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Godi media

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Crowd of people marching on the street; some of them are holding signs
Journalists marching in Delhi for press freedom, March 2018

Godi media (Hindi pronunciation: [ˈɡoːd̪iː]; lit. 'media sitting on lap'; idiomatic equivalent: 'lapdog media')[1][2][3][4] is a term coined and popularised by veteran Indian journalist Ravish Kumar to describe biased Indian print and TV news media, which has openly supported the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government since 2014.[5][6][7] The term is a pun on the name of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and has become a common way to refer to television and other media that are perceived as "mouthpieces of the ruling party" (i.e. the BJP).[6][8]

Coinage

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The term was coined and popularised by a veteran journalist Ravish Kumar, which translates to "media sitting on the lap like a lapdog".[6][9] In one of his shows, Kumar used silent actors to mime "godi media". This was accompanied by miming what the currently ruling party leaders wanted to listen to, using the Hindi film song "Bagon Mein Bahar Hai" (trans "There is spring in the gardens").[10]

Detractors of Godi media allege that instead of practising honest journalism, such media publishes fake news and inflammatory stories, which are often untrue, working in the interest of the BJP government and Hindutva ideology of the Sangh Parivar or corporate and elite sources for their benefit.[5][11] Media houses and news entities alleged as Godi media include Zee News, Times Now, India Today, Republic Bharat, Republic TV, Aaj Tak, ABP News, Sudarshan News, CNN-News18, India TV, the TV Today Network, NDTV, Firstpost and others.[12][7][13][9]

Background

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As per an opinion piece by Debasish Roy Chowdhury for Time magazine, Modi's ascension to national power, in 2014, led to the taming of India's media. His rise coincided with a reorganisation of the editorial authority of some of India's most important news institutions, particularly national television networks. The previous generation of senior editors, who were viewed as more devoted to India's liberal outlook than the BJP's Hindutva ideology, were moved out on charges of having left-wing biases, and new channels and news anchors with devotion to the BJP and Modi were developed. Because of their large state and party advertising budgets, India's state and central governments hold considerable control over media companies, more so in the backdrop of the decline in television viewership caused by the rise of online news and YouTube[14] orchestrated by increased access to Internet.[15] In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the central government alone spent roughly ₹1.95 crore (equivalent to ₹2.3 crore or US$240,000 in 2023) on advertisements per day.[16] Access to power and business favours are additional incentives for the media to continue with the pro-BJP messages. This ensures that bad news never affects the government or goes public. With a few exceptions, the government has made sure that the media outlets seek government approval for their reporting[14] and in exchange, the channels are rewarded with contracts to host advertisements of government schemes and products of corporate entities.

The Godi media is actively involved in promoting the personality cult of Narendra Modi. Many such outlets pictured Modi as an invincible figure, the 2024 general elections as a 'foregone conclusion' and instead focused on the 2029 general elections.[17] In a live interview given to one such outlet, Modi claimed himself to be of divine origins.[18] According to a report by CMS Media Lab, a nonpartisanism subsidiary of the research organisation, during 2019 general election, Modi, received 33.21% of the primetime news coverage while leaders of competing political parties such as Arvind Kejriwal, representing Aam Aadmi Party and Rahul Gandhi, representing Indian National Congress received 10.31% and 4.33% prime-time news telecast coverage respectively. This aspect has been criticised for providing unfair advantage in BJP's subsequent victory.[19][20] The ruling NDA Alliance was reduced from 353 to 293 seats in the 543 member Lok Sabha in the 2024 Indian general elections, contrary to their exit poll estimates of several outlets obtaining around or even more than 400 seats in line with the BJP campaigning slogan, 'Abki Baar 400 Paar' which has also been criticised as crowd manipulation orchestrated by the media.[21][17]

During 2024 Bangladesh anti-Hindu riots, several Godi media outlets were involved in spreading fake news, disseminating disinformation related to the events and discrediting the interim government.[22][23] Canada's Rapid Response Mechanism submitted a report in 2024 criticising several Indian news media reporting on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as "Modi-aligned media (engaging in) foreign interference in Canada's federal elections" accusing him of converting Canada into another haven of 'anti-India terrorists' as well as amplifying narratives against him during 2023-25 Canada-India diplomatic row.[24][25][26]

Protests

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In 2018, on World Press Freedom Day, many journalists and social activists held a demonstration which protested, among other things, against the "godi media".[27] The term was also widely used at the time of the Citizenship Amendment Act protests and the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, with the claim that the protests and the farmers were not being represented fairly and were instead being vilified as Khalistani supporters.[28][29][30][31]

The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) called for several television news programmes to be taken down and fine paid, for their role in spreading Islamophobia and communal disharmony.[32][33] Arnab Goswami of Republic TV attained notoriety by portraying an assembly of migrant workers at Bandra railway station demanding from the government to make arrangements for them to return home during the COVID-19 lockdown as an assembly of Muslims gathered purportedly on the orders of the imam of a local mosque in an attempt to deliberately spread the viral infection among Hindus in an act of jihad,[34] following reports of similar accusations of biological terrorism being levied against Muslim vegetable sellers in Uttar Pradesh by the BJP IT cell[35] in the backdrop of a Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi being classified as a superspreader of the disease, drawing on similar antisemitic tropes of well-poisoning.

