Our country The Republic of India (Bharat Ganarajya) is the biggest Democracy in the world with a parliamentary system of government. All Democratic countries enjoy Freedom of Expression and so does India. Freedom and Democracy walks hand in hand. A Democracy has four pillars namely Judiciary, Legislative, Executive and Media. Media as a fourth pillar plays a very important role in a Democracy, while Democracy ensures free, pluralistic, independent and safe journalism.

In earlier days, media (news channels + newspapers) was only source of information for common people. But case is not the same today. With advent of computer, internet, mobile and social media applications, the sources of information has increased many folds.

Media not only works as a watchdog of an elected government but also keeps common citizens informed about day to day happenings around us. Media makes us aware about economic, political, social and cultural activities in our country. Another important function of media is crime reporting.

But is our Main stream Media really unbiased?

During elections in our country (Loksabha and State Assembly elections), MS media and their journalist divide Hindus based on Caste and will show you what % of Brahmins, Dalit, SC/ST/OBC Hindus live in a particular Constituency. But no media will show you what % of Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Ahmadiyya or what % of Ashraf, Ajlaf and Arzal class of Muslims live in a particular constituency. No media will show you what % of Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Angelical, Syrian Christians live in a particularly Constituency. Why MS Media divides only Hindu voters and not voters belonging to other religion? Media coverage during elections allows citizens to make informed decision to cast their vote. But by dividing only Hindu voters, the journalism of MS Media during elections is highly biased. And same media and their journalist give lectures to Hindus on caste discrimination on their news channels and on SM platforms. Isn’t this hypocrisy?

When there are caste discrimination cases or hate crimes by upper caste Hindus on Dalit/SC/ST Hindus, you will see aggressive journalism and long debates in media. When it’s vice versa, media is nowhere. When there are hate crimes by some Hindus on Muslims, you will see highly communalising debates. When it’s vice versa, Hindus will be given lectures like “Criminals have no religion”. In fact, many of the hate crimes by Muslims on Hindus including Dalit/SC/ST Hindus are not even covered by our media.

Yes, there is birth based caste discrimination in Hindu society but various Hindu organizations are working to remove this evil of birth based caste discrimination. But why does media only highlights hate crimes within Hindu society w.r.t. caste? Why doesn’t media cover positive developments between different caste in Hindus? Why doesn’t media cover Hindu organizations working for the betterment and upliftment of Dalit/SC/ST Hindus? Why doesn’t MS media cover stories of inclusiveness and assimilation of Dalit Hindus within Hindu society?  Why no media tell us how many Dalit Hindus have become leaders and working on ground for Dalit upliftment? Why no media give voice to Hindus who are working for the betterment of Dalit? Why fake Dalit leaders and politicians who just play politics in name of Dalit are given so much coverage? A real Dalit leader is not give platform to speak up for his /her community but fake Dalit sympathizer like Asaduddin Owaisi will be seen in media on Dalit issues because it creates masala for the media. Because a Dalit who is also a proud Hindu, who doesn’t hate his Hindu community, who worships Bhagwan Ram and Krishna will not generate TRP for the media. But a hate monger Owaisi will. Hence Media never fails to take news byte from him whenever there are hate crimes by Hindus on Muslims or by Hindus on Dalit/SC/ST Hindus. But Owaisi is seen nowhere in media when it’s vice versa.

You all know who Pehlu Khan was but do you know who was Gopal? No right? Because our MS media didn’t outraged on killing of Gopal as they did on Pehlu Khan. Gopal was a ‘Gau Rakshak’ who was shot dead by cow smugglers in Palwal district of Haryana. You all know Tabrez Ansari but do you know who Dhruv Tyagi was? Because there was outrageous media covering on Tabrez Ansari but no coverage on killing of Dhruv Tyagi. Mohammad Alam, his father Jehangir and others stabbed him to death for protesting against his daughter’s harassment. His son too was stabbed multiple times and was critically admitted to hospital. This is how our MS media decides what news to cover and what news to outrage on and what news to ignore. Such selective coverage of crimes gives out message that majority Hindus are terrorizing one particular minority and minority is in danger in India.

