Opinion: Why 'Arnabmania' Needs To Be Snubbed, Not Arnab Goswami

Jingoistic 'news' anchors converting civilised debates into shouting matches, creating theatrics thereby completely decimating information, distorting facts, and bombarding opinions on viewers is the new norm of television news.

The leader of this lobby, who invented the style of news presentation, Arnab Goswami, was confronted by comedian Kunal Kamra on Tuesday. Coincidently both were on the same flight. Kamra filmed the entire conversation and later posted it on social media.

In the 1:51 minute video, Kamra asked the Republic TV editor-in-chief about his journalism. While Kamra admitted that the abuses he was hurling at Goswami was against the rule, but also says that he is ready to face the consequences as he was doing it for Rohith Vemula whose mother's caste was discussed in one of the shows on Republic TV.

While various people hail the comedian's actions, several users criticised Kamra for heckling the journalist. It must be noted that the incident happened while Goswami was in a personal space. Kamra had no right to invade anyone's privacy. Something Republic TV reporters often do.

The incident comes just a day after Zee News anchor Sudhir Chaudhary and News Nation editor Deepak Chaurasia faced the angst of Shaheen Bagh women who didn't let them report. The development was after Chaurasia was heckled at Shaheen Bagh on Friday while he was reporting.

Both the news anchors did a show together questioning the integrity of protest at Shaheen Bagh and claimed that the protesters lacked knowledge of the law. The police stopped both the anchors from entering the area.

It must be noted that both the anchors have consistently termed the protesters at the Shaheen bagh as 'anarchists'. Even after Ministry of Home Affairs denying its existence, Sudhir Chaudhary continues to call the dissenters at Shaheen Bagh as 'tukde tukde gang'.

In both the incidents, the public anger against the news anchors may be justified, however, heckling or accosting is not.

In various media reports, some of the protesters said that they have stopped watching TV news. The women have shown more wisdom in understanding and countering the narrative of these 'nationalist' channels.

The women at Shaheen Bagh have separated themselves from the polarising narratives of a fraction of media which work as a PR for the government rather than question the leaders in power. The polarising environment, which has been prevailing since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power makes media literacy even more neccessary in today's age.

Confronting a bigot in a private space may seem to be a good idea but often ends up creating a sympathetic environment for the bigot which dents the objective of the confrontation. For the likes of Arnab Goswami, theatrics is everything. Shout, scream, run and create a spectacle for the viewers. The only way to make these anchors irrelevant is to elucidate the facts and illuminate the truth, to separate information from noise and present it before the public.

Comedians, satirist, and media critics are striving to snub agenda journalism. But attacking the man will only weaken that cause. To make Arnab irrelevant, it is the 'Arnabmania' that needs to be snubbed.

Also Read: Comedian Kunal Kamra Confronts Republic TV's Arnab Goswami On A Flight, Video Goes Viral