Everyone wants to call themselves as unbiased and neutral but their words betray their leanings
This is the time when journalists and media houses are being sued – Left, Right, and Center. But in its rich history of journalism, India appears to have lost its compass. Everyone wants to call themselves as unbiased and neutral but their words betray their leanings. I have no problem with say Sidharth Varadarajan saying that he is left-leaning and writes with a leftist bent. After all, Fox News does not hide its right leanings. What is bizarre in India is that in certain cases, some sections of media will oppose a particular police case, while supporting another police case based on political lines! In other words, MSM also likes to play by the ‘Babu’ rule, “Show me the face and I will show you the rule!”
Here’s a look into some cases and the contradictions of the media.
The Arnab and Siddharth
On Wednesday Republic TV’s Owner-cum-Editor Arnab Goswami was again questioned by the Mumbai Police for four hours on a case registered after reporting on the “hidden games” behind the people surging at the Bandra Railway Station demanding to go back to their native place during the lockdown, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arnab Goswami was earlier charged for making harsh comments against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and was also facing a re-probe on the abetment to suicide of his studio designer.
Siddharth Varadarajan’s fake reporting against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was totally mischievous and gives us a peek into how he views BJP and Hindutva.
In Arnab’s case, being currently a right-wing supporter, many right-wingers oppose charging of cases against him, while his adversary Congress and left-wings wanted him to be punished. The situation reverses when Uttar Pradesh Government registers the case against pro-left and anti-BJP portal Wire’s Editor Siddharth Varadarajan.
Siddharth and Journos
Now let us come to the expose of the connection of many journalists with the Delhi-riots-accused Khalid Saifi. Journalists Rajdeep Sardesai, Siddharth Varadarajan, Rana Ayyub, Arfa Khanum, Ravish Kumar, and Abhisar Sharma are now seen with him. Times of India’s Radio Mirchi’s Jockey Sayema was also found with him and she even announced in her programmes asking people to reach protest sites and even protest before Delhi Police Head Quarters during Delhi Riots and other related violence during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was totally engineered by Jehadi elements, supported by Left and Congress leaders. She also tweeted about it. These incidents ultimately led to 53 deaths and 1000s injured in Delhi. PGurus published a report with photo evidence of these journalists with the accused Khalid Saifi, who is still in Delhi Police custody[1].
Unlike Mumbai Police or Uttar Pradesh Police, Delhi Police under Central Government has not yet called any journalist to check on their links with Khalid Saifi, charged as one of the masterminds of Delhi riots which resulted in 53 deaths in February 2020. At least Delhi Police could have summoned Radio Jockey Sayema for asking people to reach protest sites. In reality, the radio jockey Sayema should be charged for the wrongdoing of inciting mob violence. If this is not an inciting the mob, then what will be the definition of these charges?
Back to Arnab and Siddharth
Now back to Arnab Goswami and Siddharth Varadarajan cases. Both are not saints. Both have done a lot of mischievous activities in their careers. Siddharth Varadarajan’s fake reporting against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was totally mischievous and gives us a peek into how he views BJP and Hindutva[2]. Now due to lockdown, the case is still in its initial stages.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally attacked several times when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.
In my humble opinion, Arnab Goswami was wrong in the choice of his language to holler at Sonia Gandhi. He was shouting on the screen as to why Sonia Gandhi was silent on the killing of two saints in Palghar. But he did not question the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah or the NCP supremo Sharad Pawar! Call it both ways! It has now become fashionable in the MSM to create outrage as to why so and so is silent on a particular issue and then go on a loud rant. Sometimes the decibel levels are deafening!
Left’s Blue-Eyed Boy gone Right
Arnab Goswami’s tilting to the right-wing is connected with his business. We have seen what he did to the then BJP President Nitin Gadkari, former Foreign Affairs Minister late Sushma Swaraj, and his fake reporting on Subramanian Swamy’s letter to the President of Sri Lanka[3]. Arnab was once a go-to-guy of Congress during the UPA regime. On the other hand, Mumbai Police (under Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP regime) has also gone overboard on Arnab Goswami by subjecting him to long interrogations. Congress party is never shy of throwing its weight about when they are in power. They are merciless in acting against their opponents, while the BJP tends to go soft on these issues. Take the case of NDTV.