In February this year while Anti-CAA protests were going on in many cities in our country, four separate incidents of attack on Hindus by Muslim mobs during Saraswati Puja were reported in various places of Jharkhand locally but didn’t find it’s place in national news as whole media was focused on Anti-CAA protests and projecting Shaheen Bagh protesters as victims. Anti-Hindu slogans were raised, banners displayed by Anti-CAA protesters but not covered by media. A Hanuman temple was destroyed in Patna’s Phulwari by Muslim mob protesting against CAA, the videos of this incident were viral on twitter but ignored by our media. What motivates media to ignore covering hate crimes against Hindus?

There are hate crimes and discrimination with Hindus by Christian missionaries which are also ignored by our media.

In last year 2019, Christian missionaries filed complain against Janardan Deva Goswami, a Hindu Pujari accusing of preventing him of religious conversions and preventing the spread of Christianity in Majuli, Assam. Shockingly the local Court ruled judgement against Hindu Pujari just because he was doing his duty to protect his culture and Dharma.

Recently in May this year, Bharat Mata statue within premises of 200 year old Issaki Amman Hindu temple at Puliyur village in Kanyakumari was covered by local police as Christian missionaries complaint saying Bharat Mata Statue offends their religious feelings. This incident was viral in SM and especially on Twitter. But this news couldn’t become National news. Why? Because it’s the MS Media who chooses the type of news they want to cover, which news they want to hype and which news gives them TRP.

Media in past had exposed many Hindu Babas who were frauds or accused of rape cases. We have seen huge media coverage and multiple debates on Asaram bapu and Ram Rahim. Similarly there is a case of Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is accused of raping a Nun. As part of investigation, The Sub Inspector Mohandas had issued notice to Bishop on cancellation of his Bail but soon after he issued noticed he was immediately transferred from Vaikom Police station to Kottayam Crime Branch. On 1st July 2020, the trial court in Kottayam cancelled bail of Bishop Franco as he failed to appear before court for the 13th time. But no media did aggressive journalism like they did during Asaram bapu and Ram Rahim. There are Christian missionaries who are freely working all over India for conversions, organizing huge events in various states to spread the word of Jesus through surreptitiousness but no media dares to expose them. The videos of frauds of Christian missionaries are shared on twitter by various twitter handles so its highly impossible that media and their journalists are not aware about this fraud missionaries. But media chooses not to cover it. This again proves how MS Media is highly biased to Hindus.

Whenever there are media debates on Minority issues you will always see a Hindu and a Muslim as opposite panelist and highly polarizing debates. The real minorities namely Sikhs, Jain, Buddhists, Parsi, Jews and Christians are always missing. In fact Hindus are minority in 8 states but none of those Hindus are given voice by our MS Media. We have seen multiple media debates on Art. 370 and 35A w.r.t. J&K but in all those debates Hindu majority Jammu was always ignored. Jammu is equal stakeholder of J&K state (now J&K UT) but you won’t find any Jammu voice in our news media.

Media trials have become a new normal in journalism nowadays. Journalists should know that judgments are meant to be delivered in courts and not by media houses.

We all remember Kathua Rape case, a heinous crime which was given a communal religious color and Hindus were defamed and it became International news. Out of 7 accused in this brutal rape and murder case, Vishal Gangotra, one of the main accused was not found guilty and was let off by the Court based on Zee News investigation report which had showed that Vishal was not present in Jammu when incident took place. Did any of the media and their journalist who did media trails earlier apologized to Vishal? No. This is how insensitive journalism and media trails destroy life of an innocent. If Zee news had not done their sensitive unbiased journalism, Vishal would in jail today though being innocent.

Why the most historic Breaking News of “Debunking of Aryan Invasion Theory” couldn’t find its place in Indian MS media?

