An exodus of star anchors. Fawning coverage of India’s political leaders. Newsroom censoring of reporters who ask the government tough questions on the economy, public policy and conflict.
These are some of the changes journalists attribute to a management shakeup at New Delhi Television, which billionaire Gautam Adani acquired more than a year ago through a hostile takeover. Ahead of India’s national elections, NDTV has morphed into a government mouthpiece, according to current and former employees. They say the channel — akin to India’s CNN — has shed its reputation as one of the country’s most fearlessly independent news outlets.
"Journalism is dead,” said Ravish Kumar, a popular anchor who resigned from NDTV ahead of Adani’s takeover. These days, he said in an interview, "the only use of newspapers and channels is to create propaganda for Narendra Modi.”
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