key languages, when you are chatting with an Arnab Goswami, you can’t not stray into issues like his journalism, the noise factor on his shows, charges of his BJP bias, etc etc.

     

    So did we do an Arnab on Arnab? No, we didn’t. We let him speak. We didn’t interject. No change in body language to put him on the defensive. This interview was done in a flash. We had to set up the Zoom call in less than five minutes. So we weren’t armed with specific instances when he has stretched himself on telly. So if were to judge it ourselves, yes, we could’ve have been tougher on him. Grilled him.

     

    But, then, we aren’t Arnab Goswami. MxMIndia editor-in-chief Pradyuman Maheshwari interviewed him the way he normally conducts other interviews. Asked him the relevant questions, joked around a bit.

     

    It’s not an Arnab on Arnab. It’s an MxM with Arnab. And Arnab let Pradyuman speak. Ha ha. Watch. Enjoy. Like.

     

    If you’d like to share this others, you can share this link. Or if you want to only share the Youtube link, please take this: http://bit.ly/mxmwitharnab

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • The two will help ensure a stronger digital and language foray in forthcoming months

    Republic elevates Hersh Bhandari & Priya Mukherjee to COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Republic Media Network has elevated Hersh Bhandari and Priya Mukherjee to the position of Chief Operating Officer. This is part new management roles across the business and editorial functions that have been effected.

     

    Bhandari, who was serving as Executive Vice President (Revenue), will take the role of Chief Operating Officer for Republic Bharat. He will now lead to expand the team working out of the Networks’ Noida and Gurugram offices, to include brand management, marketing and national network sales. Hersh will also lead the revenue functions for North and East India for Republic TV, the English channel.

     

    Priya Mukherjee, who has been serving as President, Distribution and International Revenue, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer- Distribution, International Revenue and OTT. Mukherjee will also be undertaking the OTT portfolio, and expand the team to handle the three verticals that come under her. As part of its digital expansion plan, Republic will increase engagement with OTT platforms.

     

    Said Arnab Goswami, MD and Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network: “Hersh is a rock-solid pillar of our business side, and as COO he will ensure that Republic Bharat’s position as the No 1 Hindi news nrand in India becomes even stronger. Priya has exceptional business skills and vast experience. She has successfully taken our brand across North America, UK, MENA, Southeast Asia and Australasia. In India, she is respected for her understanding of the cable industry. With OTT now under her, Republic is ready for the next stage of growth”

     

    Added Vikas Khanchandani, Group CEO of Republic Media Network “Both Priya and Hersh are astute and committed professionals who have been working tirelessly to build our organisation. I am extremely happy to have them as a part of our team and wish them all the very best in their new roles”.

     

    On his new role, Bhandari said: “I’m extremely excited about my new role and responsibility in the organisation. The pace at which the network is growing allows me to explore and do more as we build an integrated TV + Digital ecosystem which is future ready. I look forward to be a part of a strong management team to deliver and learn in this endeavour.”

     

    And this is what Mukherjee said: “It has been an incredible fast-paced three years with Republic Media Network. Arnab’s vision has made the Network India’s No 1 News Brand of International repute and recognition. Under Vikas’s leadership am excited to lead the networks digital reach and growth as well.”

     

     

  • When political ideology enters other fields of public discourse and begins to influence the opinions there, we certainly have a reason to worry, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Death by On-Air Investigation

    Image taken from advertising mailer sent out by Republic TV

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    I have started watching Republic TV over the last week or two, after a gap of a few years. The bizarre on-air investigation being carried out by the channel and its owner-editor, who is also its only primetime anchor, Arnab Goswami, under the title ‘Sushant Singh Rajput death probe’ has befuddled me. There have been many cases of irresponsible media coverage of celebrity news over the year, but here, the issue is larger, and the moral standing murkier.

    The “investigation” started fine about three weeks ago. Kangana Ranaut chose to give an interview to Goswami, and he’s a fine interviewer on most days. She was shooting from the hip and he played along. But since then, the channel’s coverage of the topic has progressively degenerated. It’s as if the Ranaut interview gave Goswami the idea that there’s a big story in this, and you can run the entire channel on it for at least 4-6 weeks.

    The week after the interview featured persistent attacks by Goswami on senior producers and directors of the Hindi film industry. Using the edgy material Ranaut had armed him with, Goswami went about questioning the people she mentioned, with little headway, during that week. There was also an interview with Shatrughan Sinha, where the seasoned actor-cum-politician didn’t say much despite Goswami’s persistence, rightly pointing out that he doesn’t have the details.

    It’s over the last two weeks that Goswami’s investigation has become increasingly brazen. He’s sidelined his earlier nepotism narrative and has now taken up a “murder, not suicide” theory that he’s relentlessly pushing, two hours every night for two weeks and counting. Last night, he even said that if people thought this is a media trial, he’s like to inform them that he wanted to be a lawyer but couldn’t, but he may as well appear in a black robe one day on his show. Yes, he said that!

    It’s amusing at one level but dangerously immoral at another. If I make a list of people he has “accused” in some form or the other over the last three weeks, it will probably be a number around 15. In the middle of a pandemic, mental health is a serious concern as it is, and if any of those “accused” are affected because of how they are being projected (many other channels are simply trying to ape Goswami’s investigation, making it a wider concern), who will be held responsible?

    The other danger is of influencing the opinion of the lawmakers. Can a narrative being fed to the general population day in, day out not influence the police, the government and the judiciary at all? That’s a utopian situation, but we have seen before that reality is different.

    If the general audience builds an opinion of their own, however specious it is, and finds an organic way of channeling it to others, it’s within the democratic framework and hence should be accepted, even if one disagrees with the discourse and its general intellectual level. But Goswami is using mainstream media to peddle a narrative that has no legal standing right now. He keeps saying “I am only asking questions”, but he goes on to provide answers to them too, invariably every time he asks one.

    There’s also clear political polarisation at play here. How an entertainment industry news item became fodder for politics is beyond my comprehension, but it has happened, and unmistakably so. When political ideology enters other fields of public discourse and begins to influence the opinions there, we certainly have a reason to worry.

    Over the next few weeks, Goswami and his clones would have milked this topic dry and moved on. They will then find another story. And with each such on-air inquest, they will keep making the moral compass more and more irrelevant, under one broad defense: That the nation wants to know.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is Founder and CEO, Ormax Media. He writes on MxMIndia on most Fridays. His views here are personal

     

     

  • This is a special initiative to resurrect flood desolated Assam

    Times Network announces ‘India For Assam’

    By A Correspondent

     

    We are sure this is one move which even former main man and now arch rival Arnab Goswami will support. Given the flood situation in Goswami’s home state Assam, Times Network has announced ‘India For Assam’, an initiative to create awareness and raise funds for the relief efforts for the state bearing the brunt of this flood fury year after year.

     

    Speaking on this initiative, MK Anand, MD and CEO, Times Network said: “Assam is facing the worst of nature’s fury, even as it confronts Covid-19. Efforts to restore normalcy in Assam requires our immediate attention. India for Assam is a clarion call to the nation, appealing to all Indians to step forward and generously donate to the task of relief & rehabilitation.”