I.N.D.I.A to-release list of Godi media journalists

On Wednesday, the Opposition INDIA coalition announced that it would not participate in TV debate shows hosted by news anchors perceived to be close to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal made the announcement after a meeting of the alliance's coordination committee at the home of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.

Venugopal told reporters, "The sub-group on media was authorized by the coordination committee to decide upon the names of the anchors on whose shows none of the Indian parties will send the representatives."

The INDIA alliance members would boycott any television anchors that Venugopal did not name.

However, Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of the Peoples Democratic Party, said, "I am talking particularly about godi media... Some anchors constantly speak against the INDIA alliance. We decided that our representatives would not go there."

Several Opposition leaders have used the term "godi media", which roughly translates to lapdog media, to refer to journalists and television channels perceived to be biased in favour of the BJP.

The entire Opposition bloc has probably decided to pinpoint journalists who act as agents of power and boycott them. Sources have told this newspaper that they would completely shun certain media houses and avoid specific anchors on other channels. The parties have a consensus that they should have no link with at least three media houses which are acting as “hounds” of the RSS-BJP.

List of Godi media journalists

• Aman Chopra (News 18)
• Amish Devgan (News 18)
• Aditi Tyagi (India Express)
• Chitra Tripathi (Aaj Tak)
• Rubika Liyaquat (India 24)
• Gaurav Sawant (India Today)
• Prachi Parashar (India TV)
• Anand Narasimhan (News 18)
• Sushant Sinha (Times Now Navbharat)
• Shiv Aroor (India Today)
• Arnab Goswami (Republic TV)
• Navika Kumar (Times Now)
• Ashok Shrivastav
• Sudhir Chaudhry

Opposition accuses media of bias

A senior leader expressed concern about a recent discussion regarding media bias. They discussed the issue extensively over the past few weeks and talked about specific individuals. Their concern is that some media professionals don't just support the RSS-BJP but actively promote a divisive agenda.

These individuals select topics and events that fuel communal tensions and engage in daily propaganda. This isn't just about political bias; it's about unethical journalism that the media itself should address.

In 2004, the Congress was also worried about the media not giving enough space to the Opposition. Senior leaders like Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Natwar Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Arjun Singh held a media conference to appeal to editors to uphold democratic principles of fairness and a level playing field.

However, during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime at that time, there were no complaints of a false vilification campaign against Opposition leaders. Now, the pro-government bias is more evident, along with harsh attacks on the Opposition.

The Opposition is now ready to actively challenge the media rather than seeking more coverage. Recently, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate faced questions at a media conference about her criticism of journalists as "boot-lickers."

She responded by saying that she would respect journalists when they start practicing true journalism and ask questions about issues like unemployment, prices, Manipur, and the Adani scam. She still respects some journalists, but those who seem to follow government directives and act as sycophants will be labeled as such.

NBDA Concerned Over Opposition Media Boycott

The decision taken by the I.N.D.I.A. deeply anguishes and concerns the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA). Media Committee not to send their representatives on the shows and events hosted by certain journalists/anchors. The decision taken by the I.N.D.I.A. Media Committee sets a dangerous precedent.

The ban on representatives of the opposition alliance from participating in TV news shows anchored by some of India’s top TV news personalities goes against the ethos of democracy. It betokens intolerance and imperils press freedom. The opposition alliance claims to be the champion of pluralism and a free press, but its decision betrays callous disregard for democracy’s most fundamental tenet - the inalienable right to openly express ideas and opinions.

The nation is taken back to the Emergency era, when the press gagged and crushed independent opinions and voices by boycotting certain journalists/anchors. NBDA urges the opposition alliance to withdraw its decision of boycotting certain journalists and anchors as such a decision would amount to browbeating journalists and stifling freedom of speech and expression of the media.

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