Ashok Ogra
1919: This is how the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was reported by the Manchester Guardian: “An astonishing story from India.Punjab meeting dispersed by fire in April troubles. Over 400 natives killed: Three times as many wounded.” Incidentally, almost all the British newspapers underplayed the magnitude of the massacre.
1971: All major Western media houses under-reported the massive refugee crisis that India had to face when the Pakistan army launched crackdown in the then East Pakistan.
2023: When Chandrayaan-3 was successfully launched, the New York Times displayed utter insensitivity by publishing a cartoon that showed a poor farmer, knocking on the door of the ‘Elite Space Club’ with a cow?
This exemplifies Coloniality in action: a context in which “Eurocentric knowledge and practices are deemed neutral, universal and apolitical.”
No wonder, the portrayal of India in Western media is a topic of considerable debate, with criticisms often centered around the tendency to focus on negative issues such as poverty, corruption, and social challenges, sometimes at the expense of positive developments or nuanced perspectives. Critics argue that selective reporting and a focus on sensational stories contribute to a skewed perception of India as a nation struggling with perpetual troubles.
While the tainted western media narratives have continued unabated since India gained independence in 1947, there are large numbers of commentators who believe that such stories have gained huge traction since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014. They argue the Western media has been focusing too much on controversial policies, a perceived decline in press freedom, rise of Hindutva, communal tensions etc.
To unravel the true story, noted journalist and communicator Umesh Upadhyay has critically analyzed and studied some 230 articles and news items published by major UK and US English publications from March 2020 to June 2021- a period that saw the Covid-19 pandemic reaching its peak.
Umesh rightly faults the London-based newspaper The Guardian, which in its opinion piece of April 8, 2020, unfairly compared the situation arising out of lockdown and the movement of migrants in India to ‘the situation to Partition.’ It certainly betrays both prejudice and ignorance.
The sheer numbers of COVID-19 cases and fatalities were often highlighted without considering India’s large population, which can mislead readers about the relative severity of the pandemic in India compared to other countries.
Umesh has taken the pains to present these important findings in a book titled ‘WESTERN MEDIA NARRATIVES ON INDIA: FROM GANDHI TO MODI.’
The author has drawn heavily from history and manages to raise fundamental questions about the credibility of the western media houses. The author provides enough material to reveal how India (and a few other colonies) were referred to by western societies during the Raj.
Umesh notes: “the press played the imperial game willingly. For example, in India, instructions were issued to the reporters from time to time as to how to cover events in the East. They were asked to ignore ‘Murders’ and Outrages’ of the indigenous populations. However, the murder of even an obscure missionary always necessitated reporting.”
The author also relies on a detailed survey carried out by the reputed Indian Institute of Mass Communication regarding the western media and coverage of Covid-19 in India. The survey was supervised by a distinguished Prof. Pramod Kumar, and was conducted among journalists, media educators, students and others. An overwhelming 60 % of the respondents believed that India-related coverage of the Covid -19 pandemic in western English publications was agenda driven, with only 18 % finding the coverage fully authentic.
The Western media’s defense has been that their role is to report on both positive and negative aspects of life in India and elsewhere, guided by the values of transparency, accountability, informed public discourse and to scrutinize power and bring public interest issues to light.
Umesh counters this by highlighting the imbalance in the flow of information and news,- how it is loaded in favour of western societies. There was what he appropriately calls ‘Cartelization of News’. One wishes the author had also quoted the relevant passages from Sean MacBride report on western media domination in the flow information.
When India became a democratic republic in 1950, some British press coverage reflected doubts about whether democratic institutions could take root in India and address the deep-seated issues of caste, religion, and regional identities.
Nothing agitates Indians more than the use of ‘militants’ instead of ‘terrorists’ when referring to armed groups involved in reckless atrocities against civilians and India’s security establishment in Kashmir.
Based on the strong evidence gathered by the author, it is, therefore, fair to say that the Western media has always been biased when reporting on or about happenings in India; however, there is no denying the fact that, after 2014 the slant has become more pronounced.
