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 ¡ª akin to India¡¯s CNN ¡ª 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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