In the aftermath of 2025 Pahalgam attack, residents of Kashmir Valley gathered for protests against 'Godi media' near Lal Chowk in Srinagar and shouted slogans against ABP News and its news anchor Chitra Tripathi for its communal coverage of the attack.[36]

A youth satirical political movement, Cockroach Janta Party, that gained significant traction in India due to Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant's remarks comparing youth social media activists and independent journalists (termed as the fifth estate) to cockroaches in May 2026, declared in its manifesto "All media houses owned by the Adani Group and Reliance Industries shall have their licences cancelled to make way for independent media. Bank accounts of "Godi media anchors" shall be investigated".[37]

Boycott of Journalists

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In the run-up to the 2024 general elections, a 14 journalist boycott was announced on 18 September 2023, by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a 28-party opposition bloc based on allegations that these journalists and channels are sycophants of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and that were considered as the representative faces of "godi media",[38] biased against the opposition, promote hate speech and spread misinformation.[39][40]

The alliance has also alleged that the journalists and channels have used their platforms to attack the opposition and its leaders.[41] The 14 journalists boycotted by the INDIA Alliance have all denied the allegations against them, claiming they are committed to fair and unbiased journalism, and that they will not be silenced by the boycott.[42] The BJP has also accused the alliance of trying to silence the media and of being intolerant of dissent.[43] The boycott has been met with criticism from some quarters, including the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) and also international organisations like Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International, criticising the boycott as an attack on freedom of the press.[44][45][46] However, the INDIA alliance has defended its decision, arguing that it is necessary to protect democracy from the harmful effects of biased and hateful media coverage.[47][48][49]

