Godi media

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Godi Media (Template:IPA-hi; Template:Literally; idiomatic equivalent: 'lapdog media'; also called Modia)[1][2][3][4] is a pejorative term coined and popularized by NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar, for the sensationalist and biased Indian print and TV news media, which supports the ruling NDA government.[5][6][7] The term has become a common way to refer to television and other media that are perceived as mouthpieces of the ruling party in India.[6][8]

Background

TIME magazine reported that Modi's ascension to national power in 2014 led to the taming of India's media. His rise coincided with a reorganization 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, and new channels and news leaders 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.[9] In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the central government alone spent roughly Template:INRConvert on advertisements per day.[10] 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 that seek government approval for their reporting.[9]

Coinage

The term was coined and popularized by NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar, in reference to the sensationalist and biased Indian print and TV news media supporting the ruling NDA government. The term literally translates to "media sitting on the lap".[6] In one of his shows, Kumar used silent actors to mime "Godi media". This was acoompanied by miming what the ruling party leaders wanted to listen to, using the Hindi film song "Bago Mein Bahar Hai".[11]

Usage and popularity

In 2018, on World Press Freedom Day, many journalists and social activists held a demonstration which protested, among other things, against the "godi media".[12] 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 protest and the farmers were not being represented fairly.[13][14][15][16]

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 BJP government, corporate and elite sources for their own benefit.[5][17] Media houses and news entities in Godi media include Zee News, Times Now, Republic Bharat TV, Republic TV, Aaj Tak, ABP News, Sudarshan News, CNN-News18, India TV, OpIndia, TV Today Network, etc.[7][18][19]

Such media has also routinely exaggerated the BJP government's achievements and either brushed aside over its failures or found ways to blame them on Modi's discontents: the opposition, activists, Muslims, liberals, protesters, leftists, non-governmental organisations, and other assorted "anti-nationals."[9]

Rajdeep Sardesai, one of India’s leading news anchors, said "A large section of the Indian media,”... “has become a lap dog, not a watchdog."[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  2. ↑ Journalism is under attack in India. So is the truth. The Washington Post(21 February 2020).
  3. ↑ Key Concepts in Journalism Studies{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. SAGE(2005). ISBN 9780761944829
  4. ↑ Is a new India rising?, Mukhia, Harbans. The Hindu(January 14, 2020). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Backstory: Farmers' Protest and Callousness – as the Media Sows, So Will They Reap., Philipose, Pamela. The Wire(5 December 2020). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 At Farmers' Protest, Field Reporters of 'Godi Media' Channels Face the Heat, Ara, Ismat. The Wire(9 December 2020). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Template:Cite magazine
  8. ↑ New hit on Indian independent media and free press, Zargar, Haris. New Frame(10 February 2021). Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Template:Cite magazine
  10. ↑ Modi govt spent over Rs 700 crore on advertisements in 2019-20, reveals RTI reply, Bose, Mrityunjay. Deccan Herald(2020-10-31). Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  11. ↑ Magsaysay award winner Ravish Kumar's journalism is fearless, doesn't monetise hate by peddling a communal agenda, Chaturvedi, Swati. Gulf News(4 August 2019). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "World Press Freedom Day: “Remove Godi media, save democracy,” say journalists at a demonstration in Delhi ", National Herald
  13. ↑ ‘Media has lost our trust’: Why protesting farmers are angry with ‘Godi media’. Newslaundry(1 December 2020).
  14. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  15. ↑ Farmers Are Angry with 'Godi Media' for Demonising Them. TV Channels Double Down. Newslaundry(2 December 2020).
  16. ↑ BJP, media, MHA — slander on Muslims and Sikhs have a lot in common. Outcome will be too. The Print(21 December 2020).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Under Modi, India's Press Is Not So Free Anymore. The New York Times(2 April 2020). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  18. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  19. ↑ Why India's 'Godi Media' Spreads Hatred and Fake News, Husain, S. K.(24 April 2020). Retrieved 24 March 2021.

Further reading

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