One also needs to acknowledge that India today occupies greater space and time on western media outlets – thanks to our robust growth story, with the country going to be the third-largest economy by 2030.
No wonder, almost every month, leading western media outlets feature India prominently. As late as March end, 2024, The Financial Times carried a four-column feature highlighting India’s initiatives in the field of the high-tech industry. Similarly, The Economist, too, has been devoting lots of space to India, particularly when comparing India’s sensex performance to the ‘not-so-promising’ investment sentiments in China. The same is true of other leading publications and TV news networks across the world. The fact is that the West can no longer afford to ignore India’s success story.
But the old prejudices die hard. Imagine the BBC calling the most devastating strain of Covid-19 the ‘Indian variant’ instead of ‘Delta variant’ to sully India’s image. Or India still being referred to as a land of snake charmers!
In addition, the western media commentators are oblivious of the rise of the phenomenon called Hindutva. It is no more a marginal idea today. It is now the mainline thought. According to Girilal Jain, a former Editor of The Times of India, ‘two processes have been on among Hindus since the early nineteenth century- modernization and self-renewal.’
Umesh laments that after 2014, there has been an added dimension in the way western media reports about India. They have been exaggerating the violation of human rights in India and lecturing India on democratic norms and press freedoms. The tone of the coverage is ‘condescending’ and sometimes ‘alarmist.’ However, we need to acknowledge that the media in western countries have been unsparing in critiquing their own governments and other institutions.
, the key role the American press played during the Vietnam War in uncovering stories that questioned the official narrative of the war and exposed government deceit.
As recently as 2003, the British press, including the BBC, played a significant role in questioning the UK government’s involvement in the Iraq War, particularly regarding the justifications provided for the invasion.
Similarly, during the Covid pandemic, coverage ranged from reporting raw data and personal stories to investigating systemic issues and government responses. To mark the grim milestone of nearly 100,000 deaths in the USA, the New York Times published a front page entirely covered with the names and selected details of victims under the headline: “U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, an Incalculable Loss.”
As run up to the Presidential elections due in November, the mainstream US media has not spared Donald Trump- consistently portraying him as anti-establishment with no respect for political norms and institutions.
The difference is that when it comes to India, the Western media displays blatant bias and revels in stereotyping India- sometimes so nuanced that it becomes difficult for an average person to decipher.
In his foreword, M. Venkaiah Naidu, former Vice President of India, compliments Umesh for ’employing a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on various fields such as media studies, history, sociology and political science, as also a variety of sources such as news articles, speeches, books, studies, research findings and sample surveys to analyze the Western media’s coverage of India in particular and developing societies in general.’
As a reviewer, I think the entire debate boils down to what readers “want to know” versus what they “ought to know”. Navigating this is a complex challenge requires careful ethical consideration. While catering to audience interests- it is necessary for engaging readers, it’s crucial for media outlets to not lose sight of their fundamental role in informing the public about significant events necessary for the health of democracy and society. Balancing these aspects is key to maintaining trust and integrity in journalism.
One sees huge merit in what noted economist and author Sanjeev Sanyal, suggests on how to address this challenge posed by the western media:”Rising India to tell its own story.”
Meanwhile, there is also a need to address the Delhi-centric nature of Indian media and its obsession with political news. Rural India and disadvantaged groups are crying for space and attention. Hope Umesh who is eminently qualified will also consider taking up this project.
Published by Rupa, this pioneering insightful work that contains nine chapters is a must-read for all those who want to understand the colonial mindset that continues to define the western media’s coverage on or about India. The author comes to the heart of his investigation in his preface itself. He offers a well documented analysis coupled with comprehensive data and scholarly conclusions to challenge the one-sided narratives that the western media specializes in. It is well written, clearly argued from someone who knows media industry reasonably well. Umesh aptly uses the present to throw light on the past and the past to shed light on the present.
(The author works for Apeejay Education, New Delhi)
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