Impact

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French NGO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) cited "recent rise of Godi media" in its Press Freedom Index report on India, while placing it 157th out of 180 countries in 2026.[50] The dominance of Godi media within the mainstream news media of the country has led to the rise of alternative media that have taken Internet platforms like online newsreporting, web feeding and YouTube as their main platforms of connecting with the masses without government interference. Prominent media outlets that have arisen directly to oppose the Godi media are The Wire, The Quint, ThePrint, Scroll.in, and Newslaundry.[citation needed] Many of these outlets are operated by those media persons who were removed from their positions in abovementioned channels after 2014. Several YouTubers like Akash Banerjee, Abhisar Sharma, Dhruv Rathee, and Ravish Kumar have also emerged as competitors of traditional media in their individual capacities.[51]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mukhopadhyay, Nilanjan (26 February 2021). "Muzzling the media: How the Modi regime continues to undermine the news landscape". Frontline. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ Rana Ayyub (21 February 2020). "Journalism is under attack in India. So is the truth". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Franklin, Bob; Hamer, Martin; Hanna, Mark; Kinsey, Marie; Richardson, John (2005). "Lapdog Theory of Journalism". Key Concepts in Journalism Studies. SAGE. pp. 97, 130–131. doi:10.4135/9781446215821.n109. ISBN 9780761944829.
  4. ^ Mukhia, Harbans (14 January 2020). "Is a new India rising?". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b Philipose, Pamela (5 December 2020). "Backstory: Farmers' Protest and Callousness – as the Media Sows, So Will They Reap". The Wire. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Ara, Ismat (9 December 2020). "At Farmers' Protest, Field Reporters of 'Godi Media' Channels Face the Heat". The Wire. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b Singh Bal, Hartosh (30 November 2020). "How the Media Becomes an Arm of the Government". The Caravan.
  8. ^ Zargar, Haris (10 February 2021). "New hit on Indian independent media and free press". New Frame. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b Husain, S.K. (24 April 2020). "Why India's 'Godi Media' Spreads Hatred and Fake News". Clarion India. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. ^ Chaturvedi, Swati (4 August 2019). "Magsaysay award winner Ravish Kumar's journalism is fearless, doesn't monetize hate by peddling a communal agenda". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020. Alternative archive, dated 17 June 2023
  11. ^ Goel, Vindu; Gettleman, Jeffrey (2 April 2020). "Under Modi, India's Press Is Not So Free Anymore". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  12. ^ Sahaf, Muskaan Fayaz (17 May 2023). "What is Godi Media and top Godi Media anchors?". Ground Report.
  13. ^ Multiple Witness Account Exposes Republic TV Lies On TRP Scam (YouTube). India Today. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  14. ^ a b Roy Chowdhury, Debasish (3 May 2021). "India's Media Is Partly to Blame for Its COVID Tragedy". Time. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  15. ^ Farooqui, Javed (18 July 2022). "Broadcast industry scrambles for answers as overall TV viewership declines". Exchange4media.com.
  16. ^ Bose, Mrityunjay (31 October 2020). "Modi govt spent over Rs 700 crore on advertisements in 2019-20, reveals RTI reply". Deccan Herald.
  17. ^ a b Exit Poll का फटा ढोल और डंकापति का बिखरा शीराज़ा | NL Tippani 191. newslaundry. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Staff, T. N. M. (3 May 2024). "PM Modi invites ridicule for saying he is not biological, but 'sent by god'". The News Minute. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  19. ^ S, Rukmini (8 May 2014). "Modi got most prime-time coverage: study". The Hindu.
  20. ^ Arora, Vishal. "How India's Liberal Media Facilitated Narendra Modi's Reelection Sweep". thediplomat.com.
  21. ^ "From India Today to India TV, Zee goes all guns blazing against top media owners". Newslaundry. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  22. ^ Mojumdar, Aunohita (24 August 2024). "How India's majoritarian politics drive its lazy and dismissive commentary on Bangladesh". Scroll.in. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  23. ^ Mahmud, Faisal; Sarker, Saqib (8 August 2024). "'Islamophobic, alarmist': How some India outlets covered Bangladesh crisis". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Modi-aligned 'godi media' amplified narratives targeting Trudeau: Canada". Deccan Herald. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Canadian govt monitors Indian journalists amid diplomatic row". The Economic Times. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  26. ^ Mago, Shivani (18 October 2024). "Month-old Canadian report flagged posts, news from 'Modi-aligned media' as 'foreign interference'". ThePrint. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  27. ^ "World Press Freedom Day: 'Remove Godi media, save democracy,' say journalists at a demonstration in Delhi". National Herald. 3 May 2019.
  28. ^ Nidhi Suresh (1 December 2020). "'Media has lost our trust': Why protesting farmers are angry with 'Godi media'". Newslaundry.
  29. ^ Farmers versus 'Godi Media' (TV Newsance Episode 112) (video) (in English and Hindi). Newslaundry. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  30. ^ Priyadarshini, Anna (2 December 2020). "Farmers Are Angry with 'Godi Media' for Demonising Them. TV Channels Double Down". Newslaundry.
  31. ^ Zainab Sikander (21 December 2020). "BJP, media, MHA — slander on Muslims and Sikhs have a lot in common. Outcome will be too". The Print.
  32. ^ "News Broadcasting and Digital Authority Orders Times Now Navbharat, News18 India, Aaj Tak to Take Down 3 TV Shows". The Wire. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  33. ^ "The NBDSA takes action against three TV news channels for violating guidelines on communal issues". The Hindu. 1 March 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  34. ^ Scroll Staff (3 May 2020). "Bandra migrants protest: Case filed against Arnab Goswami for allegedly spreading communal hatred". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  35. ^ Scroll Staff (14 April 2020). "Covid-19: Muslim vendors stopped from selling vegetables in UP, accused of being Tablighi members". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  36. ^ "'Godi media hai hai': Srinagar locals upset with ABP's Chitra Tripathi". News Laundry. 23 April 2025.
  37. ^ "Cockroach Janta Party — Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed". cockroachjantaparty.org. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  38. ^ "INDIA bloc to boycott 14 TV news anchors, BJP deplores move". The Hindu. 14 September 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  39. ^ Joy, Shemin (14 September 2023). "From Arnab Goswami to Sudhir Chaudhary: I.N.D.I.A bloc boycotts 14 TV anchors". Deccan Herald.
  40. ^ Goreja, Rahul (14 September 2023). "Arnab Goswami, Sudhir Chaudhary, Aman Chopra: TV Anchors INDIA Bloc Will Boycott". TheQuint. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  41. ^ "Opposition bloc INDIA announces boycott of shows of 14 TV anchors, BJP compares this with Emergency". The Times of India. 14 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  42. ^ Sharma, Nootan; Sharma, Unnati (15 September 2023). "'Being targeted, not boycotted' — what 14 blacklisted anchors have to say about INDIA's ban on them". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  43. ^ "Opposition bloc to boycott 14 journalists, row erupts". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  44. ^ "INDIA bloc's boycott of anchors imperils press freedom, goes against ethos of democracy: NBDA". The Times of India. 14 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  45. ^ "INDIA bloc to boycott shows of 14 TV journalists, media panel condemns move". India Today. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  46. ^ Sharma, Vikash. "OTV X poll survey: Over 56 pc people think I.N.D.I.A bloc's decision to boycott journalists against ethos of democracy". OTV X poll survey: Over 56 pc people think I.N.D.I.A bloc's decision to boycott journalists against ethos of democracy. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  47. ^ Banerjee, Ruben (15 September 2023). "INDIA alliance's boycott of select anchors dangerously dents press freedom more". thefederal.com. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  48. ^ "INDIA Bloc's Anchor Boycott List Is a Reality Check, an Opportunity to Cleanse Our House". The Wire. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  49. ^ "Opposition names, blacklists 14 TV anchors; gag on Press as in Emergency, say media panel, BJP". The Indian Express. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  50. ^ "India | RSF". rsf.org. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  51. ^ Saini, Sonam (2 July 2024). "How independent journos are influencing the news landscape". Exchange4media.com. Retrieved 29 October 2024.

Further reading

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