NDTV still roams free
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally attacked several times when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister. NDTV was at the forefront of this with many malicious stories against him. But still, the CBI and ED are yet to file charge-sheets against NDTV for bank scams and money laundering. Why? Because more importantly, why aren’t right-wingers asking these questions and instead of crying on cases filed against Arnab Goswami by the Congress controlled regime in Maharashtra?
Law is the same for all. Any transgression must be called out and acted on. The time for excuses is over.
References:
[1] Many journalists exposed for their links with Delhi Riots-cases-accused pro-Jehadi Khalid Saifi – Jun 10, 2020, PGurus.com
[2] FIRs filed against The Wire Founder-Editor Siddharth Varadarajan for spreading fake news about Yogi Adityanath – Apr 01, 2020, OpIndia
[3] Dr Subramanian Swamy vs Arnab Goswami: The Nation now knows how Swamy showed Goswami his place! – Nov 11, 2014, India News
His first book NDTV Frauds has been published and is an Amazon Bestseller.It ranked second among all eBooks that were self-published in 2017.
His second book, The Gist of GSTN which too is available on Amazon as an e-Book and as a paperback.
His third book, The Rise and Fall of AAP is also available in print version or as an e-Book on Amazon.
His fourth book, C-Company just released to rave reviews and can be bought as a print version or as an e-Book on Amazon.
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Error in reporting, serious typo in bold letters. Should read 53 deaths in February 2020 instead of 2010. Insert an erratum. On another note, is Dr. Subramanian Swamy a faultless Hindu saint. He has not cleared the air and controversy surrounding his closeness with Rajiv Gandhi, his links and affiliations with the Sri Lanka politicians, India’s mishandling of LTTE matters and issues surrounding Rajiv Gandhi’s death. Can Dr. S. Swamy go through a lie detector test. This is an area where pgurus team should remain neutral and not take sides going all out in support of Dr. Sub Swamy. Certainly, he is neither a saint nor a truthful Sanadhanist but an opportunist Southindian Brahmin groomed in Delhi bureaucracy circle to polish his skills in power brokering as a go between Janata and Congress warlords, taking this a notch higher to dabble at an international level.
2010 – Good catch. Thanks for the same. The article is about journalists – last we checked, Dr. Swamy is a politician, an activist, and an economist.
[…] खबर को अंग्रेजी में यहाँ […]
I can’r resist but point out articles in PGurus supporting Dr. Swamy and his crusade against politicians.
Anyways, journalists should not lean to any side and should do their best to remain neutral; else, they cannot be journalists, just opinion writers in support of their cause.
Journalists should stop pretending to be neutral. Instead the journalist should openly declare their ideological leaning and express fearlessly. Journalist can remain unbiased only when they stop writing but then they will be journalists.
The article’s comparisons are wrong. Arnab asked why Mrs. Gandhi was silent in the case of lynching of the Hindu saints in Palghar, whereas she is very vocal when her vote bank members are affected.
Modi did not take sides in either case. Moreover there is a tendency to pin everything from natural calamities to assorted local incidents on Modi. There is no hypocrisy here.
Arnab was just pointing out the hypocrisy of the Vote Bank politicians speaking out on things that suit them and maintaining silence when it doesn’t.
What is happening is nothing new, as you are trying to say. This was happening before also, but since right-wing was not in power so their journos were never prominent.
Media runs on corporate money and political news and both were controlled by the left. Right media was never prominent neither were their journos, but when they did question the govt they were thrown to custody and not just interrogation, I think it happened with S Gurumurthy. So, Left has been doing it for a long long time, its just now they have come to limelight because Arnab is famous.
Its the same old story, hundreds of communal incidents happened during Congress regime and many were incited by them, but never investigated. After 1992 riots which were incited by BJP, suddenly communalism entered Indian politics. The same is happening here. Left has a habit of choosing a starting point that suits their narrative. And like you rightly said BJP is giving them kid gloves treatment.
Perfect article exposing the Politics of Media business