The most important Breaking news of 2019 which went unnoticed by our MS media was “Aryan invasion Theory Debunked”. An Indo-US team of Researchers presented scientific evidence from DNA study of a sample extracted from the skeleton of a woman buried in Rakhigarhi, located near Hisar in Haryana proving that large scale migration from Central Asia to India never happened. This research was published in “Cell”, one of the World’s top journals but sadly our own media couldn’t make it a National one. This was the study that proved Indians are a distinct Human Civilization, indigenous to the sub-continent and not Aryan Migrants as claimed by so called ‘Aryan Invasion theory’ by Left Historians and deserved to be Breaking International News. It is unfortunate that Indian MS Media couldn’t own this news, only NewsX channel covered this Breaking news and made a special documentary with Prof. Vasant Shinde (one of the lead author of this study) and with Maj. Gen.(R) GD Bakshi.

Last year BHU students of Varanasi were protesting against appointment of a Muslim Professor in Dharma Vigyan department. The students faced huge criticism from the media for their protest. Media had wrongly interpreted the situation and without listening and understanding the side of BHU students, started naming and shaming them. The Dharma Gyan Department in BHU teaches Vedic rituals, Mantra, Shloka, Yagna, Purohit karmkand, Jyotish karmkand and many other Hindu religious rituals which cannot be taught by a Professor who knows Sanskrit as a language. BHU has a separate Department where Sanskrit is taught as a language and no BHU students had problem in learning Sanskrit as a language from a Muslim Professor. But our MS Media projected this incident as BHU students VS Muslim Sanskrit Professor. One of the MS media Journalist Rahul Kanwal behaved rudely with BHU student Chakrapani Ojha who was called in India Today Debate. He even went to the extend of calling him as “Kalank”. Now compare this behavior of media and journalist with JNU Left students who were seen raising slogans of breaking India. In fact the very same media gave platform to the very famous “Tukde Tukde gang” of JNU, making them Hero. During Anti-CAA protests, JNU Left, Jamia Milia Islamia and AMU students were seen being violent while protesting against CAA, the law passed by our democratically elected Government in the Parliament. But no, the very same media and journalist didn’t call those so called students as “Kalank”.

Did our Media and journalist ever asked why Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has two separate Theology Department, one for Sunni and another for Shia? Why do they discriminate between two sects and why separate Theology departments? At least BHU doesn’t have separate department of theology for Brahmins and Dalit. Because both of them are equal Hindus. Did our media ever ask that will a Hindu Professor knowing Urdu be allowed to teach Islamic Theology in AMU? The answer we all know will be No.

Now coming to atrocities on Hindus by Muslims in Haryana’s Mewat. Only two National news channels News Nation and Sudarshan News covered ground report of conditions of Hindus living in Muslim majority Mewat. Cases of kidnapping, raping and forced conversions of Hindu girls, especially of Dalit, attacks on Hindu Dalit families, cow smuggling, encroaching Hindu land etc. have become very common in Mewat. The media coverage by News Nation and Sudarshan news were very horrifying. What happened with Hindus in Kashmir in 1990 and what’s happening with Hindus in Sindh in Pakistan is no different than what’s happening with Hindus in Mewat of Haryana. Yet there was no outrage by rest of the media houses. Isn’t this a National concern? Whole of India is suffering because of Islamization of Kashmir, how can we allow and afford another Kashmir in our country? According to ground investigation by News Nation journalist, almost 110 villages are completely devoid of Hindus. This is of huge concern for Hindus and for National security of our country. Do Hindus lives not matter for Media? Why only certain journalists were vocal about Mewat Hindus and others were silent?

Hindus have always been a soft target for media and taken for granted. On the other side though being a victim, Hindus have never played victim card to gain sympathy. Because Hindus don’t know to play a victim card.

Because of biased and insensitive reporting, many citizens are losing trust in main stream media and their journalism. As said earlier, Media is an important pillar of Democracy but if media itself is corrupt and shows selective biased news than weak pillars will definitely damage Democracy.  

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