Qamar Waheed Naqvi, Editorial Director of India TV has resigned in protest against a “staged interview,” with the BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Rajat Sharma’s famous programme “Aap Ki Adalat.” India TV had spruced up its team of senior journalists on the eve of the 16th Lok Sabha elections to ostensibly, “give the best and most objective coverage of the elections,” but as can be seen from the Naqvi incident, this media too has succumbed to the Modi pressure. Naqvi had joined India TV recently after a long stint with Aaj Tak, where he had earned respect for being a thorough professional. Naqvi is not the only victim claimed by paid news. Earlier, too when paid news first made it to the headlines, senior journalists had left their profession in disgust. In fact, the rumours are that Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose of CNN-IBN are apparently considering putting in their papers to break free of the Modi pressure put on them by the TV 18 boss – Mukesh Ambani. India TV’s interview with Narendra Modi the Prime Minister wannabe of the BJP has hit the social media network. Just how aggressive the Modi campaign has become is evident from the manner in which Madhu Kishwar who claims she is no card carrying member of the BJP and edits a news magazine, Manushi, has gone all out to praise Modi in her recent book. Kishwar is on a virtual warpath hitting out at Modi’s detractors through her blogs. She has launched a vitriolic attack against Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Delhi from the Aam Aadmi Party, by giving voice to people of unsavoury antecedents to spread canard against Gandhi.
The India TV interview was a blatant personal relations (PR) job and was conducted amidst chant of ‘Modi-Modi’ and ‘Bharat Maata Ki Jai.’ Although reference to the 2002 riots were made in passing, as also Modi’s tall claims on development, Rajat Sharma failed to put Modi in the docks for the 2002 Godhra riots. Sharma, otherwise a sharp-shooting journalist with people he wishes to corner, was a benign picture of himself, allowing Modi to dominate the proceedings. This was not lost on those who know media ethics and who draw clear lines between PR and journalism.
That the Modi interview was fixed was evident from the judgement passed by the people’s judge – the author and academician Pushpesh Pant. Pant spoke about Modi’s ‘clean chit’ from various courts and SIT, when the interview did not even touch the subject. Pant has already declared Modi the PM even before the Lok Sabha elections have ended. So much for paid news in this country! This could be the death blow to journalism as practised by those of the old school of thought of which Naqvi was one.