Some years may go by without major surprises. And some years may pass without a scandal. But no year goes by without a new ‘jihad’ flooding the Indian mediascape.
In 2024, it was “vote jihad” that took centrestage and found itself at the heart of numerous primetime debates – sometimes posed as a question, other times an accusation. This year, we also learnt about the novel “Mehendi Jihad” (thanks, Zee News).
But this was far from being the media’s only moment of ingeniousness. From finding a new “enemy” in Maldives to a news anchor eating food meant for animals on camera, there was never a dull moment on national television.
New conspiracy theories, noise disguised as news, more theatrics and some rare moments of journalistic excellence, here’s a look at everything chaotic and colourful Indian media gave its audience this year.
Maldives, Ram Mandir, and primetime drama
Indian media’s opening act for 2024 entailed training guns at the neighbouring nation of Maldives. As #BoycottMaldives trended on Indian social media, several news channels dedicated multiple primetime shows belittling the archipelago. Channels were also quick to label Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep as a strong blow to tourism in Maldives.
The spotlight soon shifted from Maldives to Ayodhya with the inauguration of the Ram Mandir triggering wall-to-wall media coverage. Much excited about the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony, news channels ran day-long live shows from elaborate stages set up in the temple town. While public broadcaster DD National decided to live telecast daily aarti or prayer rituals from the temple, several channels sang praises for the PM and his government for making the temple a reality.
Soon came the never-ending Ambani wedding saga taking over TV screens and obfuscating every other news worthy event. From guest lists to lavish décor, everything related to the nuptials of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant received weeks of relentless coverage by news channels. However, India Today’s Rahul Kanwal tasting food prepared for elephants living in an Ambani-run animal rescue centre took the cake.
Over at India TV, editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma was slapped with a police complaint accusing him of abusing a Congress spokesperson during a live debate on the Lok Sabha results. The veteran journalist responded with a counter defamation suit with the Delhi High Court eventually ruling in his favour. The court ordered social media platforms and three Congress leaders to remove posts accusing Sharma of abuse.
Credibility of exit polls sinks, new interview formats emerge
Usually revered by Indian newsrooms, exit polls witnessed a dramatic reversal of fortune this year. The credibility and accuracy of exit polls took a terrible beating after estimates for the Lok Sabha elections and Haryana assembly elections turned out to be way off the mark. The forecast went awry to the point of making psephologist Prateek Gupta break down on live television.
In the run-up to the 2024 general elections, TV news also witnessed the advent of a new format of interviewing those in power. The Prime Minister spoke to almost all pliant news channels (except Zee News, sorry Subhash Chandra), but this time, in conversation with four to five journalists from a media house in one go. Call them a roundtable discussion or the closest thing the PM has come to giving a press conference (there have been none since Modi came to power in 2014), these interviews were edited by the PMO’s team, as revealed by India Today’s consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai to Newslaundry.
This was also the year when podcast interviews became the medium of choice for leaders big and small. Mainstream media outlets too, such as ANI and Times Now, jumped on this bandwagon and interviewed several politicians and personalities on their audio shows. And so much has been the influence of content creators this year that many credited YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for reducing BJP’s seat share in the general elections.
News channels air deepfakes, conspiracy theories
After launching several artificial intelligence-powered news presenters last year, Indian news channels continued to experiment with AI this year. However, when tested on their ability to detect AI-generated content, several outlets failed to differentiate between what was fake and what was real.
Ahead of Maharashtra elections when BJP shared deepfake audios of Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders Supriya Sule and Nana Patole alleging misappropriation of bitcoins for funding poll campaigns, news channels ran the “recordings” calling them “bitcoin bomb” or “bitcoin kaand.”
Rather than focusing on getting their houses in order, several channels also devoted much of their air time highlighting conspiracy theories with little proof to back them up. Riding on the back of claims made by the BJP, news channels once again blamed US-based hedge fund investor George Soros for “declaring war on India.” News anchors spent the last several days of 2024 fuming over the billionaire’s alleged intention to “create chaos” in the country.
Some diamonds in the dust
Amidst all this noise and drama, 2024 witnessed several moments when independent media proved its mettle. Investigative reporting around electoral bonds served as a strong example of holding those in power accountable. It also marked a one-of-a-kind collaboration between digital outlets, such The News Minute, Newslaundry, and Scroll, who joined hands with independent journalists to analyse droves of data in a series that was praised globally by initiatives such as Global Investigative Journalism Network.
Reporting on some issues by mainstream media also demonstrated what can all be achieved when true journalism shines. Persistent all-round coverage of the RG Kar rape case, NEET scam, and flooding of coaching centres in Delhi among other issues had media outlets pushing for justice for the affected.
However, the media industry itself continued to struggle with financial woes this year with several outlets, such as India Today, The Quint, Zee and News Nation laying off several of their employees.
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