Ever since Arnab Goswami announced that he will be launching his own venture, his detractors have been trying to bring him down. The mainstream media in India, which has long been aligned to the Congress-left establishment, had decided that they will not tolerate anyone with different point of view.
It’s been just over a week since Arnab launched his new venture – news channel Republic TV – and the unease it has spread in the establishment media is too pronounced to miss.
Those who spread propaganda in the name of journalism for decades were suddenly complaining about Arnab killing journalism with his “nationalist” brand of journalism. There were articles written about Arnab when there should have been article written about Sunanda Pushkar’s murder after Republic TV revealed the botched up investigations into the case.
Not just that, there was a hilarious attempt by Rahul Kanwal of India Today when he complained that Republic TV was available on dual frequencies, which might increase chances of better TRPs for the TV, as a person was likely to encounter the channel more than once while surfing. Today he virtually admitted that India Today itself could be available on dual frequencies:
Other channel found on two frequencies- “Desperate for TRPs”
India Today found on two frequencies- “Not our fault”
Wah re Rajdeep ke intern! https://t.co/OjOMstbx26— Spaminder Bharti (@attomeybharti) May 16, 2017
In line with this sustained and concerted attack on Arnab and his venture, a website named Janta Ka Reporter, which is better known as Aam Aadmi Party’s unofficial mouthpiece, spread the following article last night:
The ‘news article’ tried to insinuate that a journalist named Chaiti Narula had resigned from Republic within a week of its launch as she found the channel’s dealings against her ethics.
The article further claimed that “many other editorial and technical staff had put in their papers as working with ‘Arnab became unbearable’.”
Who were these other staff other than Chaiti was not disclosed by the website. It should be noted that the website is notorious for publishing fake news and pushing pro-AAP propaganda.
However, that reputation of the website did not stop TV journalist Sagarika Ghose from sharing the ‘news report’ with her own expert comments deriding the employees of the Republic TV:
Haha! Now thats a first. For most “journalists” of the new generation, its paisa ke liye kuch bhi karega! https://t.co/gDnmHpbage
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) May 16, 2017
Not only Ghose shared an unverified gossip, she demeaned and defamed young journalists of Republic TV by insinuating that they would stoop to any depths for money.
Clearly this did not amuse Chaiti Narula, who termed Sagarika a “loose canon”, though she was far more respectful towards the old generation journalist in her response:
Ms Ghose, care to indulge in some journalism for fact checking? Do not expect this from someone as senior as u @sagarikaghose . Loose canon. https://t.co/47ou68pNc2
— Chaiti Narula (@Chaiti) May 16, 2017
She further clarified that she had resigned from the news channel, but due to personal reasons, not due to some ‘ethical’ or professional reasons. She rued that someone as senior as Sagarika Ghoshe did not believe in finding out the truth before shooting from their mouth.
We can only say that these new generation journalists like Chaiti simply don’t know how old generation journalists like Sagarika work. Fact-checking? What’s that?
