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Godi media

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Godi media (Hindi pronunciation: [ɡoːdiː]; 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 for "sensationalist and biased Indian print and TV news media, which openly supports the ruling NDA 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 leading party of the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party.[6][8]

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 Hindu nationalist 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 & Youtube[9] orchestrated by increased access to Internet.[10] In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the central government alone spent roughly ₹1.95 crore (equivalent to ₹2.3 crore or US$280,000 in 2023) on advertisements per day.[11] 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[9] & in exchange, the channels are rewarded with contracts to host advertisements of government schemes & products of corporate entities.

International perspectives

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The phenomenon of Godi Media is not unique to India. Media bias and the influence of political power on journalism are global concerns. A thematic comparison of Kazuo Ishiguro's novels and the post-2014 Indian media highlights the failure of individuals not taking a stand against the tide of the times and instead going with the flow.[12] This interdisciplinary approach situates the issue of Godi Media in a broader, global context.[2]

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][13] 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".[14]

Detractors of Godi media allege that instead of practicing 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][15] 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 and others.[16][7][17][18]

Rajdeep Sardesai, an Indian news anchor and author, said that "a large section of the Indian media… has become a lap dog, not a watchdog".[15]

Notable activities

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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".[19] 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 & were instead being vilified as Khalistani supporters.[20][21][22][23]

The News Broadcasting & 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.[24][25] 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,[26] following reports of similar accusations of biological terrorism being levied against Muslim vegetable sellers in Uttar Pradesh by the BJP IT cell[27] 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 run-up to the 2024 general elections, the Congress led Opposition alliance had decided to boycott talkshows hoisted by 14 anchors including Goswami and others like Amish Devgan, Shiv Aroor and Sudhir Chaudhury, all of whom are noted for their sycophancy towards the BJP and were considered as the representative faces of "godi media".[28] Chaudhury had caught national headlines for coining the term 'gaming jihad' by claiming that Hindu teenagers were being lured into converting into Islam by Muslims through interactions held in online gaming platforms like Twitch & Discord.[29] Chaudhury is also renowned for creating other similar Islamophobic tropes like 'mazhar jihad' by claiming that Muslims are gradually taking over the country's land by illegally encroaching over properties of Hindus, government bodies & public property through converting them into Islamic graves.[30] Another anchor, Rajat Sharma, who became renowned for his unabashed flattery of Narendra Modi during the elections,[31] was caught on live camera for allegedly hurling derogatory abuses towards a Congress spokesperson.[32] These outlets also claimed, citing Russian sources that the Biden administration was attempting to interfere in the elections against Modi & the BJP.[33][34]

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' & instead focused on the 2029 general elections.[35] In a live interview given to one such outlet, Modi claimed himself to be of divine origins.[36]

The reputation of Godi media outlets saw further damage after the ruling NDA alliance was reduced from 353 to 293 seats in the 543 member Lok Sabha in the 2024 general elections, contrary to their exit poll estimates of obtaining around or even more than 400 seats.[37] Talking in a show of BBC Hindi, political strategist Yogendra Yadav described the Godi media's endorsement & accreditation of the NDA's aim of obtaining 400+ seats as crowd manipulation orchestrated by the media & stated that had these media outlets been honest about the situation on ground, the BJP wouldn't have won even 200 seats.[35]

Following the violent overthrow of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh in July 2024, Godi media outlets were actively involved in spreading fake news related to the subsequent anti-Hindu riots, disseminating disinformation related to the events & discrediting the interim government,[38][39] with the aim of fearmongering & setting off retaliatory violence against Muslims in India[according to whom?].

Following the downturn in India-Canada relations in October 2024 caused by the Canadian government accusing the Indian High Commissioner of being involved in the murder of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar[40] & India expelling the Canadian ambassador in protest of these allegations,[41] Godi media outlets launched a vitriolic campaign of villifying the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of converting Canada into another haven of anti-India terrorists like Pakistan.[42][43]

The Godi media has been slammed for it sensationalist & anti-Palestinian coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.[44]

Impact

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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 & 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 ScoopWhoop, The Wire, NewsClick, The Quint, ThePrint, Scroll.in & Newslaundry.[45] 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, Dhruv Rathee & Ravish Kumar have also emerged as competitors of Godi media in their individual capacities.[46]

