India youth protests expose anger at TV media

Youth-led protests in India last month exposed public anger toward mainstream television channels, with journalists reporting harassment and attacks over perceived support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Rallies across the country, led by the online Cockroach Janta Party movement, included signs calling TV channels "India's worst enemies" and criticism of what activists called "lapdog" media aligned with the administration.

At New Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site, some students said they relied instead on social media and independent platforms for news. Sukhjeet Narula, a 28-year-old software professional, said news channels "brand every protest anti-national."

Dev Kotak, a reporter with Times Now, said a crowd in New Delhi threw water at him before the confrontation escalated into slaps and kicks. He said he was scared for his life. Videos of Kotak running behind security personnel as protesters pursued him spread on social media, and three of his colleagues were also harassed.

AFP verified footage showing a Zee TV reporter being heckled while broadcasting live from a protest in Mumbai. Another video showed a journalist being chased by a crowd in Patna.

Times Network said it had covered the protests in an "entirely neutral manner" and said its journalists were "assaulted in the most reprehensible manner." It said people should not take the law into their own hands.

Media observers said the anger reflected years of falling trust. Journalist Ravish Kumar said "godi" media, a Hindi-derived term used by critics for alleged "lapdog" media, were seen as anti-people and anti-opposition. Atul Chaurasia, managing editor of Newslaundry, said traditional newsrooms relied on a flawed financial model tied heavily to government advertising.

Rights groups have raised concerns about press freedom in India since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014. Reporters Without Borders ranks India 157th out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, down 17 places from 2013.