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Newslaundry
Newslaundry
National
NL Team

TV Newsance 289: Modi’s Vantara visit, IIT Baba, Aurangzeb – TV news goes wild!

This week, we dive headfirst into the chaos, because on Indian TV news, spectacle always trumps substance.

PM Modi’s Vantara visit wasn’t just a casual stroll, it came with choreographed optics, including what looked like a lion high-five. Meanwhile, news outlets lapped it up giving us every little detail on how the PM “interacted with the wildlife”.

IIT Baba, internet’s latest obsession, has taken over TV debates, sparking absurd battles between so-called dharam gurus. We look at the shady antecedents of some of these alleged “sanatanis”. Even Arnab Goswami had a rare moment of sensible commentary on this issue, before promptly returning to his usual brand of hysteria.

Trump vs. Zelenskyy turned global politics into a WWE-style showdown, proving once again that the world cares more about spectacle than diplomacy.

While the international stage played out high-stakes power struggles, Indian news anchors were busy amplifying petty controversies like Shama Mohamed’s comments on Rohit Sharma. Aurangzeb also returned to primetime discussion and we once again discussed his rule after Samajwadi Party leader’s comments on the Mughal emperor sparked a controversy.

In a world where TV news thrives on drama, outrage, and viral moments, this episode unpacks the circus that modern media has become. 

We have a new Sena project to report on police excesses across at least eight states in India, and how these impact everyday Indians. Click here to contribute.

Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.

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