Takeover of NDTV by India's richest man worries journalists

Network18 Media & Investments

25/08/2022 17:39

By Alasdair Pal and Aftab Ahmed
    NEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - For years Indian television
company NDTV  NDTV.NS  pursued an independent line critical of
the government even as others embraced strident nationalism. Now
a proposed takeover by tycoon Gautam Adani's conglomerate has
raised fears that one of the country's last bastions of free
media is under threat.
    NDTV is seeking to block the bid by Adani, who is India -
and Asia's - richest man, citing regulatory restrictions related
to what it called an "entirely unexpected" move .  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N3010TU
    NDTV, founded in 1988, blazed a trail for independent
broadcasting in India as the country opened up to free market
enterprise. Journalists in the country view Adani's play with
trepidation. 
    "We all feel dejected," a current senior NDTV journalist,
who declined to be named as employees are not authorised to
speak on the issue, told Reuters.  
    "The main concern is our editorial independence which we
think will be compromised" by the hostile takeover. NDTV runs
one of India's most popular news websites along with channels in
Hindi and English.
    Adani Group said NDTV was "the most suitable broadcast and
digital platform to deliver on our vision." A spokesperson for
Adani did not respond to a request for comment on whether the
channel's independence would be compromised by a takeover. 
    Also critical of the opposition Congress party when in
power, the network has been at loggerheads with Modi and his
brand of Hindu nationalist politics since long before he became
prime minister.
    After taking office in 2014, Modi cast the media as part of
an out-of-touch elite and India fell in media freedom rankings.
Outlets owned by industrial families have aligned themselves
with the government, Reporters Without Borders said this year.
    Adani has previously said he is not close to Modi. While his
rapid ascent of the Forbes' rich list has taken place in tandem
with Modi's political fortunes and both hail from the state of
Gujarat, there is little evidence of strong links between the
two men beyond the politician's use of Adani-owned private jets
before he became prime minister.
    Regardless, media observers say that ownership by corporate
titans has had a negative effect on journalism in India.
    Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries  RELI.NS  controls
Network18, another of India's largest media houses.
    "Media ownership for many corporates has been a way of
creating favours so that other businesses can grow. That
cross-ownership is a huge problem," said Hartosh Singh Bal, the
political editor of the Caravan magazine, one of India's few
remaining independent media publications.
    "In terms of independence the other channels don't even come
close. Not only is government's view propagated through them,
but any counter-narrative, any fact challenging the government
is dismissed, and I see that the same thing will happen." 
    Saba Naqvi, a veteran freelance journalist and visiting
lecturer at India's Jindal School of Journalism and
Communication, said NDTV was one of the few networks in India
with the size and credibility to hold the government to account.
    "It is the last influential outfit ready to take on the
government," she said 
    "It's a crown jewel in the media landscape."
    Owned by husband and wife team Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy,
NDTV has been criticized by Modi supporters for bias against
him. Fans compare it favourably to other networks, where
split-screen debates crowded with panelists regularly descend
into chaos.  
    "It stands out as the one place you can occasionally get a
sensible debate," Naqvi said. 
    The proposed takeover comes amid a worsening landscape for
independent journalism in the county.  
    India fell to 150 out of 180 countries ranked in Reporters
Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index this year, its lowest
position ever. 
    The government rejects the group's conclusions, pointing to
a lack of transparency and objectivity, and says it protects the
rights of journalists in the country. 

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FACTBOX-Adani: Asia's richest man back in spotlight with media
bid     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N30135B
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 (Reporting by Alasdair Pal, Aftab Ahmed and Aditya Kalra in New
Delhi; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
 ((Alasdair.Pal@thomsonreuters.com; +91 114 954 8060; Reuters
Messaging: alasdair.pal.reuters.com@reuters.net))