Indian Youth Protests Erupt Against “Godi Media” as Reporter Dev Kotak is Assaulted, Highlighting Distrust in Mainstream News
NEW DELHI: This week, Indian television reporter Dev Kotak found himself at the center of a significant youth protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Initially intending to conduct a live broadcast and engage with the crowd, Kotak faced a violent backlash from protesters who accused his channel of being pro-government. The incident, captured on mobile phones, quickly went viral on social media.
The assault on Kotak was not an isolated event; it reflected a growing trend of hostility towards journalists from mainstream media during these protests. Many demonstrators have expressed their frustrations by heckling reporters, branding them as “godi (lapdog) media,” a term that has gained traction in recent years.
Kotak, who covers general news for Times Now, described the chaos: “The mob might have actually killed me. There was a seething anger among them because they felt the media hadn’t reported their side of the story.” He recounted being struck with slaps, kicks, and water bottles, stating, “I was very scared and feared for my life; I just wanted to get out alive.”
Anger After Crackdown on Protesters
The protests intensified following a police crackdown on a large demonstration outside Parliament, where many students were injured. Kotak noted that protesters accused the media of failing to represent their perspective. “People kept shouting that we hadn’t shown their side of the story. That’s simply not true—I’ve reported injuries on both sides.”
The editor-in-chief of Times Now, Navika Kumar, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incident. The growing animosity towards reporters highlights a broader conversation about media freedom in India, particularly since Modi’s administration began in 2014.
India’s position in the Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index has significantly declined over the past decade, dropping from 122nd in 2010 to 157th out of 180 countries in 2026. The Paris-based media rights organization attributes this decline to increasing violence against journalists, the concentration of media ownership among government-aligned businesses, and rising political polarization.
Flawed and Biased Reporting
The Editors Guild of India condemned the hostility directed at media representatives perceived to be aligned with the ruling party. They stated, “Flawed and biased reporting not only makes a bad situation worse, but has more serious and longer-lasting consequences which impact the fabric of our society and also weaken the media’s position as one of the key pillars of a functional democracy.”
Neither the Information and Broadcasting Ministry nor Modi’s office provided immediate comments on the situation. A spokesperson for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party also declined to comment.
News Has Become Anti-People, Says Veteran Editor
Ravish Kumar, a prominent journalist and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, is credited with coining the term “godi media.” This term has come to encompass nearly all television channels and some national newspapers, criticized for their lack of scrutiny towards the government and overly favorable coverage of Modi.
Kumar stated, “The godi-media is anti-democracy, anti-people, anti-opposition. They vilify any opposition, label critics as agents of foreign governments, and barely ever feature voices of political parties from opposition.”
A spokesperson for the protest movement, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, emphasized the importance of treating reporters with respect. Deepak Baliyan stated, “We have urged and we keep urging protesters to not misbehave with godi-media. Let them do their job. We want to make sure that no one gets mistreated here.”
A Product of Years of Disillusionment
Manisha Pande, editorial director of the news website Newslaundry, attributed the current distrust in mainstream media to years of growing disillusionment. “We have always had propaganda, partisanship, opinion-driven prime-time news. But what has really happened after 2014 is that you have seen a clear shift in how news has become anti-people.”
Digital commentator Akash Banerjee noted that the decline in trust in traditional news outlets has led audiences to seek alternative digital platforms. “The fact that the media has stopped questioning the government has resulted in a rise of alternative digital media, which would not have happened otherwise,” he said.
The protests against television crews represent years of accumulated frustration, according to Banerjee. Pande cautioned that this rising hostility could have dangerous implications. “The worrying part is that the anger has now taken on a life of its own. For many protesters, a reporter is no longer seen as an individual but as the face of a thick-skinned media establishment that is responsible for their pain.”
As reported by www.emirates247.com.
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Published on 2026-07-24 14:05:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk