This week, discourse on TV news channels was dominated by the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Parliament after fiery marathon debates. In the Lok Sabha, we saw ministers like Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju attack the Waqf board as if it was the worst thing to happen to the country.
On our TV screens, news anchors once again engaged in rabid villainisation of Muslims and spreading tons of misinformation, all in the name of criticizing the Waqf. Chitra Tripathi of ABP news rejoiced at Waqf not being able to “take over” the Parliament and the country’s airports, while Sushant Sinha celebrated how his car is now “safe” from the Waqf board.
As anchors hailed the government’s “bold move”, nuance was thrown out the window and questions whether the new amendments actually bring in any efficiency remained missing.
In this episode of Newsance, we do the news channels’ job and break down the bill for you. We explain what the Waqf board is, what it is not and all that news channels got wrong.
Watch.
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