I must say I have been fascinated by the Republic News Channel and have been watching it lately with its lead anchor going full throttle. I have worked with Arnab Goswami in the early days of Time Now in 2006-2007. I was in client servicing and even acted in promotion of one of Arnab’s show, I still remember him walking into our shoot when we had gone berserk with the smoke machine, he did give us a good firing and telling off. When in the studio he is hyperactive and very driven, he can be obnoxious and very scathing in his broadcasts, and a lot of people have got his raw end of the stick, the more popular he became the more enemies he attracted, now y cops, with the attack on Bollywood and the inefficiencies of the Mumbai joint Sarkar the news broadcaster has become the news.
I spent most of the morning scanning videos that dropped into my Facebook Page showing our man being dragged out of his house beaten and manhandled by the local cops, who then shoved him into the police van. The images were soon lapped up by others and till after breakfast, it had spread Arnab Goswami had been arrested and taken to the Magistrate beaten and humiliated by the local government machinery, with one of the news camera’s fixed on him as he showed the scars on his body to the Public. With over 4 million followers on youtube.com he is the most popular and obnoxious News Caster in India, delivering one sensation after another in a no holds barred channel, with the BJP backing him with money and resources the Republic has grown in viewership and stature.
This has landed the Newscaster in trouble and he has been roped in, in a false case of 2018 that was closed long back. The entire news drama or news stop opera was shown live with protest marches in various cities around the city asking for his release. Every minister called it an attack on the four pillars of democracy, Arnab has to realize that his enemies want to browbeat him, and the attack on him will make him even more popular as the Republic Bandwagon moves on. Two years back a Saudi Journalist was killed Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey, the killers are yet to be apprehended and the case is still unresolved, it is said that the Saudi Royal Family got him killed.
There is no doubt Republic is a Nationalist Channel and it is blatant about that, it is the mouthpiece of the BJP and it’s Hindutva Brigade, so Arnab is not always the truth as he is only speaking from the point of view of the ruling majority, he is only one side of the truth, which can have many sides. I am sure he will get out of this with not many scars and as long as the public is glued on it’s all good fun.
Last year 57 journalists were killed around the globe with Mexico and Afghanistan topping the list of Killed Journalists. Being a journalist is a risky business and attacks on them have been condemned by all. In India alone, in the last 5 years, forty journalists have been killed. They are being killed in the line of duty and now with Arnab being man handled like this the day of the emergency has been talked about. Journalists have been known to be attacked by the state because it is their duty to bring the truth to the people and that brings them in direct confrontation with the establishment.
Arnab has been an innovator with the Republic and has a game-changer strategy which mocks at the old fashioned Lutiyans Delhi media circuit, who despise him, he has taken the Maharashtra Government to the task and is now paying the price for it. The state will get you if it really wants you and Arnab from being a News castle has become a Newsmaker and an icon fighting for the freedom of speech. The drama goes on and we are riveted to it with the TRP’s rising who cares all publicly is good publicity and there is no difference between real news or fake news it’s all entertainment. I just hope they do not kill him like they did Gauri Lankesh, this is India after all anything can happen, till then it will be difficult to muzzle Goswami and His digital media outlet who are taking on the police and the government with a mass movement and large public support.
