Arnab Goswamy repeatedly reminds its TimesNow debate participants to handle their replies to the media group’s questions extremely carefully lest it turns off public opinion against them. This amounts to a veiled threat to participants to take debate positions acceptable to the editorial policy of TimesNow. A disgusted viewer of this TimesNow brow-beating style has compelled him to describe the arrogance of such media persons in a piece entitled ‘BJP/NDA SUCCESSFULLY PUTS OUT THE CONGRESS INSPIRED AND ARNAB MANUFACTURED LALITGATE FIRE’ The article brings out how the conduct of the TimesNow media group is questionable when it apparently allows its studious to serve as Kangaroo courts, its aggressive Editor in Chief, Arnab as that court’s judge and lets loose its band of reporters to prey on unwary public to trap them into contributing to debates/interviews with positions favourable to TimesNow media.
To have a firsthand experience of the TimesNow groups kangaroo court behavior of its media persons, viewers attention is drawn to the lastest two TV news presentations that are classic examples of their deceptive style of reporting and how non-staff participants are treated unfairly by not honestly reporting on issues as discussed in debates and interviews. The media has immense power to misreport and not be challenged. Arnab’s persistent style of questioning Lalit’s father senior Modi who strenuously attempted to prevent the media parlaying the media’s version of the story Sushma as that coming out of the senior Modi’s mouth; that Sushma’s was employed by Lalit, that the regular payments/benefits he was paid obligated Sushma into assisting Lalit with his passport problems . Senior Modi who more than matched Arnab refused to accept Arnab’s position that Sushma’s husband was in the employ of Lalit receiving regular monthly payments for his services, but allowed Arnab a solace by referring to a retainer that might have been paid for the legal services over a long period he was associated with the Modi family.
However long after the senior Modi interview that ended the story of Sushma-Lalit link TimesNow continues to flash titles/sub titles like that ‘retainer truth exposed’ Lalit’s father confirms report’; these are meant to continue to deceive the public. To Arnab repeatedly flaunting Lalit’s letter of appointment of Sushma’s husband as director of a company in which Lalit was also a director senior Modi who is MD and Chairman of the company categorically denied Sushma’ husband ever being considered for such an appointment that TimesNow persists with parlaying that story is unethical. (Arnab’s fashionable flaunting of sheathes of paper during most interactions/interviews/debates is in typical Arnab’s style to become his trade mark tricks he puts into practice. It is time that viewers demand that these papers are subjected to independent audit. After the interview with senior Modi, a frustrated Arnab totally fails to categorically establish a conflict of interest link in Sushma’s case yet TimesNow still flashes those incriminating phrases on its TV screens. Senior Modi withstood Arnab’s persistent abrasive style of questioning and not fall a victim to Arnab’s bluff and bluster for TimesNow to report that ‘retainer truth exposed’ and that Sushma financially gained when her husband earned a retainer from Lalit. Those who watched the entire interview are bound to be disgusted with Arnab’s style of conducting the interview to proclaim a Sushma Lalit link though viewers who sat through would vouch to senior categoric Modi’s denial of any such link.
Now Arnab persisting with this untruth when reporting during more news breaks that Senior Modi confirmed Lalit offering Shusma’s husband a Directorship in a Modi company that was soon withdrawn is most unfortunate. This media group’s persistence with this issue ‘finance experts’ are bound to view Arnab’s efforts as indulging in fishing trips for any information to establish a non-existing ‘conflict of interest’ position in Sushma Lalit relationship. After failing here what use would there be in flashing sub-titles in TimesNow TV screens except to continue to deceive the public and put off independent observers who totally disagree with TimesNow flashy sub-titles to strongly suggests that the public pursues investigations surrounding the circumstance behind such misreporting.
Arnab thereafter for TimesNow repeatedly reminds BJP viewers spokesmen of codes of conduct for ministers who breach them and for any conflict of interest to occur that would warrant the minster’s dismissal. This is exactly the PM Modi’s position was and is though Congressmen, Arnab and the TimesNow journalists continue to loudly demand Sushma’s dismissal.
On another incident in which an Indian Airlines departure was delayed by an hour to accommodate an MOS who allegedly was late for that flight the TimesNow relentlessly and mercilessly takes on the issue. The contents of the NDTV report of that event are more detailed and totally different. Viewers are advised to rely on the NDTV report for a truthful report on the flights delay. Could TimesNow continue to report on the Indian Airline incident and attach the TimesNow sub-title ‘a passenger, or a flying maharajah’? The strange title is most misleading when the TimesNow report was commissioned to politicize the issue and smear BJP. Not much accuracy in the reporting by the TimesNow journalists should be expected from stories that carry a clear political colouring and patently unsuitable for considering action against the errant politicians. PM Modi who is now not bombarded again by the tribe (Congress plus Arnab of the TimesNow for not speaking on TimesNow reports) is not given any excuse once he promptly referred the incident for report by the appropriate department. PM Modi would not act on manufactured issues but on the genuine ones affecting real people, the passengers on that flight he would undoubtedly act.
Viewers should view every so-called TimesNow news breaks with suspicion. It is the behavior of TimesNow reporters who agree that viewers demand that the media should also accept codes of conduct in their reporting. Otherwise viewers would be encouraging the VVIP and Kangaroo court culture to flourish. This is far more damaging to the country’s image than the frequent news breaks on misdemeanor especially those of employees or politicians.
It is time that viewers loudly clamour for measures to restrain misreporting and media organizations/persons conducting kangaroo court investigations to pursue/undertake investigative journalizing. Another pertinent question that is pertinent here is why did the owners of TimesNow media group allow its journalists without any control to display overbearing and over jealous style in the handling interviews and debates to cause unnecessary hurt to the feelings of viewers and participants who interact with the journalists. If viewers’ pain get to an excruciating level inaction by its owners is bound to result in clamour for government intervention.