This man (Arnab Goswami) is journalist? I am ashamed to be from same industry: Barkha Dutt

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Senior journalist Barkha Dutt has launched an all-out attack against Times Now and its editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami, for allegedly calling to gag media in India.

Also Read | “Zee News, Aaj Tak, Times Now and NewsX are not going to tell you the truth about Kashmir”

Taking to Facebook, Barkha, a former colleague of Arnab in NDTV, said, “Times Now calls for gagging of media & for journalists to be tried &punished. This man is journalist?I am ashamed to be from same industry as him.

“What’s striking is his brazen and cowardly hypocrisy. So he drones on and on about Pro Pakistan Doves without one word on the JK alliance agreement that commits the BJP and PDP to talks with Pakistan and Hurriyat and is silent on Modi’s own Pakistan outreach- neither of which I object to- but since Arnab Goswami measures patriotism by such views why is he so silent on the government? Chamchagiri?

“Imagine, a journalist actually exhorts the government to shut down sections of the media, misrepresents them as ISI agents and terror sympathisers, calls for them to be tried and acted against.

“And our fraternity remains locked into politically correct and timid silence. Well I’m not a shrinking violet Mr. Goswami and no matter how many times you take my name directly or indirectly on your show, I really don’t give a toss for your opinion. I hope I will always be someone whose journalism you loathe, because trust me, the feeling is so utterly mutual that it would kill me to be on the same side of any issue as you.”

Also Read | Times Now app’s rating takes beating as users begin to uninstall to protest alleged biased coverage on Zakir Naik

Arnab, often accused of towing right-wing agenda through his channel, had held a debate on the ongoing unrest in Kashmir on Tuesday night. He had launched a provocative hashtag on Twitter #ProPakDovesSilent.

This was believed to be an indirect reference to journalists including Barkha and others who often criticised the central government’s policy on both domestic and foreign affairs.

Also Read | Arnab Goswami’s ‘shameless’ and ‘pseudo-liberals’ jibes after Rajdeep Sardesai questions media ethics on Kashmir crisis coverage

The #ProPakDovesSilent debate on Times Now had prompted many right-wing social media users to demand killings of a section of journalists, who they accused of being pro-Pakistanis because of their disagreement with the Indian government policies.

 

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