New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) had its share of glory in the past. But the media group has lost its fervour in recent times. The channel has been at the receiving end due to the gross and unfounded stance against Prime Minister Modi led central government. NDTV has over the years developed an image of being a gizmo of leftist agenda. The anchors on the channel and columnists through the digital platforms have left no stone unturned to lash out at the BJP government. The journalist at the channel can be seen to be overwhelmed with the habit of cherry-picking facts to propagate the communist narrative.
Paradigm Shift in NDTV
NDTV has a history of calling the Modi government a ‘suit-boot wali sarkar’. The channel has further propagated the myth that PM Modi is a ‘friend of Adani-Ambani’. That is to say, the channel which was itself a corporate entity has always portrayed itself as opposed to the capitalistic corporate model.
On the contrary, the twist of fate depicts the media enterprise has fallen into the hands of the same Adani Group of which it had been an ardent critic over the years. Adani Enterprises Ltd.’s subsidiary AMG Media Networks Ltd has acquired a 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV. Owing to this radical change in ownership, the future of the media channel has great prospects of witnessing a paradigm shift.
After the successful acquisition of a 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV through the Vishvapradhan Commercial Pvt Ltd (VCPL), the Adani Group declared an open offer for the takeover of another 26% stake in NDTV. This offer came in light of the announcement by NDTV that subscriptions to an additional 26% of NDTV’s public shares will be available from November 22 to December 5.
Also read: The “Adanisation” of NDTV is visible now
NDTV to be a global brand
The recent opinion shared by Billionaire Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani group to develop a global news brand can be seen as the stepping stone towards reformation in the journalistic pattern of NDTV. The quest to be at parity with the big international media houses would require the channel to give up on biased and narrative based practices.
Further, independent journalism depicts mass scale reshuffling in the organization is on the cards. To assert Adani said in an interview with the Financial Times, “Why can’t you support one media house to become independent and have a global footprint?”
Also read: How Gautam Adani executed a boardroom coup to wrest control of NDTV
Adani is the third richest business tycoon in the world with a net worth of $136 billion. That is to say, given the scale and size of his conglomerate, establishing an international media group would have “negligible” significance for the company. Further, the call to incorporate independent journalist practice is in line with the much-needed balancing of views, required at the channel.
He also proposed that criticism of the government is accepted but the journalist should not lose sight. Opposing the rhetoric of traditional NDTV style journalism, Adani supported a balanced approach to be followed. He said, “Independence means if the government has done something wrong, you say it’s wrong. But at the same time, you should have courage when the government is doing the right thing every day. You have to also say that.”
Adani looks forward to seeing NDTV as an international brand and expanding its global footprint. “Why can’t you support one media house to become independent and have a global footprint? India does not have one single to compare to Financial Times or Al Jazeera,” he remarked in the interview. He has also offered for NDTV owner-founder Prannoy Roy to continue as the chairman. In addition, this year Adani’s novel media component AMG Media Networks Ltd has also acquired stakes in business news platform BQ Prime, formerly called BloombergQuint.
Also read: NDTV is suing its master Gautam Adani because realization has still not set in
Consecration of Independent Journalism
The NDTV was founded in 1988 and owned by husband-and-wife duo Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy. On the other hand, the acquisition of NDTV by the Adani Group is a significant step towards establishing a more holistic journalistic order in society.
The channel which has in recent times crossed all limits of propaganda requires a much-needed overhaul. The views promoted through the channel had been breeding a pessimistic outlook in society with the sole motive of targeting the government. Catechizing the abhorrent behavior of the channel Gautam Adani proposes the refurbished version of NDTV to incorporate a balanced and holistic approach.
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