Media Coverage of Fake and Fraud News

Media, acclaimed as the Fourth Pillar of democracy, is today the most sinister internal security threat facing India.

In the name of exercising this right of freedom of speech and expression, particularly the plethora of visual broadcasting channels in English and Vernacular languages, majority of media houses are in the forefront of dissemination of fake and fraud narratives depending on their financial patronage.

However, media senior editors and anchors claim that they are only covering news and not making noise media and their narratives provide a balanced perspective for their audience to draw their inferences. They lay claims to provide unbiased exposure and feedback of all events considered critical.

In retrospect, the mass media is exaggerating political events to influence their audiences in favor of political parties and leaders who are their patrons. They resort to sensationalism as an editorial tactic to influence viewers. They select topics in news stories with a view to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers to lean towards their political and financial patrons.

Let me briefly review the coverage of news of the recently concluded elections to five State Assemblies. Of course, the BJP victory in 4 states is hailed as the "Semi Final" before the 2024 Parliament elections. It is well known that "One Week is too long a period in Indian politics".

Furthermore, the stunning victory of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab is also being labeled as its likely emergence as the main rival for the BJP in 2024 elections.

Whichever journalist or media editor or anchor provides such skewed coverage of news, it is certainly playing a vicious fraud or fake game.

Surely, the media has access to the final results "State-wise, Constituency-wise" on the Election Commission website. For covering unbiased and unprejudiced narratives, media houses must provide accurate facts of results instead of partisan coverage in favor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In brief, the State-wise data includes: Punjab - 117 seats - 92 AAP with vote share of 42.01%, 18 Congress Party, 3 Akali Dal, 1 BSP, 2 BJP and 1 Independent. None can deny that the AAP has decimated all other parties in Punjab.

By contrast, the performance of the AAP is glaringly dismal in other states. Goa is yet another State where the AAP had made a head start dating back to 2012. But, its results in 2022 in 40 seats includes: 39 contested, 6.68% vote percentage, 2 seats won, and lost deposits in 35 out of 39 seats.

(If a candidate fails to secure 16.5% of votes polled, he/she loses security deposit.)

Next, AAPs performance in Uttarakhand in 70 seats includes: no seats won, vote percentage 3.31%, and majority of AAP candidates failed to cross even 5% votes.

Most importantly, AAPs performance in 403 seats of Uttar Pradesh includes: over 372 contested, NIL seats won, vote share 0.38%, and a significant majority ( over 90%) lost deposits with many in the major cities not even crossing the 2% votes polled.

Finally, in Manipur in the North East, AAP did not field any candidates in 60 seats.

Based on the results in 4 other states, it is too premature for AAP to emerge as the principal opposition political party to challenge the BJP in 2022 particularly when viewed in the face of "Regional Satraps" like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, KCR in Telangana, Stalin in Tamil Nadu, Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala.

In retrospect, the BJP as a national party has failed to promote and consolidate its sway over States ruled by "Regional Satraps". Also, its predecessor, the Congress Party who seceded to the "Regional Satraps" long ago, has failed to stage resurgence.

So, partisan media houses blaring away the emergence of the AAP on the national scene with its stunning victory is fake or fraud news coverage. Also, one should not forget the AAPs first appearance in 2014 with quite a few stalwarts championing the cause of anti corruption joining and spearheading its campaign failed to make a dent on the national scene.

More significantly, it is a far-fetched imagination or "building castles in the air" to Delhi-Model of populist agenda on All India basis considering that balancing of various sectors including defense and populism schemes is a Himalayan Challenge.

In sum, it is high time that the media must stop spinning fake and fraud stories of their financial patrons to influence people. Never too late for the media to understand that "We the people" are no longer gullible. Therefore, the media would be doing yeoman service to "We the People of India" by covering news of electoral outcomes of recently concluded elections and providing a balanced perspective to draw their conclusions. Any amount of "Drum-beating" as part of partisan political coverage does more harm than good to the national security interests.

Article by G B reddy Sir