Is Arnab Goswami the new exemplar of Journalism?

Arnab Goswami. The man, the myth, the legend. Even if you don’t follow the news, you may still know Goswami because of his controversies and the hilarious memes shared on social media. Arnab’s journey has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

Arnab was the news anchor of Times Now, but times have really changed. He’s now the managing director and editor-in-chief of Republic Media Network. Arnab Goswami now invites guests on his show and mostly insults them to the core. So, the main question remains the same: Is Arnab Goswami representing Indian Journalism in a positive way?

Well, let’s first know about his journey and then educate ourselves on Indian Journalism.

Arnab’s Journey: The Republic Star

One cannot deny that be it yelling on guests or shouting, ‘Mujhe drugs do’ on a TV News Channel, Arnab has earned and reached this stage with utmost dedication towards his profession.

He is a renowned personality and is known for aggressive journalism, which means bringing out the reality that affects common man in a certain way. He started his news career with NDTV 24×7 in 1995.

Eventually, his show ‘Frankly speaking with Arnab’ was one of the famous shows broadcasted on different news channels. He interviewed many famous personalities like UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sonia Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, etc.

Arnab even hosted Mumbai 26/11 attacks for 65 hours and won achievements for the same. It was then, his journalism game was going to change a lot. He started Republic TV and made believe that they are building a new, better India.

Republic TV today is available on 18 OTT platforms and has a reach of about 16 million people. Arnab Goswami could have improved the niche of journalism in India.

If you listen to his debates, you may find him taking the limelight and not letting the other person speak. Isn’t that unfair? He insults the other person so that he/she may get suppressed by the same and not utter a word. Usually, things get heated up and then the debate turns into a fish market.

Arnab uses the right gimmicks for increasing TRP of his channel. People at times refuse to go on his channel for the same purpose but ironically lands up on his show a few days later. It’s clearly evident that people go on his show for the sole purpose of being recognised and (at times) heard too.

In the last few years, Arnab Goswami has made himself a ‘brand’. His recent arrest made it very clear. He was arrested because the architect of his studio, Anvay Naik took his life and his wife accused Arnab of not paying his fee.

While Arnab denied the allegations, many people came out in support of him. This is primarily because people feel he was being arrested for his journalism and not the actual case. Arnab targeted Mumbai Police in SSR case and also Shiv Sena Party at times.

Arnab’s arrest was regarded as the harassment of a journalist and the end of democracy. People may not like him, but everyone has freedom of speech. So, as soon as he came out of the police station, the audience of India welcomed him with open arms.

Examples of Good Journalism in India

Even if Arnab speaks something logical, people will oppose him and considered it illogical. This is because of the image he has build of his show and himself. He barely talks sense; people just enjoy watching the guests being insulted by Arnab.

But good journalism, i.e. meaningful journalism still exists. Journalism is a means of delivering information the most simplest and decent way possible. There are journalists who are not as renowned as Arnab, but they still believe in the power of good journalism.( This is the writer’s opinion)

1. Shweta Singh

Shweta Singh is bold and fearless. She covers all kinds of news but is mainly known for her sports journalism. People who are loyal consumers of the news channel Aaj Tak know her very well. She is considered one of the most impressive female journalists in India.

Shweta has received many awards like NT Award Best Anchor, ENBA Best Business Show, etc.

2. Rajat Sharma

Well, he’s another great example of good journalism (or interrogation, understand the context). Rajat Sharma hosts the most controversial and entertaining show of India, Aap ki Adalat which airs on India TV. It earlier aired on ZEE TV.

Rajat Sharma has left no one when it comes to asking controversial questions and deriving breaking news headlines from the answers, respectively. From PM Narendra Modi to CM Yogi, he has interviewed all. Though he has a twisted way of asking things, his show is still respected and watched by people in huge numbers.

Rajat Sharma has won many awards like Padma Bhushan, Tarun Kranti Award, etc, and have been ranked at the 33 position in India’s 50 most powerful people 2017 list. He keeps the journalism alive by conducting such shows.

3. Gauri Lankesh

One can’t forget Gauri Lankesh when we talk about good and brave journalism. She wasn’t only a journalist but an activist who was critical of right-wing Hindutva politics. Gauri used to voice her opinions on a lot of issues related to the Indian society. She even had her own weekly newspaper called ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’.

On 5^th September 2017, she was shot outside her Bangalore house. The sole reason being her ability to speak the truth and raise her voice against the wrong doers in the country. Her contribution to Journalism will always be remembered. Gauri’s biggest achievement was that she died as a fighter.

4. Faye D’ Souza

Yet another brilliant example of journalism. Faye D’Souza is a television news anchor and an Indian Journalist. She talked about corruption, independent press, etc, on her show, The Urban Debate which featured on Mirror Now.

Faye talks about issues related to common people which is very rare these days. She started her career with All India Radio and now she works with an online video platform named Firework, where she speaks about current news.

It’s really great and inspiring to see journalists like Faye D’Souza evolving and setting the journalism bar high.

If you want to educate yourself on certain topics, do watch her videos for sure.

Concluding Thoughts

Even though it’s all Arnab Goswami, he still doesn’t represent the entire journalism industry. Journalism is not only about bringing TRP’s but also about educating people.

Today’s Journalism may have restricted itself to TRP’s; there’s still room for conveying and speaking about generic common man issues. This is possible till the time we have journalists like Faye D’Souza.