Peabody Awards: Ravish Kumar calls ‘Indian Media disgrace,’ appeals support for ‘good journalism’
New Delhi: Renowned Journalist Ravish Kumar strongly criticized the Indian mainstream media calling it a disgrace to Journalism and Humanity. He was speaking while accepting the ‘Peabody Award’ alongside Vinay Shukla, for his documentary ‘while we watched' on Kumar, on June 9 at Los Angeles in the USA.
The award honors the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in all of television, radio, and online media during 2023. The awards are held in high esteem within the media industry due to their academic affiliation and reputation for discernment.
The documentary “While We Watched,” directed by Vinay Shukla, chronicles Ravish Kumar’s journey over two years as he faces violent personal threats, falling network ratings at NDTV, staffing losses, funding issues, and deep ethical dilemmas. The award citation describes it as a “powerful defense of independent journalism” and a “poignant portrait of everyday courage in the face of radicalized politics and publics.”
During his speech at the ceremony Kumar delivered a scathing critique of the mainstream Indian news system, he said, “When a journalist becomes a spreader of hate and lies, an instigator of mob lynching, a cheerleader for the government, [they] become an instrument to kill democracy. When hundreds of news channels repeat the same, they become a weapon to kill humanity. Most of the Indian mainstream media is a disgrace to democracy and humanity.”
Kumar expressed gratitude to his family and supporters, stating, “I would like to remember my wife Nayana, my brave daughters Tanima and Tanisha, who suffered a lot, and my millions of viewers who felt hopeless, helpless, and stateless because of this criminal Indian mainstream media. They came in search of hope. They supported me. They gave me hope to do journalism. Whenever you get the chance, please do support good journalism. You will get a good democracy. Thank you.”
Ravish Kumar has persistently criticized the Indian Media and also labeled it ‘Godi Media’ (Media sitting on Lap). In 2022, after quitting NDTV, the channel he was the face of for decades, following the channel's takeover by Billionaire Gautam Adani, the popular Journalist switched to Youtube, and is one of the foremost independent voices in Indian journalism today.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
