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Comment by amriksohata | Hacker News Reader

Can you give examples of being muzzled?

Internet in Kashmir has been down for the longest period ever in a democracy, 172 days and counting [0]. Several cities in UP, Karnataka also faced Internet shut downs during recent protests [1].

[0] https://www.dw.com/en/indian-court-kashmir-indefinite-intern...

[1] https://www.medianama.com/2019/12/223-internet-shutdown-up-k...

Anytime a protest/riot spills onto the street in any country, there will be 2 groups of people :

1. Those who value privacy over security

2. Those who value security over privacy

No matter which side any government tilts towards, even if its a reasonably balanced approach, the other side will complain about it.

That's not media companies per say across India, that's one region internet has been down

One example is looking at the coverage The Hindu gave the BJP, RSS, and Modi before he came power and after. Before they were critical of BJP when it warranted, but since they came into power the coverage has been fawning.

This sort of comparision can be made across the spectrum of the news media. They are smarter than outright jailing journalists.

That's hardly muzzling, is there evidence of threats? Even Blair and the sun struck a deal in his time

And that was despicable. Here the entire media spectrum has hardly complained about the fact that the sitting PM, a man FAMOUS for lambasting his predecessor as a mute, has never had a single non-staged media appearance.

IIRC the ONE time Modi did have a question session without being in control, it was a disaster.

And of this fact, there is not the slightest self awareness or questioning from the reporters or heads of news channels.

Again how is that muzzling the media? Not appearing for interviews is very different to gagging the media from saying things like in China.

Indian media uncritically promotes government propaganda. I visited my parents back home, and the news channels are unrelenting in their defense of the govt

That is unfair. Republic and India tv appears to be pro government where as NDTV and other appears to be anti-BJP channels.

This is not nearly accurate. NDTV "and others"(not sure of any other mainstream channels) have also hsitorically been hard on the UPA governments even if you consider them pro-Congress. The current breed of mainstream channels (Zee, Republic, India) who hold most of the eyeballs in India are not just pro-government they blatantly lie to protect the government's incompetence. Added to the fact teh BJP is a top advertiser on TV media creates a dangerous incestuous relationship the scale of which we've not ever seen before.

Check out the analysis of 200 prime-time debates done by peeing human. Republic, India TV, Zee News, ABP News, Aaj Tak, Times Now, Sudarshan News and countless regional channels are pro-govt. NDTV is the last channel standing.

Not true, wire, scroll and various others are anti gov in india

And none of those are media channels, and are extremely small when it comes to circulation.

Essentially if you even know of them, you are not part of the mainstream audience.

NDTV and times now are very mainstream

Times Now is the biggest govt mouthpiece

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