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. ^ a b 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 Roy Chowdhury, Debasish (3 May 2021). "India's Media Is Partly to Blame for Its COVID Tragedy". Time. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. ^ Farooqui, Javed (18 July 2022). "Broadcast industry scrambles for answers as overall TV viewership declines".
  11. ^ Bose, Mrityunjay (31 October 2020). "Modi govt spent over Rs 700 crore on advertisements in 2019-20, reveals RTI reply". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Kazuo Ishiguro and 'Godi' Media: A Thematic Comparison of his Select Novels and the Post-2014 Indian Media". SSRN 4680408. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ theclarionindia (24 April 2020). "Why India's 'Godi Media' Spreads Hatred and Fake News". Clarion India. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  14. ^ 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 17 June 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  15. ^ a b 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.
  16. ^ Sahaf, Muskaan Fayaz (17 May 2023). "What is Godi Media and top Godi Media anchors?". Ground Report.
  17. ^ Multiple Witness Account Exposes Republic TV Lies On TRP Scam (YouTube). India Today. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  18. ^ Husain, S. K. (24 April 2020). "Why India's 'Godi Media' Spreads Hatred and Fake News". Clarion India. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  19. ^ "World Press Freedom Day: 'Remove Godi media, save democracy,' say journalists at a demonstration in Delhi", National Herald
  20. ^ Nidhi Suresh (1 December 2020). "'Media has lost our trust': Why protesting farmers are angry with 'Godi media'". Newslaundry.
  21. ^ Farmers versus 'Godi Media' (TV Newsance Episode 112) (video) (in English and Hindi). Newslaundry. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  22. ^ Priyadarshini, Anna (2 December 2020). "Farmers Are Angry with 'Godi Media' for Demonising Them. TV Channels Double Down". Newslaundry.
  23. ^ Zainab Sikander (21 December 2020). "BJP, media, MHA — slander on Muslims and Sikhs have a lot in common. Outcome will be too". The Print.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (1 March 2024). "The NBDSA takes action against three TV news channels for violating guidelines on communal issues". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 March 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ Staff, Scroll (3 May 2020). "Bandra migrants protest: Case filed against Arnab Goswami for allegedly spreading communal hatred". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  27. ^ Staff, Scroll (14 April 2020). "Covid-19: Muslim vendors stopped from selling vegetables in UP, accused of being Tablighi members". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  28. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (14 September 2023). "INDIA bloc to boycott 14 TV news anchors, BJP deplores move". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ Goyal, Prateek (19 June 2023). "The truth behind 'gaming jihad': How media skipped facts to manufacture a story". Newslaundry. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  30. ^ "CJP complaint to Aaj Tak for airing show using the term "Mazaar Jihad"". SabrangIndia. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  31. ^ Tiwari, Himanshu (23 May 2024). "हौले-हौले हो जाएगा प्यार, अबकी बार...चुनावी माहौल में आए मजेदार नारे, पीएम मोदी ने दिया ऐसा रिएक्सन".
  32. ^ "Video Posted By Ragini Nayak Alleging Abuse By Journalist Rajat Sharma Not Edited Or Fake: Twitter To Delhi High Court".
  33. ^ "Russia claims US trying to interfere in Lok Sabha polls: 'Disrespectful to India'". India Today. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  34. ^ Republic World (6 September 2024). Debate With Arnab LIVE: Did The U.S. Attempt To Meddle In Lok Sabha Elections?. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ a b newslaundry (11 June 2024). Exit Poll का फटा ढोल और डंकापति का बिखरा शीराज़ा | NL Tippani 191. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ "From India Today to India TV, Zee goes all guns blazing against top media owners". Newslaundry. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  38. ^ Mojumdar, Aunohita (24 August 2024). "How India's majoritarian politics drive its lazy and dismissive commentary on Bangladesh". Scroll.in. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  39. ^ Sarker, Faisal Mahmud,Saqib. "'Islamophobic, alarmist': How some India outlets covered Bangladesh crisis". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "India's envoy to Canada rejects involvement in Sikh activist's killing". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  41. ^ "India and Canada expel top diplomats over murder accusations". BBC News. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  42. ^ Desk, DH Web (19 October 2024). "Modi-aligned 'godi media' amplified narratives targeting Trudeau: Canada". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 28 October 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  43. ^ "Canadian govt monitors Indian journalists amid diplomatic row - The Economic Times". m.economictimes.com. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  44. ^ "الصفحة الرئيسية | مسبار". misbar.com. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  45. ^ Abby (3 July 2024). "Alternative Media In India: A New Era Of Press Freedom". Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  46. ^ Saini, Sonam (2 July 2024). "How independent journos are influencing the news landscape". Retrieved 29 October 2024.

Further reading

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