India As Seen From Abroad: Why Government Is Angry With Foreign Media

When US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders talked about 바카라�widespread anti-Muslim mob violence바카라� in Delhi, it had much to do with the international media바카라�s reportage. From 2014, when Narendra Modi took over as PM, to coverage of the recent Delhi riots, the foreign press has gone from cautious optimism to outright portrayal of his regime as one that is turning India into a Hindu nationalist state. The Economist played up 바카라�Intolerant India: How Modi is endangering the world바카라�s largest democracy바카라� on a recent cover before the Delhi riots, which most foreign media called a 바카라�pogrom바카라�. In its February 26 editorial, The Guardian called it a 바카라�Hindu nationalist rampage바카라�, adding that 바카라�Modi stoked this fire바카라�. No wonder all this has not gone down well with the government. Author Aatish Taseer had already been stripped of his overseas citizenship of India바카라�less than six months after his Time magazine cover story in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls called Modi 바카라�India바카라�s Divider in Chief바카라�. The Centre has decided to respond aggressively, but the information and broadcasting ministry is believed to be exercising caution since the fiasco of serving and then withdrawing notices to two Malayalam TV channels for their coverage of the riots.

바카라�We are sending rejoinders backed by solid facts. It is factually incorrect to call it a pogrom as there were casualties and losses on both sides,바카라� says an I&B ministry official. The ministry has already sent rebuttals to leading foreign media organisations, including The Guardian, Wash­ington Post, Time, Al Jazeera, The Eco­nomist, Huffington Post, New York Times and the BBC. Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati was among the first to register his protest. Tur­n­ing down a BBC invite to an event, he wrote to its head Tony Hall that the broadcas­ter바카라�s coverage was 바카라�one-sided바카라� and 바카라�damningly silent바카라� on attacks on policemen and the 바카라�brutal targeted murder of an Intelligence Bureau official바카라�.

바카라�The objective of my letter was to sensitise the leadership of the BBC to the lack of balance in its reportage,바카라� says Vempati. 바카라�Fake news and biased reporting by foreign media are vitiating the atm­osphere in India and perpetuating false perceptions abroad. India is the world바카라�s largest democracy and one of the largest open markets for consuming English media. Most of these media outlets have reached a saturation point in terms of growth in their primary markets in the West. The only other big market is China, which has very high barriers and is not English-speaking. That바카라�s why these outlets are hyper-focused on rep­orting every minor incident in India. Even a small controversy can cause a substantial spike in digital traffic to these outlets that are increasingly challenged to sustain their growth through digital.바카라�

The ruling party is working in tandem with the government to counter the image of being anti-Muslim. 바카라�The bias in the international media바카라�s reporting on the riots needs to be called out,바카라� says BJP vice president and spokesperson Baijayant Panda, who is part of his ­party바카라�s effort to reach out to diplomats and foreign correspondents reporting from India. Panda divides foreign correspondents into three categories: 바카라�those who don바카라�t want to engage and continue to write what they want to; those who will listen to you, but have already made up their mind; and a small number of those who are willing to listen and report both the sides.바카라� 바카라�A journalist has to be like a judge바카라�listen to both the sides and then take a view,바카라� adds Panda.

The government is also concerned about Indian columnists writing for ­foreign publications. 바카라�The problem gets exacerbated due to them as they know the facts, but are not interested in ­reporting them. The narrative their ­biased reporting creates has to be fought,바카라� says the BJP spokesperson.